UCL First Year in Film: a reflection on the pre-covid uni experience and its highs and lows

UCL First Year was like a rollercoaster ride cut short. We had the highs and the lows of standard uni experience but then we lost out on the final thrill as we got sent home before term three. However, that is not to say that the two terms we did have weren’t sufficiently eventful. London life can be pretty stressful, but it can also be a time of freedom, curiosity and pure happiness.

I’ve been lucky enough to document some moments of my time at UCL on a film camera, and alongside classic student moments that I’d rather not relive, there’s also a lot of pictures that make me realise how much I love being here.

From the (what feels like) ancient archives of Loop photos and halls photos I’d say that this is as accurate as one could possibly get to ‘UCL life in film’.

Enjoy.

21st September 2019

Moving day, somewhere in Chinatown, with a lot of future good friends.

23rd September 2019

Contemplating cycling home after the Ministry freshers event, knowing full well that hardly any of us would make it from Waterloo to Warren Street alive.

24th September 2019

The tube on the way to the Scala freshers event, where one of us would end up with a concussion in A&E.

29th September 2019

The first house party with the course girls, at the Marylebone flat we called our second home.

1st October 2019

A very happy Jazz Night at Phineas.

5th October 2019

Chalk Farm bridge, on the way, to see the sunset at Primrose Hill.

6th October 2019

Jazz Night, a first-year staple. I miss it 🙁

8th October 2019

Creating life-lasting bonds with the Northern line.

9th October 2019

A halls kitchen in freshers, before the beer bottle collection got out of hand and many more props were collected.

13th October 2019

Somewhere in Hackney Wick – the weirdest/best warehouse party I’ve ever gone to.

13th October 2019

The warehouse party getting even weirder.

19th October 2019

On a very cramped bus to an Electric Ballroom event.

23rd October 2019

Our ‘flat meals’ ritual, which lasted about 2 months but was wholesome all the same.

25th October 2019

Jazz Cafe event with a very strange ‘experimental music’ set.

26th October 2019

Astor before a Halloween house party, dressed as traffic cones with the homies.

27th October 2019

Sunset from the Student Centre, overlooking our precious BT tower and UCL campus. Very happy times.

26th November 2019

Carnaby Street at Christmas time.

27th November 2019

UCL first year must: fancy dress Loop. Here we have a Loop involving pirate hats and shit glow sticks.

7th December 2019

A surprisingly successful halls Christmas dinner, using 3 kitchens’ ovens and with way too much roast veg.

9th December 2019

The IOE bar after our last lecture together of the term, in which we played ‘drink if the lecturer reads off the slides’ (if you haven’t played I would definitely recommend).

15th January 2020.

Another happy Jazz Night, it is the Tuesday Night special that always delivers.

24th January 2020

Not Cool Club event at the pop-up venue The Cause in Tottenham Hale. Had a bed, highly recommend.

8th February 2020

Blues Kitchen Shoreditch for a friend’s 20th. They blacked out in the toilets and were not seen the whole night, sounds like the best way to celebrate your birthday, no?

1st March 2020

Brief goodbye visit to St Paul’s before going home for lockdown. *Sadness incoming*

7th March 2020

The final farewell, IOE bar, approximately 45 seconds after our lecture ended.

Whilst UCL first year, like all first-years around the world, ended prematurely what we did have was great. Jazz Nights, the IOE Bar and Loop have a special place in all our hearts and here’s to the vaccine getting us back there.