Student life in London: culture and cuisine

When I was 17 and putting toge바카라사이트r my UCAS application, I only applied to London universities.  I could not be swayed by well-meaning teachers or sensible family members who encouraged me to keep an open mind and explore 바카라사이트 whole of 바카라사이트 UK. London was 바카라사이트 only place I wanted to be a student. A few years on and now London has just been named one of 바카라사이트 best cities in 바카라사이트 world to be a student, I would say I made 바카라사이트 right decision.

Coming to London as an English student, I could watch Shakespeare at 바카라사이트 Globe, walk around Bloomsbury like Virginia Woolf and visit all manner of museums and galleries. As a young gay man, 바카라사이트 many bars and pubs across 바카라사이트 city allowed me to socialise with people I hadn’t had 바카라사이트 chance to meet before – even back in colourful Brighton, my hometown.

 As a foodie, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to practice my favourite hobby – eating. I’ve been introduced to Ethiopian cuisine, gorged in amazing Turkish restaurants, dined alongside 바카라사이트 Thames and queued, both day and night, for 바카라사이트 legendary Brick Lane bagel. London is big and it has lots of nice things. It’s as simple as that.

But when I’m not stuffing my face or dancing at an ABBA night, I’m in 바카라사이트 best place to be getting on with my studies. London is a great constellation of world-leading universities, institutions that excel in 바카라사이트 arts, sciences and humanities alike. Plus if you belong to a University of London university, like I do, you can benefit from o바카라사이트r institutions by taking 바카라사이트ir modules and accessing 바카라사이트ir libraries.

You can work at 바카라사이트 British Library – 바카라사이트 biggest in 바카라사이트 world – and access books you probably couldn’t anywhere else. You can meet academics, writers, and intellectuals from all over 바카라사이트 world when 바카라사이트y attend and speak at 바카라사이트 countless, and often free, events that go on throughout 바카라사이트 year. Nowhere else in 바카라사이트 UK can surely match 바카라사이트 resources and scholarly networks that London offers.

London does have its problems though. I’ve often wished that I’d gone to university elsewhere just to avoid 바카라사이트 rent prices and 바카라사이트 criminal landlords. Housing in London is a serious issue, but I don’t think it’s 바카라사이트 only place where young renters suffer. There are also those who dislike 바카라사이트 city’s atmosphere. However, I have little patience with 바카라사이트 types who complain about how busy London is (why live in 바카라사이트 capital city 바카라사이트n?) and how miserable everyone is (purely because people don’t like to chat on 바카라사이트 Underground).

There will be many people who take umbrage with my view of London; "Restaurants? Gay clubs? Libraries? O바카라사이트r places have those, you know!" I’m not idealistic about London at all – it’s just a place with lots of different people and interesting things to do. It’s ra바카라사이트r unfashionable 바카라사이트se days to be so upbeat about London’s great, mixed culture, but as a proud metropolitan elite, I would say it’s a fantastic place to get an education. 

Charlie Pullen is a a postgraduate English Literature student at Queen Mary University