Everything they don’t tell you about being a student in London

Although voted the third best student city in the world, there are things that only experience itself can unveil.


You will become ridiculously impatient.

Having to wait three whole minutes for the next train will be painfully difficult.

TfL Rail will often ruin your day.

Delays?! Limited service?! You must be kidding me.

A tube strike will mentally scar you, forever. 

London just stops; the city no longer functions. It’ll be the worst day of your life. And yes, you’re still expected to turn up to both university and exams!

9:00am lectures will be the bane of your life. 

Being stuck in a carriage full of angry commuters isn’t my idea of fun.

You will need to invest in some good deodorant.

Good God, the tube is a sweaty ride.

You will end up walking everywhere

You will learn that tube stations aren’t actually that far away from each other, and the view really isn’t that bad anyway.

Trainers are cool.

Yes, it’s acceptable to wear your snazzy pair of Nikes outside of the gym. Let’s be honest, every journey is a workout.

You will need to master the art of weaving in and out of large crowds.

It’s the only way to cope with the hoards of people, especially at tourist hotspots.

Citymapper is a necessity. 

If you haven’t got this gem of an app, you might as well just stay at home.

Contrary to expectation, nights out will require a lot of effort.

Unlike your friends who study elsewhere in the UK, your social life might seem anything but wild. But don’t fret, London is inundated with fabulously fun pubs, bars and clubs.

You will get an Uber more often than you should.

Let’s face it, nobody wants to get on a night-bus whilst intoxicated at 4:00am. Just get an Uber. Give it a couple of minutes and a Toyota Prius will pull-up at your behest.

Your coffee intake will increase significantly.

Caffeine is the legal way of keeping you going, especially on a Monday morning.

But that’s okay, because London has the cutest of coffee shops to suit every budget.

You won’t be able to resist.

You will feel obliged to up your Insta game.

Londoners love Instagram. From gramming that perfectly pink latte to gramming the Queen’s rather impressive gaff, the options are endless.

Anything and everything goes in London.

You will no longer bat an eye lid at anything slightly strange or obscure.

Whether you love it or hate it, London is a city like no other. Learn to embrace it, because it isn’t everyone who gets to study in the heart of London.