With love on our minds, it's time to ask: what do you love about UCL?

Valentine’s Day – whether you spent it with your partner, looking for love, or living your best single life – is now behind us, but do not fret – love springs all year round.

We thought we’d celebrate the one special thing that connects us all – UCL – by asking students and staff members to tell us their #LoveUCL favourites – what do they love about the university?

Crystal Chen, Sustainable Engineering MSc
“At the beginning of term, the UCL Hiking Society took us to Seven Sisters. We had our lunch on the peak during the break. Someone played music loudly at this time, and all of us were eating, singing and enjoying the best view in front of us. That is how I feel love from nature and from people around me.”

Terrance Symons, night staff at Goldsmid House

Sakina Lakda, fourth-year MBBS
“I love the Student’s Union Café. It is so convenient and has such good value eats”.

Christopher Norwood, founder of LetsGoTurbo

“I've had an amazing experience with UCL Innovation & Enterprise over the last two years. They have been a critical source of support in helping me transform my initial idea for a loyalty platform into a successful business working with major UK chains like Wagamama and LEON. From my first engagement with one of their free extracurricular entrepreneurship courses to joining the UCL hatchery incubator programme, their team has provided me with incredible assistance in launching my app, LetsGoTurbo, and building my confidence as an entrepreneur. I would highly recommend UCL Innovation & Enterprise to anyone at UCL who is interested in entrepreneurship to equip themselves with transferrable life and business skills, or if they want to start a business, based on my personal experience.”

Osas Ogebeide, fourth-year MBBS
“Something I love about UCL is the fact that there are so many societies and opportunities to meet new people. I also really love the fact that we have a great Student Support and Wellbeing Team. And I like the course structure of my MBBS.

I also like the fact that it’s quite a prestigious university; there are quite a lot of research opportunities. And the fact that a lot of the lecturers or the teachers you will encounter are at the top of their fields, I really enjoy that.”

“I love how UCL buildings are historic, to some extent, and they transfer some kind of story of its heritage to you; and I like and how all the buildings are so close to each other – it gives the feeling of a small campus right in the middle of a big city. I love London, too, and being at UCL feels like a community within this huge city."

Katie Grocott Murdoch, Communications Manager, UCL Vice-Provost External Engagement

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As for me, I personally love the library at UCL. After previously studying at one of the UK’s many universities built in the 1960s, I had only ever known functional but drab spaces. Coming to UCL, even to my untrained architectural eye, I can tell it’s a historic campus, with the library being my favourite space of all.

The high ceilings, the rows of books and the wooden desks all add to the atmosphere of learning, and I try to go as often as possible, even if its just for an hour between classes to relax.

The only thing I don’t love is the lack of plugs, but I suppose they were not worrying about charging their laptops in the nineteenth century, and it's a small price to pay to study in such a brilliant space.