Being a university student in London sounds like a daydream – walks down the Thames in between classes, lunches in Soho and reliving your favourite scenes from Notting Hill. But there’s the other part of London that you often don’t consider when moving here. Its transport system can be expensive, there’s a renters’ crisis and massive amounts of tourists you weave through on a daily basis on your way to class. There are many positives and negatives about living in London as a student, but the prevailing question is: “Is it worth it?”

Pros

The scenery

As a student at LSE, I’m always a stone’s throw away from some of London’s most beautiful landmarks. If you walk down the Strand, you’re right on Waterloo Bridge with a gorgeous view of the Thames and the London Eye. All of the landmarks that you’d find on a postcard about London are within a 20-minute walk from your campus, which is great for a long walk after a stressful day at university. If you love a cityscape then being a student in London is the best place for it!

The diversity

This is what attracted me the most to London. I knew that I tended to get bored of routines and I love to try new and interesting things. If that sounds like you, then London is the best place to be as a young person who wants to explore. London is a multicultural city which is especially great for international students, since you will always be able to find a piece of home tucked away in one of its many boroughs.

Student city?

There is a misconception about student life in London that it is isolating, and you don’t get that same sense of community that you’d find on a typical campus university. I would beg to differ. It’s easy to feel lost within the millions of people who live in London and the often sparse layout of London universities. But, London is also home to 17 universities and with the University of London network, you have access to so many different libraries, events and campuses all over the city. I found this was not overwhelming, but freeing, as you get to interact with people from all over the world outside of your university bubble. I like to see London as my campus, which shows you that there’s a much wider community of people to interact with outside of LSE.

Cons

Expenses

Cost is often the biggest deterrence for people choosing to study in London, and I truly don’t blame them. Student accommodation in London can be over £10,000 for a year-long lease and, with the large student population, there is competition for a limited number of places. It is getting increasingly difficult for people to find an affordable place to live, especially for those who want to be nearby campus.

This coupled with the price of transport, it sometimes feels unsustainable to live and establish yourself in the city as a student. To help, you can link your 16-25 Railcard to your Oyster Card to save 1/3 of the price on off-peak travel. For LSE students, there is help available for expenses that come with your studies which you can read about in my blog covering different forms of financial support available at LSE. There are also a lot of student deals on Student Beans and UNiDAYS to help mitigate some of these costs and make life enjoyable while still living on a budget.

So, is it worth it? The short answer is yes! It was worth it for me to go to university in London over anywhere else because for the kind of experience I wanted to have at university, I knew London would provide me with what I needed. I wanted to enjoy studying at a top university while leading a life that wasn’t completely surrounded by just university. London provided me with that balance because whenever I feel overwhelmed or like I need a change of pace, there is always an event I can go to or a new place to explore and get my mind off things. It has also helped with setting myself up for the future as I can go to open days for different companies and explore different career paths for life after graduation. If that’s what you’re looking for from university, then I’d say go for it!