University College London - UCL
speciality: Politics

C20th University education from erudite, laconic laissez-faire academics. No doubt very different now.Studied at what was once the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, but which was swallowed up by the behemoth that is UCL in 2000.

I have been at UCL for a year now and overall I have really liked my university experience. The campus itself is beautiful and is located in a wonderful area of London. There is lots do around and it is well connected so can always spend quality time with friends in between lectures and classes. The university itself has an abundance of societies ranging from sports societies to a Bubble tea society. It means that you can really find your people at society events and you can take a break from academics very easily. My course itself has been very difficult with lots of reading and there are some lecturers who may not be so engaging all the time, but I really enjoy the content of what I am learning. The marking strikes did have an impact on us but in general, first year went really well. I even had contact with the welfare and support team and they really helped me with my issues. The main thing is that when I wake up in the morning, I’m really excited to head into campus and learn about the things I really love.

PPE is in my experience a very challenging programme that encompasses aspects from all three disciplines of Philosophy Politics and Economics in as much measure and detail as you choose for yourself in the first year. You must specialise quite early during the programme compared to other universities, but along with it, it covers each subject matter in greater detail than you might expect. If choosing to go for the Q-step stream, ready yourself to spend a significant part of your week learning to code and working with statistics. If you enjoy politics and like approaching political questions from either a philosophical or economic point of view (but not both) I recommend PPE at UCL.

I currently study Politics and Sociology at UCL. Best points: the professors are always ready to help (and the quality of their teaching is excellent), the students are very engaged which makes the whole studying process a lot more interesting (especially during tutorials) and there’s a range of facilities we can access. Points for improvement: there’s the need for more sociology modules and more contact hours.

In my opinion UCL is the perfect environment for young people to prepare for their future careers. Very good programs and courses, incredible teachers and overall a vibrant, diverse social space to develop their passions and meet interesting people. UCL has the extra advantage of being located in central London, thus providing students with even more work and social opportunities to explore.

My time so far at UCL has been great despite the strikes and the Coronavirus outbreak. Teachers are dedicated, resources and libraries are great. All material studied has been comprehensive and at an appropriate level.

The best part about it is that it’s in a great area – Bloomsbury/Fitzrovia/Tottenham court road. However, the teaching doesn’t meet the reputation of the university and could in some cases be much better.

UCL is a very interdisciplinary university with courses that would fit anyone’s interests. There is care given by the lecturers regarding the method of teaching and students’ understanding of the content. However, UCL has recently been plagued by strikes which affect studies and complaints because of the lack of communication between staff and the provost regarding the dire pension policies.

UCL is a very well renown university. As a current student, I find it very easy to access a plethora of academic support such as very approachable tutors and extra language classes outside a degree. I am thoroughly enjoying my degree (Politics and Sociology) as it has the region of Eastern Europe as the main focus. However, the university could improve in making accommodation for first-year students more accessible by lowering its rents. Overall, I am very pleased with the high academic standards of the university and the social life it provides its students with such as a wide variety of clubs and events. I would definitely recommend UCL to prospective students.

I have really enjoyed my time so far at this university both in terms of classes and student/social life. I would recommend it to all. However, I think some of the student support services are slow and some are even unhelpful