9 May 2025
My name is Francis Deng. I am from Shenzhen, a first-year student in the 2024 cohort at UCL, studying Politics, Sociology, and East European Studies BA.
I still remember the anticipation of last year’s golden autumn in September. As the silver wings cut through the azure sky, the white cliffs of England suddenly emerged from the clouds, marking the beginning of a new chapter in my life.
My connection with London began nine years ago during a brief study tour. After nine years, London hasn’t changed much; the Tudor and Regency-era buildings still stand beside the UCL campus, telling the blooming stories of students passing through over two centuries.
London has completely overturned my impression of a metropolis. Except for the city centre, the buildings in London are not very tall.
Traditional architecture is interspersed with glass curtain walls that exude a sense of modern design, which is quite different from the skyscraper-filled, ultra-modern Shenzhen.
Joining the UCL ice hockey team has been one of the most exciting parts of my life in London.
Most of my teammates come from all over the world, but there are also about ten Chinese players. We celebrate New Year’s Eve together, watch sports games, and go to bars to dream about our future after graduation.
Every week, we compete with other universities, and the most memorable match was against Oxford University, where we won 10-1. UCL often makes me feel like this is our collective, our home.
UCL is a new world full of opportunities. With the recommendation of my department, I joined the Royal Institute of International Affairs, meeting ambassadors from various countries stationed in the UK and learning about diplomatic work from their narratives. This experience has been invaluable, providing insights into international relations and diplomacy that I could never have gained from textbooks alone.
Although the winter in London is hard to endure, with darkness enveloping the sky by 4pm, the Students’ Union and our accommodation provide us provide us with a range of support services. These include meditation sessions, therapy dogs, travel opportunities, various social activities, and free psychological counselling.
These initiatives ensure that students like me never feel like we are struggling alone. The sense of community and support at UCL is genuinely remarkable, making it a place where I feel I belong and can thrive.
Francis Deng, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies
Francis Deng
Francis Deng
Read this blog post in Chinese: 阅读此博客的中文版本, UCL – 大学创造传奇