Studying Abroad in London -- Any tips/advice? (King's College London)

<p>As the title suggests, I was just wondering if anyone had any advice/tips/stories for someone studying abroad in London?</p>

<p>Don’t speak Welsh, you’ll get arrested for it.</p>

<p>Don’t mention the Scotts and the independence and you’ll be ok.</p>

<p>I learned that I shouldn’t say that I am “pissed” when I am trying to indicate my displeasure. Apparently it doesn’t quite mean the same thing haha</p>

<p>I think the term “cheesed off” is the equivalent of “pissed off”. And “bloody” this and “bloody” that is a good way to insult somebody.</p>

<p>Be careful of calling anyone “Willy”.</p>

<p>I do not recognise the London I know in any of the above comments (or even understand several of them). I suggest you visit the -remove space - student - remove space - room (that will be deleted if I type it out correctly) which is a UK board similar to this. There you can connect with people who have actually ever been to London and who are not obsessed by weird American stereotypes.</p>

<p>I also think you need to phrase your question more narrowly in order to get useful answers. Tips about what exactly?</p>

<p>Thank you for the advice!</p>

<p>I don’t have a specific question haha, I was just wondering about overall life I suppose. I can narrow it up a bit though.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Attire - Curious about how students dress? I’m from WA and everyone here dresses really casually (basketball shorts, sweats, athletic wear). I was in DC over the summer and it sort of opened my eyes to the difference in how people dress (no bball shorts, no sweats, polos/dress shirts were standard). I’m assuming London will be much more like DC, but I would welcome any insight.</p></li>
<li><p>Traveling - I would like to explore other parts of Europe while studying abroad, but I’m an extremely inexperienced traveler (although I have a great sense of direction and can stumble myself to anywhere provided amble time).
Any general tips? Trains vs. planes? Any advice is greatly appreciated.</p></li>
<li><p>Student Life in London - What are common activities that students do in their free time? Is there much of a community feel?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I’m just trying to get a feel for what life will be like in the coming months.</p>

<ol>
<li>Students generally dress casually.</li>
<li>Depends where you want to go and when. There are cheap flights available, and obviously that’s quicker than trains in most cases, but the cheaper flights often take you to inconvenient airports. You don’t want to be travelling at weekends - you’d miss out on student life and study time, so keep it for the vacations.</li>
<li>Drinking. The Students’ Union will have various clubs to join as well, but there is a massive drinking culture in the UK among students. You don’t have to drink, but you’ll be in a minority I’m afraid.</li>
</ol>

<ol>
<li>I’m from Oregon although I live and study in London for the full 3 years. Certainly clothing is still casual although Kings is definitely a bit stuffier than where I study (SOAS). Here I probably wear jeans, t shirt, and jumper and that seems to be pretty normal.</li>
<li>Definitely fly. As long as you don’t mind going to Luton, you can fly EasyJet for £50-60 to almost anywhere in Western Europe and back while the Eurostar to Paris is liable to cost upwards of £100 round trip.</li>
<li>Yes, drinking. Either to a pub, bar, or club, everyone drinks lots. Although be careful with your money, because a night out in Islington, Soho, Shoreditch and the like can end up costing a lot.</li>
</ol>

<p>Have access to someone with deep pockets. London is expensive. Otherwise it is a huge cosmopolitan city. London is much more like NYC than DC.
And LOL at 3, beer, beer and more beer. </p>

<p>

Pissed off would make sense. It’s just pissed on its own that has another meaning.</p>

<p>About travelling - if you just want to go somewhere for a short trip, you should definitely fly - Easyjet and Ryanair are your best bets. For a longer trip around Europe, stopping off in various countries, taking the train, or a rental car if you can drive, would be a lot easier.</p>

<p>My cousin went to London recently and she is actually quite happy being there. The change that I could see in her personality and thought process was very pleasing. She told me that London is very welcoming unlike the general belief. So, don’t listen to the negative things people have to say. It is like reading a movie review before actually watching the movie. The reviewer might not be calling the movie good, but you cannot really tell unless you watch the movie yourself.</p>

<p>Haha pissed means your drunk in UK English but people will just about understand you mean to shorten the phrase, “pissed off”. </p>

<p>When you’re applying through UCAS, I don’t think they will care too much about the SAT (in case you’re wondering). They are most likely to look at your IB/ AP grades. It’s worth looking at their entry requirements for the subject you wish to study as Kings often asks for a lot. UK universities are very specific in the grades they wish you to acquire and there is a great deal of variation between subject as well as uni. (ie. Because of Brian Cox, Manchester have the same Physics entry requirements as Oxford while most other courses ask for a lot less).</p>

<p>In contrast to the U.S., you can drink spirits and go clubbing from the age of 18 in the UK. Student life will be more about going out. Also, beware that London is expensive to live in and that you probably need to pay higher tuition fees as an international student.</p>

<p>Just in case your expecting London to be very stereotypically British, it is in fact very ethnically diverse so you won’t stand out that much. I know that many Americans joke about us wearing tophats and having crumpets with tea so I just thought I should clarify that we’re not all like this. :slight_smile: </p>