Although the transition to university wasn’t plain sailing for me, being a fresher was a very exciting time, and a big part of the reason for it being such a fun experience was living in student halls. I lived in Woodward. Although I can appreciate that there are downsides to student halls, I wouldn’t have changed it for living in a privately rented flat, at least not in my first year. Having gone through three different rented flats, I’ve really come to appreciate the perks of living in student accommodation.
Everything in one place
I think what I miss the most is having so many amenities in one place – a quiet study room just a few flights of stairs below, a lively common room with comfy sofas for when I needed to take a break, and a gym next door. Not having to leave the building to access all these facilities is a huge advantage that I really appreciate now, as commuting or walking to campus, the gym, or good study space can take time that I would rather spend doing things I enjoy.
Budgeting
It was also easier to stay within budget by saving on transport (except for commutes to campus), and perhaps even more because I wasn’t going to cafes to study as I could just go downstairs if I needed a change of environment and a space to focus. Not to mention the gym membership!
No bills and free events
It’s not only about the cost, though, but convenience as well. Setting up accounts and contracts for bills, waiting for the installation of Wi-Fi, cleaning all the common areas, chasing up the landlord/landlady or agency to fix a washing machine that has suddenly stopped working – this can be time consuming especially when there are deadlines or exams approaching.
I think in first year, living in halls is a great option for most people. Not only does it save you the hassle of the flat search, but it’s also an amazing opportunity to meet a lot of people at all the fun events, and even make friends for life. If you live in student accommodation or are about to move in – take advantage of it! The memories will last for a long time!
Sitting in my uni flat bedroom, facing the daunting task of packing up essentially 3 years of my life, it felt appropriate to actually assess how much of this stuff I needed to being to university and how much I could’ve left at home. So here are my top tips of what to actually bring when you move into halls in first year. It’s important to remember that you will only be in halls for 9 months in first year and then you’ll be moving your stuff back home, into storage or straight into your accommodation for the next few years, so don’t overpack!!
Do remember that this list just talks about things you should have, you don’t necessarily need to bring them from home, you can buy them once you arrive in London.
Bedroom:
Moving into Beit!
All Imperial bedrooms come with a bed, desk and chair, cupboard and/or chest of drawers, notice board, shelf space, laundry basket, desk lamp, bin and some extras like a bedside table or extra chair.
Essentials:
Hangers – essential for hanging clothes up
Clothes – When you arrive in October, the weather is usually fairly mild, but in a few weeks it’ll start to get freezing so definitely come prepared with more winter than summer clothes
Files, notebooks and stationery, although I bought most of my stuff from the Union Shop which has everything you could need from Imperial branded books to a variety of pens
Laptop – each department will have their own guidance on this, but it is useful having your own laptop, a lot of work is released online so it’s useful to be able to access this from your own room, although the library is open 24/7 should you need to use a computer there
Bedding – duvet and pillow(s), plus mattress protector and 2 sets of duvet and pillow covers and bed sheets
Slippers to wear when you’re going to the kitchen/shared bathrooms
Adapters – if you’re coming from abroad
ID card that isn’t your passport – Useful if you’re heading to a bar/club and need ID on you
Laundry pods – much easier than faffing with liquids
Useful:
Making Beit into Home
Organisational dividers – I found that not all my clothes fit in my cupboard, so I used some extra shelves and put clothes in dividers with covers on the shelves
Photos from home – bring a little bit of home to uni
Totally optional fairly lights or other decorations – Just made everything feel homely for me
Snacks! – now this might feel a little silly since the kitchen is so close by, but sometimes when it’s 11pm and you’re scrambling to complete that coursework and you need a pick-me-up, opening your snack drawer for a quick treat is the best
Full length mirror – a lot of rooms don’t have a full length mirror, if you feel like this is something you’d miss then definitely worth buying
Black Tie – A dress or suit for your hall’s boat party and the various other formal events that crop up
Reed Diffuser – to keep your room smelling fresh
Board games/deck of cards – games to play and bond with flatmates over
Extension lead – not many accessible sockets in the bedrooms
Not necessary:
First night in Halls vs Last night
Printer – I brought one from home and it’s been totally redundant since we’re given so much free print credit at uni, not many things need to be printed anyway with so much available online
Too many books – I ended up bringing a lot of books to halls, fiction and Maths related, and I barely ended up reading during first year because I was so busy
Too many clothes!
