University of Westminster

London is a place where you can, if you want, go to a new place everytime you wanna go out. Meaning in three years you can avoid going to the same place twice. However, this is not the case for me. Every night of the week have a perfect night time adventure and there is something for everyone's taste. Monday nights, Cheers in Central is packed with tourists, cheep drinks and fun dancing music, Tuesdays perfect for going to Bayswater for a pint and a movie (my favourite theatre at Whitley's due to fairly cheep tickets and never sold out, Wednesdays spent at the Cuban in Camden Town. Cosy and fun little Cuban restaurant in the middle of the makret and you get the feel of Camden without all the stress of the weekend tourists. Thursday night at Attica in Soho was always fun, and Friday and Saturday night was a mix and match according to your mood: Fancy partying in Central, Soho or Kensington or more casual partying or pubcrawling in Angel. London never stops and my best advice to new comers would be to stay clear of Oxford Street and the most crowded places. Take a stroll down Marylebone High Street, a walk along the canal in Little Venice, Camden market on weekdays. Basically explore the lesser known parts of London. Best bar for a pint with friends or a date is without doubt the Cave in Covent Garden-am I on a boat or in a secluded cabin?Hard to say but the atmosphere is amazing and even though packed with people it is intimate and private. The Light by Liverpool Street station is also highly recommended. Giving a chilled feel and room to dress up or down for an evening out with friends. It has to be mentioned that a stay in London is not complete without a night or two in the one of the West End theatres..A musical or two fullfils the London experience. More than particular places to see, just have a walk around the city. Soak in all the atmosphere, the people, shopping, bad/good food, look at the buildings and merely enjoy the fact that you are in one of the world's most pumping and energizing cities.

I spent one year on campus and it was allright. The reason I moved out of campus was that it was too far away from Central London and I wanted to make the most of my year in the UK and experience the real pulse of the city.

To learn the language was not a reason for choosing London, but to perfectionate my skills and experience the city was main points. The fact that I spoke English before hand made it easier to consentrate on the academic parts of my studying.

My biggest surprise was the difficulty in opening a bank account in London. It is not suited and doesn't seem to welcome international students. In order to get an account you need sufficient proof of adress and papers from your university only gives you a low beneficail and difficult account. It is important that every document you retrieve has your named spelled correctely, otherwise you have to start all over. As for cost-saving, buy the store bands in grossery stores (a lot cheaper than other brands and tastes just as good). Make calls from Skype and try to get a contract on your phone-pay as you go is very very expensive. join web sites for student discounts and try to register for guest lists before going ut, you usually get to pay a lower cover charge.

Take the bus if you can, you gte to see so much more of London than by tube. Even better-walk! Even though it seems like great distances the tube stops are fairly close and you get to know the city so much better.