Work hard and Play hard (Imperial College, University of London in general)

Member Name: Collick

Product:	Imperial College, University of London in general
Date:	27/01/01 (1187 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quality of teaching, status

Disadvantages: Large workload

When deciding on a university all I really thought about was what is the best place I can get in to and is it in a feasible location?
It is impossible to tell what a place is REALLY like until you have actually studied there. All the information you are given by the unis’ themselves is geared towards attracting students and it is often hard to tell one prospectus from another.
In response to my first two questions Imperial came top of the list. However there are many other aspects that should be considered before applying here.

As a first year Physicist at Imperial I can only give my own experiences but I think most of the points generally apply.

Many people say London is very impersonal and a difficult place to meet people. This is true to an extent, but if you make a point of getting to know other first years (and if you live in halls, other hall members) then you have an instant group of friends.

The stereotypical view of a student is someone who constantly parties, drinks and ‘loafs’ from the state. I would love to be able to do that but Imperial is definitely Work-Orientated. I know Physics is especially busy but 24 hours of lectures and labs a week is fairly common, plus all the problem sheets and reports to complete in your own time. As for loafing, the lack of student grant and fairly small loan means that it will cost you or you parents quite a bit to live in London (I don’t think it would be possible to live on the loans for four years without shouldering some hefty debt at the end of it).

From what I have heard from my friends at other universities, Imperial does things quite differently. These include the refusal to be affiliated with the NUS. You can either see this as stubborn and arrogant, or as traditional and eccentric. Either way the choice to come to imperial cant be made lightly.

Summary: