By Anna Gevorgyan
What images come to your mind when you hear about London? The Royal Family? Big Ben? Sherlock Holmes? Rain? While some of these might be true for tourists (yes, 221B Baker Street really exists), life as a student in London is quite different.
Coming here from abroad, you are caught between two worlds, half a local and half a tourist. This unique position does leave you well-placed to make certain observations about life in London though, particularly once you realize not everything you heard about the city before getting here is entirely true. Here are a few of the myths you’ll soon stop believing.
London has little green space
London might feel like it’s covered in buildings, roads and ongoing construction, but it’s actually a very green city. There are an immense variety of parks, large and small, well-maintained and wild, which occupy a third of the city in total. Spending time in them is a great alternative to the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city, and a fantastic way to restore your energy at lunchtime.
University life is full of assignments, projects, papers and exams
Before starting university in London, I thought I’d have coursework every week, midterm projects, exams, final exams, more exams etc. In reality, and to my surprise, most of my modules were assessed entirely upon a single essay. While the number of assignments will vary from uni to uni and depending upon your course, overall you should find that academic life in London is largely centered around independent study.
I had very few contact hours with my lecturers, and was surprised to be in a looser academic structure than you would perhaps see in US colleges or in the group study environments at Nordic universities. This doesn’t mean that studying in the UK is easier or less challenging though. On the contrary, you’ll find yourself in an engaging, intellectually challenging environment that requires you to work hard all the way through to your finals. But don’t worry: you’ll have plenty of spare time to fit in sports, leisure and pleasure.
British people are reserved and cold
Firstly, there’s no such thing as a typical British character, as the country’s so diverse. Despite this, there’s an assumption that all British people are cold and uncaring, when really most people tend to be helpful, easy-going and cheerful. Yes, they might show less emotion than other cultures (unless they’re watching sport at the pub) but people are in general extremely polite.
Of course, their restrained nature can be confusing sometimes. The word “interesting” can mean anything from signifying something is actually really interesting to suggesting someone is being really stupid. Also, don’t be rude or try to jump in a queue. British people may be very tolerant but they have their limits.
British food is tasteless and plain
OK, so the UK might not have a national cuisine (unless fish and chips counts), but London is so diverse that it’s cooking and cuisines are amazing. The city has absorbed culinary traditions from multiple cultures, which means you can find almost all the foods in the world. Just be aware that, according to the NHS, the UK is the most obese country in Western Europe, so remember to diet while you’re enjoying all the amazing, diverse food on offer.
And, finally, the most common myth: it rains a lot in London
Time to be surprised, because it actually doesn’t. The picture in your head of a rainy, gloomy city which never gets any sun isn’t true. In fact, according to the Met Office, the average rainfall in London (23 inches per year) is less than Milan (39 inches), Zurich (42), New York (47) or Miami (60).
Yes, the north of the UK is still quite grey and miserable, but in London you’re more likely to find the weather constantly changes. I’m not joking, it changes literally every minute. It’s like the sun, the rain, the wind, the snow and the clouds are all constantly fighting against each other for the privilege to be in the sky above London. Maybe that’s why the weather is such a popular subject of conversation here. There’s definitely lots to discuss.
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