This article is part of our YourUCL series - we're collecting real tips and advice from UCL students, and sharing their wisdom with you! Look out on our Instagram stories for the next opportunity to have your say.
We started this year with our biggest Welcome yet, and ended it with our first Summer Festival since 2017. With a Varsity win, countless amazing performances and events from our societies, the opening of two brand new shops and much more, 22/23 has been pretty good to us. With so many successes, we wouldn't know where to start with our biggest highlight of the year - so we decided to ask you what yours was. Here are just a few of the responses we recieved...
"All nighters at the Science Library"
Probably the most UCL student answer ever - only we would be nostalgic about pulling all-nighters. By the end of your degree, you'll have developed a personal attachment to one of UCL's many libraries. The Science Library is a classic, but there are lots of underrated libraries out there. Take the time to explore a few lesser known ones; if anything, it's a good study break or procrastination technique.
"Christmas lights!"
Winter might be ages away, but we wouldn't blame you if you're looking forward to London in the chilly season. We're also looking forward to our next Winter Arts Festival...
"Sunny afternoons on the portico with an iced coffee from Print Room"
Fun fact - we actually offer iced coffee at our cafes all year round, rain or shine. Pret could never.
"Getting to be a lighting designer for Drama Soc's King Charles III show"
King Charles III scooped up the award for Best Bloomsbury Production at our End of Year Awards this year. We've got loads of productions on over the year from our talented ArtsUCL societies, and even total beginners can get involved in every aspect of putting on a show.
"Dodgeball ??"
It's been a fantastic year for TeamUCL - not just because of our Varsity win (which we'll continue to boast about until next year). Over 10,000 students are members of a team, and we're so proud to have such a huge sports community! Dodgeball have been super busy this year, from collaborating with other societies to run social sessions to holding their very own 'This Girl Can Dodgeball' event!
"Winning the election for president of a society"
The best way to get involved in the SU? Make your voice heard as a leader - whether that's as President of your favourite society, an academic rep or even as one of our Officers. We run elections for reps in October, with our leadership race taking place in March each year. Why not run next year?
"Alpacas on the main quad"
UCL Student Support & Wellbeing offer so many events throughout the year, including meditation, crafting sessions and their famous therapy dogs. This year, they brought alpacas onto campus during exam season and they were SUPER popular. We'd love to have them as permanent residents - maybe we could hire them to work at Gordon's Café?
"Glittoris"
Glittoris is our monthly LGBTQ+ night at Phineas! It's our oldest club night - Glittoris been going since February 2015 and shows no sign of stopping. Drag performances, lip-sync battles and lots of cheesy pop hits. It's an absolute must-do for any UCL student, and we'd be surprised if you didn't want to come back every month!