Bathroom:
Towels, bathmat, bathrobe – flannel, bath towel and maybe a hand towel
Caddy/Toiletry bag – especially if you share a bathroom
Toothbrush holder/mug – just to keep everything tidy
Toiletries and basic cleaning supplies (bleach and surface cleaner)
Kitchen:
You will have your own cupboard in the kitchen and also a space in the fridge and freezer. If you travelled to your halls by car with your parents, I would encourage you to ask your parents to drive you to a local supermarket to stock up on store cupboard essentials which can be heavy.
Essentials:
A collection of everyone’s plates
Pots and pans – minimum one frying pan and one pot
Washing up sponges and liquid (could share with your flatmates)
Store cupboard and long life:
Pasta, rice, lentils
Emergency cans of vegetables, meat or fish (I always have a healthy supply of tuna and sweetcorn cans)
Sugar, Salt, Pepper, spices, soy sauce, honey, other condiments – I like to have cinnamon for my porridge, paprika, garlic powder, chilli flakes to hand
Snacks like nuts, dried fruit, crisps, biscuits etc
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate supplies
Some useful freezer items like nuggets, frozen peas, ice cream, frozen fruit etc
I hope this checklist helps you with your packing, drop me a comment if you have any questions, and Welcome to Imperial!
Imperial is challenging. Every Imperial student can tell you that. But some people REALLY struggle with their degrees. I am one of those people. Imperial was not what I expected and I have had a love-hate relationship with this degree. Before I leave Imperial, I want to share my up and down journey during the course of this degree because it really hasn’t been perfect, but I have almost made it and I know you will too.
Pre-Imperial
I really loved maths. There is no other way to describe it. Between my four A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry, I spent over 70% of my time doing maths or calculations of some kind. I was obsessed and I couldn’t have imagined studying anything else at university. I’m sure many people can relate when I say that at school your identity is very much what you’re good at. I was just the Maths girl. It was an identity I had held for years and I hadn’t really thought much about what would happen when I was surrounded by 240 other “Maths kids”. At school I was used to having an identity, being an individual surrounded by people who were completely different to me. I was confident and I spoke up at every chance I got. But then things changed.
First Year
My first friends – Year 1
Day 1 at Imperial was crazy and it feels like a lifetime ago. Walking into the Clore lecture theatre I gravitated towards the first girl I could see, Jasmin, shortly followed by Lizzie joining us. Little did I know that these two girls would become some of my best friends and we would be stuck together for another three years.
My first few mathematical lectures at Imperial were intense. It seemed like a big step up from school Maths. It was like opening up a different language. This is something my teachers had tried to convey to me, but I had quite realised what it meant. I suddenly had a bunch of new courses I wasn’t sure if I liked, like Analysis and Group theory. I even found mechanics awful, despite having really enjoyed it at school.
Maths became really hard. I found myself growing more and more detached from it struggling to have any motivation to complete problem sheets or revise for weekly tests. I no longer had the infinitely strong support base I was so used to having at school. I was so used to being good at Maths, that I had really never experienced what it was like to struggle. Instead of doing the sensible thing and asking for help, I locked myself away believing I was the the only one struggling this much. The Maths department has many places to ask for help, problems classes, office hours, friends, academic and peer tutorials. Yet I used none of these. I lost a lot of confidence and became a lot more reserved. (and everyone who knows me knows that I am not a quiet type of person)
I somehow clawed my way through first year exams with the support of a few friends who realised I just needed a little nudge. But my relationship with maths was definitely on the down and I didn’t know how I could survive another two years of this.
Second Year
Second year was no better really. If anything it was worse. I was having to take more advanced courses in the same topics I had struggled with in First Year. I was now having to battle Analysis II, Differential equations and Algebra II when I had barely pulled through easier versions of these modules. In order to cope with the difficult work situation, I found myself turning to clubs and societies to keep myself happy. I probably took this a little tor far, engaging a bit too much and compromising my degree a little bit. But it was the saving grace that got me through my second year so I’m not sure if I would’ve made it without them.
