You’ve officially arrived in London - congrats! 🎉🎉🎉 Here’s our checklist of things to do during your first week here.

Open a bank account (if you haven’t already!)

Don’t be stuck without £££! Get on that bank account application ASAP.

Grab a UK SIM card

We love Three′s all-you-can-eat-data plan!

Register at your local GP

Click here to find your nearest GP - then head over and register. 

Apply for a student Oyster card

Don’t miss out on discounted tube rides! Click here to apply. 

Apply for a National Insurance No.

Interested in a part-time job? Apply for your NINo ASAP!

Most importantly... get to know your local area!

At Arts SU, we promise we’ve got a group for you. 

Start your year off active with Arts Active!

Watch weekly films with the Film Society.

Into Japanese culture? Check out the Japan Society!

Get your dance on in weekly classes, performances and comps with UAL’s Contemporary Dance. 

Meet and hang out with LGBTQ+ students by joining the LGBTQ Society!

Talk veggies with UAL VEG, an open space for those interested in a meat free lifestyle.

Tap into your creative energies with our Tai Chi club!

Curate your heart out with the Curation Society.

And finally, show off your ArTEA side with the Tea Society!

These are just a few of our many groups. See them all here! 

But there’s still so much more we would like to share with you. So here we go!

Hansika Jethnani - Education Officer

I am an international student and when I moved to London I was so lost and confused and I didn’t understand what words like “init” or “tenner” meant. Just try to remember that a lot of students are in the same boat as you, and UAL has so many international students. It’s always nerve-wracking when you move alone to another country but put yourself out there and go to Students’ Union’s events anyway, and even if you are on your own there will be a lot of people on their own as well, looking to make new friends. There’s so many social events happening in London all the time, for example the International Student House is a good place to check out!

We also have an International Students Officer so if you ever have anything you'd like to discuss you can contact her on her website.

Something else you can do as a student is to buy a NUS card: you will get discounts on travelling, food, clothes... I totally recommend it!

And lastly, if you ever feel overwhelmed with a task or an essay, go to Academic support (they are by the library) they will help you as much as you need so don’t hesitate on talking to them.

Anastazja Oppenheim - Campaigns Officer

Also remember: you are not only part of your college, UAL is a community of six colleges spread across London. They have different students, different resources, different libraries; make sure to go to all of them, attend events, use everything that is available to you in every college, and make friends! If you need a book that is on a library way far from you, just order it and you´ll get it delivered for free to your closest library!

I know you will be getting loads of emails, but the most important one is our newsletter. You’ll get it every week with updates about campaigns, events, colleges, societies, sports, creative opportunities... If you don’t read it you’re really missing out. Also please follow us on social media!

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Youtube

Leah Kahn - Activities Officer

Even if you’re on your course you may feel quite alone, but there may be people with the same interests as you and they way to find them is through societies. There’s 20.000 students at UAL, so you’re definitely going to make some good friends.

A super top tip is to get yourself a 16-25 Railcard, they are quite spenny but within your first journey you make all the money back, it gives you heavily discounted prizes for train journeys and traveling in general, and you can also link it to your Oyster Card! (Check out how to get a Student Oyster Card here). 

Another top tip is: be friends with the technicians! They will actually help you in your course way more than your tutors, they are the people you need to get to know, get them on your side, they have so much knowledge and they are so relevant to what you want to do, they are amazing! 

Scarlet Langdon - Wellfare Officer

As part of my work on mental wellbeing I’ve put together this handy little zine full of resources for you ♥

This includes wellbeing tips, myths around mental health, self-care and where to go for support both within the university, and low-cost therapists, charity organisations and other places you can get support from. Don’t worry if you missed out on wellbeing week as we’ll be doing lots more throughout the year to help support students’ wellbeing, and foster a supportive and pro-active approach to mental wellbeing.

And remember - you are not alone!

You can pick up a copy at your college SU Office, or have a look at the online version here:

We hope you find this advice useful and don’t hesitate on contacting us! And to all of our future UAL students...

Because how else are you gonna get to know your new city - AND make tons of new friends in the process 😃 (whilst also spamming up snapchat!)

UAL Welcome Party & Pre-game 

5th September - 10pm til 3am 

This one’s specially for you lot moving into halls and other early-birds! To really get the party started this night is hosted at not one but TWO fantastic venues. We’ll be starting with pre-drinks in your SU bar The Darkroom (that means CHEAP drinks!) and then heading over to Corsica Studios to party til the small hours. 

Entry to both AND a free drink included in your ticket!

Get your ticket and RSVP here

Arts @ Fabric 

28th September - 10pm til 4am 

You haven’t been clubbing in London ‘til you’ve had a night at Fabric. One of the UK’s super clubs, it has three rooms all with their own music system - there’s even a vibrating dance floor in one of them!

