Finding Accommodation - Visiting Student Guide

UCL School of Pharmacy

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Deadlines for incoming visiting applications

Placements in Term 1:

September to December
Deadline: 10th May

Placements in Term 2:

January to April
Deadline: 10th September

Placements in Term 3 & in the Summer:

May – August
Deadline: 10th January

Finding Accommodation - Visiting Student Guide

As the School of Pharmacy is not able to provide its own on-campus student accommodation, we recommend that visiting students begin their search for accommodation well in advance of their arrival in London. This page should give you advice on how and where to do this. You are responsible for finding your own place to live, either in a residence hall, hostel, bedsit or flat. We will help you as much as possible, but we cannot guarantee you a place.

Location

The School of Pharmacy is located in central London, in an area known as Bloomsbury. Bloomsbury is a beautiful and historical part of the city and previous local residents have included Charles Darwin, Virginia Woolf and Charles Dickens.

Due to high demand, is fairly rare for visiting students to find a place in the University of London Intercollegiate Halls. Most students would like to live within walking distance of the School, but accommodation in Bloomsbury is amongst the most expensive in London. To get better value for money and see more of the city, it is a good idea to widen your search. Most Londoners live a bus or tube journey away from their place of work or study, commuting from 10-60 minutes each way. Your travel costs will be higher, but this is often outweighed by the higher standard of accommodation you will be able to afford.

Fortunately, the School is ideally located for an easy commute, being within 10 minutes walk of several tube stations and bus stops.

Commuting

In terms of travel, London is divided into Travel Zones. Zone 1 is the centre of London, and Zones 2, 3, 4… emanate from Zone 1. Zones are indicated on tube maps in grey and white (in the background). The School is located Zone 1.

The closest Underground/Tube station to the School is Russell Square Station on the Piccadilly Line, so you may want to live within easy reach of this. There are also a number of bus routes that pass through or near Russell Square itself. King’s Cross/St Pancras station is the nearest main station, only a 5-10 minute walk away. The School is also within a 10 minute walk of the following stations: Holborn, Euston, Goodge Street & Warren Street.

For more information, visit the Transport for London website.

University Accommodation

The University of London Intercollegiate Halls

Studying in January – August:

If you study here between the months of January to August, you may be able to find a room in one of the University of London’s Intercollegiate Halls of Residence:
http://www.halls.london.ac.uk/visitor/Default.aspx

Studying in September – December:

It is NOT POSSIBLE to find a room in halls during September, October, November or December, so you will have to look for private accommodation if you are studying in these months.

Private Accommodation

The University of London Housing Services

Please DO NOT use unregulated free classifieds listing websites to look for accommodation. It is recommended that you only use websites/landlords that have been approved by the University of London Housing Services.

The University of London Housing Services is in the Student Union building (ULU) on Malet Street. They specialise in helping University of London students find external, private accommodation: http://housing.london.ac.uk/cms/

The ULHS can put you in touch with reliable landlords or other students looking for short-term accommodation. The accommodation search on their website is password-protected, so when you are ready to look for private accommodation, please contact the Registry for the password. This password is updated weekly.

Other external accommodation options

There are student halls run by private companies which are not in any way related to any particular university – the advantage with these is that they tend to be of a fairly high standard and you will meet lots of other students from all over London.

International Students House:
http://www.ish.org.uk/

International Lutheran Student Centre:
http://www.ilscentre.org.uk/

MI Centre:
http://www.micentre.com

UNITE:
http://www.unite-students.com/

City YMCA:
http://www.cityymca.org/accommodation/

Apart from these you will also find lots of people advertising for housemates to fill spare rooms in houses or flats, this can be a great way of meeting new people and you normally get to meet the people you would be living with before you sign a contract. There is also the option of just renting a flat or house on your own.

For students in longer placements (i.e. 5 months or more), you may want to arrange to stay in temporary accommodation for your first few weeks to see if there are any other students looking for housemates. Renting a place together could be more fun, less daunting and often it can be cheaper. This option would also allow you to get a feel for where you might want to live and you would have more time to view properties before you sign any contracts.

AFS – Accommodation for Students:
http://www.accommodationforstudents.com/

London Student Housing Guide:
http://www.studenthousing.lon.ac.uk/

Spareroom.co.uk:
http://www.spareroom.co.uk/

Temporary Accommodation

If you cannot find accommodation before you arrive, don’t panic. You can book your first few nights in a bed & breakfast or local student hostel while you look for a room in person.

Hostelbookers.com:
http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/england/london/

St Christophers Hostels:
http://www.st-christophers.co.uk/london-hostels

Hostels.com:
http://www.hostels.com/

Last Minute London:
http://www.lastminutelondon.co.uk/

The nearest hostel to the School is the Generator Hostel, about a 3 minute walk away: http://www.generatorhostels.com/en/london

Useful Links

Below is a list of websites you may want to consult to get further information about the city, living here, and finding accommodation (the School of Pharmacy takes no responsibility for the content of any of the following sites, this is merely a brief introductory guide, and it is by no mean exhaustive).

London City Guides

Time Out London:
http://www.timeout.com/london/

Visit London:
http://www.visitlondon.com/

Areas of London:
http://www.visitlondon.com/areas/

London Town:
http://www.londontown.com/

Student Guides, Events & Discounts

Vouchers for local restaurants:
http://www.restaurantvouchers.co.uk/

UK Student Life:
http://ukstudentlife.com/

University of London Union:
http://www.ulu.co.uk/

International Students’ House:
http://www.ish.org.uk/

Travel, News & Health

Transport for London:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/