What it is like study in the UK
In UK universities you are given more responsibility from day one. In an undergraduate setting a class will be broken into two sections, you will have a lecture lead by a more senior academic that will have 50 people in it. Then you will be broken into a tutorial that will be much smaller and lead by an adjunct professor. Often classes are only once a week and will not have any assignments during a term. Your grade will be assessed by only a large essay due at the end. This puts a level of responsibility onto you to make sure you are keeping up with lessons and the readings. I often found that your professors are extremely supportive. If you are interested in a topic they will give you directions on where to go to find out more. I found this very helpful when writing my master's dissertation as there was a constant line of communication during the whole writing process. Overall, UK universities rely more on you to motivate yourself as an individual.
Accommodation
Accommodations are very different to the US, and for the better. Firstly, say goodbye to cinder block walls, tile floors, roommates, and shared bathrooms with 20 other students. In the UK you’ll have carpet, your own room and often your own bathroom. It will be similar to a suite setup in many American colleges. However, you will often have a fully functioning kitchen. There are no dining halls so you will be responsible for cooking your own food. You will share the kitchen and common area with 6-8 other students which I found to be rather nice. It is a great place to chat and hang out. In some cases your accommodation may be a little farther from campus then you are used to but often it isn’t that far of a walk and depending on the city there is normally a bus nearby that can take you there. In the accommodation you and your housemates are left to be in charge of keeping the place clean and tidy. I found that living in accommodation like this felt more like being in a home and it helped make the transition to a new country very helpful.
University in London
London is a massive place that always has something new going on. As a student it is full of opportunities to do something new every weekend. There are always tons of student discounts available to a wide range of things. London is also home to many universities so you will meet people who attend universities all around London. One thing I absolutely loved about studying in London was how much the city was used as an extension of the classroom. In one class every week we were in a new area of London learning about how and why it developed. In a different class we explored the many museums of London. It is also an international city, you can see that it influences everything from the food to the street names. It was wonderful to interact with so many people from different background, who have all be brought together by a city. London is also well connected to any part of the UK and you can get a train or flight to almost anywhere in Europe if you ever get bored of this amazing city.
- Ben