The night will be headlined by Coco Cole labelled a "vital cog in the machinery of UK Dance" by Mixmag and nominated for Best Radio Show in the DJ Mag Best of British Awards 2015. 

It’s gonna be one hell of a night! 

Get your ticket and RSVP here 

Arts @ Bussey Building 

2nd October - 10pm til 3am 

Next the Fresher’s Festival is heading to one of our favourite venues; the Bussey Building 😃

The club is contained over two floors and you can expect great music & acts, as well as some Tropical Fun, Inflatables & Fancy Dress to bring real festival vibes! 

Get your ticket and RSVP here

Arts @ Magic, Proud Camden

6th October - 10pm til 2:30am

See more of the city’s night life on this Thursday night as we take you to Proud in Camden! 

With over three floors for you to explore and surprises such as a ball pit, inflatables and a beer garden to discover, it’s one you definitely won’t want to miss. 

Get your ticket and RSVP here

Arts @ The Stretch 

7th October - 10pm til 3am 

The Stretch is THE place to be on a Friday night - especially because of their student drinks deals (which run ALL night - yay!) 

There’s also a terrace with spectacular views of London, what better way to see out the best Freshers’ week ever?! 

Get your ticket and RSVP here

Don’t want to miss a thing?

You don’t have to! Get your hands on one of our Freshers’ Festival wristbands and you’re guaranteed entry to ALL these events - plus its a great souvenir of your time as a Fresher! (If it survives the week that is...) 

Buy your wristband here

As many students, I spend a substantial amount of time in cafes. If you have been following this blog, you might have picked up on my love for coffee. If not, well, this is me pretty much every day of my life:

Luckily, I ended up in a city that happens to be almost as coffee-obsessed as I am. But if you don’t like coffee, don’t worry: Edinburgh has something for every taste! Whether you want to enjoy a nice tea with a friend or to treat yourself to a perfect cake after an exam, whether you are looking for a place to study or need to satisfy your coffee craving, Edinburgh has a café that is perfect for you. 

I took upon myself the heavy task of trying out some cappuccinos and cakes around university. Here is a quick introduction to some student favourites, a starting point for you to discover yours.

1. Black Medicine Coffee Co.*

Black Medicine on Nicholson Street is my go-to place when I need to study, for numerous reasons. They have big tables, coffee (duh!) and a whole range of food to snack on when studying. They also make some amazing smoothies: remembering to get your 5-a-day is harder during exams season.

It’s a very cozy place, with wooden furniture and nice music. If you like their style but live all the way across the Meadows, do not despair: they have a second cafe on Barclay Terrace.

2. Brew Lab*

If you love coffee, you must pay a visit to the Brew Lab. The coffee is probably the best around campus, with meticulous research of coffee beans and super knowledgeable baristas. Because of this, the prices are slightly higher than what you would pay for your daily coffee, but I can assure you when you do go, it’s totally worth it. While coffee is their main gig, Brew Lab offers amazing food to complement you espresso and great teas alternatives. 

3. Spoon

Somewhere in between a cafe and a restaurant, Spoon is the perfect brunch place. Their food is amazing and affordable, with a lot of diversity to cater for all tastes, including great vegetarian and gluten free options. It’s very bright and spacious, and conveniently close to university. 

4. Peter’s Yard*

I have only discovered Peter’s Yard a couple months ago. This Swedish bakery is right next to the School of Social and Political Science, in the Quartermile. Its specialty is crispbread (knäckebröd), but everything they offer is amazing - from the open sandwiches to the coffee. My personal favourite? The cardamom bun. 

5. Elephant and Bagels*

Pretty self-explanatory: they serve amazing bagels in an elephant-themed shop.

This café is a bagel-lover heaven. They have all kinds of different flavoured bagels (and a gluten free option!) and countless tasty fillings. It’s a great place to grab lunch and a coffee on a short break between classes. 

6. Kilimanjaro

Another student fave. It might be because of the varied tea selection, the amazing scones or the mouth-watering cakes. However, in my opinion what makes it a great place to study is that is a no wi-fi area, providing a caffeinated but distraction-free environment.

Finally, special mention: Maison de Moggy

It is not actually close to university and I have not been there yet. However, I believe every student in Edinburgh should be aware of its existence. Maison de Moggy is a cat cafe. Yes, you read that right. Basically, you go in there and you get to play with cats of all shapes and sizes. I imagine it to be something like this:

Sure, entrance £7 per hour, but think of all the kittens! I haven’t been yet, but I heard that it is totally worth it. If you go before me, let me know what you think of it!