University College London (UCL)

Well, I travelled throughout England, Ireland, France, Spain and Italy. The English students definitely get more vacation time than American students do, so take advantage of it. The University College London had three weeks off around Christmas/New Years and a month off between the end of March and the end of April. Furthermore, I felt that the courses of study (for everyone) were less intensive, so there is more time to even take short breaks. In other words, I often hung out, with even those of my friends who were in law school and med school, something that is pretty much unheard of in the United States.

Host language was English, therefore, no comment.

Health Care is provided by the State for all students at the University. I actually had to go to the emergency room once and all I had to do was show them my student id and student health card that I was issued. The University accommodation that I was staying in provided one pillow, one sheet and a light weight duvet upon my arrival, so that was nice. I would have worked if it hadn't been such a pain in the ass to get a job as a non-EU citizen. In order for a non-EU citizen to get a job, a job posting has to be posted in the paper for at least two weeks and then you can go to the employment offices and get permission to apply for a job. However, it will only be approved if the manangement at the desired workplace can prove that there is no other British citizen that can/will fill the position. So, basically, as one might imagine, most decent/well paying jobs are not hanging about in the papers, unanswered for two week. The only jobs that are left were pub jobs which pay NOTHING. Furthemore, even these pub jobs are appealing to British/EU students (because of the hours), so one would have to compete with them, too. Yet, as the government sees it, there is no competition. British/EU citizens have first grabs.

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SOHO rocks! If you dig jazz, you have to get out to Ronnie Scott's. Not to be confused with a jazz joint, the Blue Note is an awesome club that spins a lot of great techno and drum and bass, as does Bar Rhumba. Stay clear of the tourist trap clubs in Leicester Square. The Ministry of Sound (largest club in the City) is definitely iffy, but if you like mainstream vocal house/generic techno, try it out. Just about all of the galleries are worth the visit. London's curator's are extremely wise in their choices of exhibitions. Thursday nights at any of the University Union's is where it's at. However, plan on going early because they do have maximum capacities and the lines start forming really early. Unions are also the cheapest places around to eat and a great place to meet friends for lunch. If you play sports, join one of the University teams. I played soccer on the Women's Football team and had an absolute blast travelling around. It's also a great way to meet friends. However, if you are a guy and do intend on going out for a team, especially for soccer, rugby or hockey (field hockey), keep in mind that the Brits are pretty intense, however they do have different level teams within each sport, provided that the sport is popular enough. In all, London is totally what you make of it. It was the best year of my life and I'd return to the City and UCL in a second...provided that it were free. Oh, by the way, it is soooooooo much cheaper to attend the University of London colleges through direct application. I think that I only payed about 13k, whereas I would have payed several thousands of dollars more if I had gone through an American program. My decision to apply directly definitely paid off, especially since living in London is so unbelievably expensive!!! that it is beyond words.