Come second year exams, I had really lost all sense of passion for Maths. It was like counting down because I knew there was no point giving up now. I scraped through those exams by the skin of my teeth, I am less than proud to admit. But the important thing is that I made it.
Third Year
Of course this story has a happier ending, you didn’t think I would just leave you with some depressing message right! Third Year in the Maths Department means that you can choose your modules entirely. After two years of compulsory modules I was sooo excited! I took a steady list of Stats modules with some extra fun ones too. If you’ve read my Her Story feature then you’ll know that I have a passion for Statistics, more so than Maths! Between my statistics modules I fit in some Data science and even a teaching module, which I am currently writing up. (More to come on this soon!)
Things started looking a little brighter. I actually enjoyed my modules, they might have required more work, but the work was manageable and I finally understood things! It had been a long time since I had the feeling of keeping up with modules. After some positive coursework marks, I started getting my enjoyment back a little and confidence levels rose a little bit.
Three years on
This year I have the incredible opportunity to actually do some project work. From analysing the differences in ingredients of various curries in Statistical Learning, to getting a great introduction to Machine Learning and Statistical Modelling with projects on the effects of drinking coffee on heart rates and analysis clothing catalogues. The opportunities and hands on learning approaches Imperial adopts has highly benefitted my peers and I. I have fallen back in love with Maths and I couldn’t be happier.
The moral of the story
The going will get tough at some point in your life. But the important thing here is to persevere. Keep at it. If you really love something, you will fall back in love with it, no matter how much you hate it in the moment. Just keep trying because now that I’ve made it through, I couldn’t be prouder of myself. I might be a little battered and bruised, but it’s been a wonderful journey through which I have learnt so much.
To anyone who feels like they need to seek support through a tough time, I highly recommend it, I wouldnt’ have made it here without the amazon support I have had. Speak to your personal tutor, senior tutor, the college counselling service or your GP amongst others.
The end of your time at Imperial will no doubt be amazing, but you’ve got to enjoy the journey too in order to have a perfect ending.
Is it too early to be thinking about going back to university? It’s that weird time at the end of the year, between Christmas and New Year’s, when no one really knows what day it is or what they’re supposed to be doing. In this time I find my thoughts keep coming back to the start of Term 2, which is just one week away now.
Firstly, I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas, whether you spent it at home with your family and friends or here in London exploring the city. With New Year’s Eve coming up and then Term 2 starting just a few days after that, here’s some tips for making the most of the last week of the holidays.
If you have spent most of your time so far working and catching up on lectures from last term, make sure to give yourself some time off. It is the Christmas Holidays after all!
Equally, if you have done no work at all, it might be an idea to dust off those lecture notes and have a quick recap before heading back so that you are starting the new term fresh and ready to learn more.
Make the most of the sales! Student budgets can be tight, so if there is anything you think you might need for the new term, try and grab yourself a bargain by getting to the shops before you head back to see what’s on offer and reduced.
On the topic of New Year’s, have you thought of you New Year Resolutions yet?
Personally, I don’t tend to set any because I know they only last about a week, two if I’m lucky, but if you are one for starting the new year with a new mindset and goals then get thinking of your aims for this year. Make sure to make them achievable and apparently if you tell people your goals you are more likely to stick to them.
Finally, if you have spent the holidays at home, make sure to make the most of the last week with your family, you might not be seeing them again until the Easter break. Also, make sure to show your parents how grateful you are of them looking after you at home, nothing beats a home cooked meal and I’m sure you’ll start to miss them once you’re back to cooking yourself most nights.
I hope the thought of the new term hasn’t put a downer on your holiday spirits, but remember you do still have a week of free-time left before we all move back to London.
Make the most of it and I wish you all a very happy New Year!
Coming to Imperial was honestly surreal for me, it felt like a dream, and when I woke up it was exam time, and I had to fought tooth and nail to survive. Until I was actually in London, there was always a possibility at the back of my mind to back out. I wanted the easy path, the “I know I can ace every
single class”, which was why Imperial was sort of my second choice. Yes, you heard me, it was my second choice, despite the fact that tons of people are dying to get in.
I know from the beginning, that Imperial would be hard, so I lost hope since the beginning. I thought, it would be better for me to fail and get expelled than actually try and fail. There was no doubt that I picked the right course, I actually love the course (except well, maybe one or two modules). But, I was doubting myself, I kept on asking why did they accept me. I thought, by no means am I an ideal candidate, I wasn’t top of my class at school (except math), I’m the furthest from a teachers pet, I haven’t quite accomplished much in my life. I’m just a girl who absolutely loves math, and thinks I can make an impactful difference through it.
Okay, here comes the ups.
1. I just spent the last year being taught by world leading researchers. I mean one of them even worked on the Twin Tower in Malaysia. Plus, one time, the engineer who was working on the Shard came to Imperial and gave a talk about the construction. (P.s. How can you not think it’s so impressive)
2. Being constantly awed by the work of one or all of your lecturers/professors — No jokes, sometimes I’m so awed I can’t even form a proper sentence talking to them.
3. Living in London. Despite it being excruciatingly expensive, I absolutely absolutely love living in London. Anything you could imagine doing (including surfing, just find a big enough hydrodynamics lab to do it?), you could almost always do it in London. Meeting Prince Harry maybe? Well, guess what he’s been to Imperial, just this summer.
And the downs.
1. I just mentioned that living in London is expensive, well imagine exam week. You just tap your Apple Pay here and there, eat out, calling Uber for a 5AM pick up. Trust me, it adds up real quick. And oh my gosh, stress shopping is legit. If I’m telling myself I can’t go to Harrods because I have to revise, I’d spend an hour scrolling through most of the major shopping sites.
2. The dumb stare — okay, to be fair this could happen anywhere, not just imperial. It’s basically when you’re like so lost, and you have absolutely no clue what’s going on. So, a person that has superior knowledge of the subject just stares at you in silence — I call this the dumb stare, and did I mention that I’m not a fan of the awkward silence.
Everything that was going through my head when I firmed Imperial
For any perspective students reading this post, you’re probably going through the daunting process of selecting your firm and insurance choices on UCAS. I remember this being quite an important decision and a lot of time and thought went into making it so I thought I would share some of my thoughts on choosing universities.
After being a student caller, speaking to perspective students and answering all the questions over the phone, I started thinking about all of the reasons I myself chose Imperial and I thought it would be useful to share some of them with you.
Prestige and Rankings
Imperial is obviously an incredibly prestigious and highly ranked university. Ranked in the top 4 (UK) consistently on most lists and top 3 for most subjects including most types of engineering.
Imperial, and its humanities counterpart LSE, are often considered the next best UK options to Oxbridge, a ver famous name amongst all UK universities and extremely well recognised
As a highly ranked science only university, Imperial offers a unique atmosphere, where all students have similar interests thus forming a pool of some of the brightest scientific minds in the world, what could be cooler
Imperial is regularly ranked as the number one UK university for research
Not quite graduating yet
Graduate Prospects
The Complete Guide to UK Universities ranks Imperial College as the top (non-medical) university for graduate prospects. This means that coming to Imperial gives you the biggest advantage possible in terms of finding an opportunity whether its in academia or industry for after university.
Imperial has some of the best connections with industry of all UK universities with regular careers fairs and each department being supported closely by relevant companies with extensive opportunities for students
Imperial boasts a careers service specialising in STEM/finance careers with opportunities to take part in work shadowing, research opportunities and get funding to work with charities
Imperial is a recognised name across the UK and around the world. Most employers will hold Imperial students very highly progressing them through application processes quickly due to the universities excellent reputation for standard of students
Location, Location, Location
Hyde Park on a lovely day
Being in London means many top employers are right on your door step. This mean more invitations to insight and networking events, easier commutes to interviews and internships and more chances to mingle with future employers
Spend less time commuting to interviews and have accommodation for summer internships which largely take place in London
Imperial is situated in London’s hub for culture and learning, with the Royal Albert Hall, three museums and glorious Hyde Park on the doorstep
Easy connections to Central London (15 mins), Shopping Malls (10 mins) and Bars and Clubs (10-30 mins)
Student Union on campus, unlike other London universities, offering regular events and a chance to wind down after a long day of work
A once in a lifetime opportunity to live, work and study in one of London’s most expensive localities
A campus university feel within the City Centre where you’ll get to graduate at the Royal Albert Hall
Support
Despite the rumours Imperial actually offers a lot of support for students academically and pastorally
Academic: Tutorial groups with academic tutors, Peer tutorials with final year students, office hours where you can ask lecturers questions, problems classes with Graduate teaching assistants, Academic reps who work to resolve issues that arise in lectures and represent your views
Pastoral/Wellbeing: Tutors who meet with students individually about twice a term or as necessary in order to make sure students are okay, Wellbeing reps and student support, trained staff in all departments ready to speak to students
So although Imperial might have some other factors to consider, in my opinion, the factors above outweighed everything else and motivated me to choose Imperial. I have had an absolutely amazing time here without a doubt. Imperial has become kind of like a little family me, theres a very strong sense of community, and walking around campus has started to feel so familiar. Almost like being at home. There’s not a single day when I regret coming to Imperial. I have been able to juggle my studies with my extra-curricular activities, and still have a life and I’m very grateful for all of the opportunities I have got from being here.
I hope this post helps some of you decide to come here, and if you have any questions at all about what it’s like to study here, please feel free to contact me or comment on this post!
How have I already reached halfway through my time at Imperial?
As we hit the middle of February there was only one thing I could really think about, coming to half way through my degree. All undergraduate Imperial students studying engineering and most science students are on 4 year programmes, however, breaking tradition, I have decided to only do the 3 year BSc. A lot of this is due to my focus away from research and towards industry as the 4th year of the maths degree leans towards research.
During my year and half here I have definitely made some incredible friends from all over the world, learnt so much – not only academically but also practically and also had some of my best memories. Here are some of the best things I’ve learnt over my time here and also some of my top tips to making the most of your first year or so here.
What I’ve Learnt:
Step out of your comfort zone: More than once I have slightly gone out of what I knew and looking back I’m so glad I did. One example is actually student blogging. I didn’t plan to keep writing when I came to university, however I stumbled across a flyer and I thought I’d just have a go. I was so sure I wouldn’t get selected to be a blogger that I didn’t tell anyone I had applied, not even my best friend at Imperial or my parents. Given the large number of applicants it was such a good feeling to be told I made it and made me so glad I tried something new.
If an opportunity comes knocking, take it! At the start of summer all Maths students were invited to apply to be induction ambassadors for the incoming freshers. I already had a packed summer of work experience and travel lined up so decided not to apply as I wanted to myself some time to relax as well. About midway through the holiday the member of staff running the selection programme emailed asking if I’d like to apply thinking the role would be a perfect fit for me. Although I had initially been hesitant I thought, why not? I had nothing to lose after all. Once again one the of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The opportunity to work with a completely new team on a project I was very passionate about gave me a lot more confidence in myself and left me feeling utterly grateful to have had the opportunity.
Don’t compare yourself: Imperial students have all come from similar backgrounds, being amongst the top in their schools. When all of these people come together at Imperial it creates an insane atmosphere where everyone is super smart and want to well. Given this, it’s easy to lose confidence in yourself by comparing your downfalls to other people’s successes. I have definitely been guilty of doing this! Coming into second year in particular what I have learnt is that everyone has different levels of success. Success should just be about doing your best and if you’re gonna compare yourself to anyone compare to yourself. See if you’re improving throughout the year. Everyone also has different goals for which they might need to have achieved different things.
Get involved! Imperial is is home to over 16,000 students. It’s easy to get lost amongst this and feel like you don’t matter. My top tip to overcoming this is to get involved. After first year I felt quite disjointed from Maths, as if I was just going through the motions. Through getting involved with Student Ambassadors, MathSoc Committee and Women in Maths, I’ve begun to feel like I’m actually a part of something and has definitely made me feel a lot more settled.
Imperial is such a great place to study at, make sure to make the most of it!
A term in university thought me one thing, it’s to attend your lectures and actually listen to the lecturers, (don’t spend the entire 2 hours lecture scrolling through instagram feeds, I made that mistake). Most of the time, you’re probably already tired after a full day of lectures, and weekends feel more like a relaxing day than hustle days. So, I personally find being interactive in lectures (taking notes and ask question) should help a lot in your studying, also some of the lectures are actually really interesting.
Prepare your own meal
I know, this feels like a hassle, especially if all you want to do is sleep, I feel you hun. But, uni life is expensive, uni life in London, is pfffffffff… well.. unless your last name is Gates, preparing your own meal is a good idea. Not only that you know what you’re putting into your body, but it saves a lot of $$$.
Stay fit and active
It’s typically easy to just be a couch potato in uni, I mean you spend your entire day sitting, from a 9AM to 5PM lectures, then you sit on the tube during commute, and you sit again doing revision, I mean you get my point, it’s a lot of sitting. As important as revision and attending lectures, it’s also so important to stay active. Personally, I study better if I do a workout in the morning, I’m less lazy and more focus on what I’m trying to put into my brain.
Do the things you love
Uni is not all about lectures and revisions, despite what people think, we still have a life and we still have time to enjoy doing what we love. I love fancy dinners and going out with friends, so I always make time to catch up with my friends over dinner. London is practically the place to be, you wouldn’t run out of things to do, despite the busy days in uni, you’ll still find so many things you can do and with Imperial running so many different clubs, you get to do the things you love (also, Wednesday lecture ends at 12, so you can enjoy your non-academic life).
As the academic year comes to an end, I thought I’d reflect on my first year at university.
Here’s the thing- we all have a tendency to sugarcoat. We share all the good, but seldom the ‘bad’ times. Sure, there’s the occasional (or frequent) posts about workload and stress; but how many of us actually openly share our experiences when the goings get really tough? Following my last blogpost, I’d really like to keep the honesty streak going.
First term was a bit of a nightmare for me- it was almost a process of trying to rediscover myself in a sense. Maybe it had something to do with coming to terms with the fact that I no longer had to be the same person that everyone knew me as back home. This blanket of expectation had been lifted; it was a breath of fresh air, yet I was struggling to take it in. I had a tight grip on the past and I didn’t really know how to let go.
I started off Fresher’s Week (fortnight, actually) just fine but quickly began finding all of it both overwhelming and underwhelming. Underwhelming because honestly, the whole Fresher’s Week thing kind of felt overrated and way too hyped up; but overwhelming because there was so much going on- so many new names and faces. It came to a point where I honestly had close to no interest in socialising with people in general. And this scared me. All my life, I had been tagged as the social butterfly of the bunch.
Everything seemed to keep getting worse. I felt like Alice- falling down what seemed like this unending rabbit hole of gloom. Next thing I knew- I was practically not going in for anything because the only thing I wanted to do was curl up in bed, watch Netflix and video call my boyfriend. (Long distance sucks- even though he’s only at Southampton for uni. HI JOHN, MISS YOU! Medicine at Imperial > Medicine at Southampton. Fight me.)
It reached a point where I was becoming overly demotivated and began losing interest in the one thing I had worked so hard for- Medicine. I’m struggling to put how it felt into words but it was almost like being stuck in time as everything and everyone else carried on past you. I spent days on end questioning whether I belonged at Imperial and whether I belonged at medical school. I was petrified that I was ‘burning out’ already and that maybe the best option for me was to drop out before I proved to be even more of a disappointment. Like nobody mentioned frequent breakdowns and existential crises as part of the uni life description, am I right? Or maybe I just missed the memo- huh.
As I desperately need to get back to cramming for exams, I will unfortunately have to put off elaborating on my journey to the ‘light side’ for the time being.
As a quick overview- I have since pulled myself together with the help of my boyfriend; some counselling at Imperial; seeing a GP and being put on medication; and most importantly, finding my best friends here. Shoutout to Anush, Trish, and Prak- who have so graciously put up with my bossiness and mad google sheets for our current property search. Love you guys :’)
In the GIF above, you will find footage of me being attacked by tube doors. I am actually Carrie Bradshaw.
Sending all my love (and all the luck in the world for those of you who have exams),
Alex (:
In the GIF above, you will find footage of me being attacked by tube doors. I am actually Carrie Bradshaw.
