SM: What happens in the earliest days of your first year?
Kohinoor: One week before actual courses start there is Fresher’s Week. With dozens of parties organized throughout the week, like Fresher’s Ball at the Ministry of Sound, it gives students the chance to make new friends. The week is then conventionally rounded off with Fresher’s Fayre [fair], which is a must, as you get the chance to sign-up for a wide range of societies and are given a lot of freebies!

SM: What are some of the housing options for first years?
Kohinoor: There are lots of different types of places to stay in, and they tend to be divided up into catered or self-catered. There is also the option of staying in UCL-only halls or intercollegiate halls, with the latter housing students from other London colleges, like London School of Economics, Imperial College and Kings College.

SM: The university has lots of study options, but how are class sizes? Are the professors and tutors attentive enough?
Kohinoor: It is easy to fall through the cracks anywhere, so a lot depends on how much you want to put in. Most courses consist of lectures with up to one hundred people, then seminars with up to fifteen people and then tutorials. UCL, along with Oxbridge [a slang term for Oxford and Cambridge], is one of the few universities that supply one-on-one tutorials, so you know that at least every two weeks you get the opportunity for more personal attention.

SM: UCL is famous for being a cutting edge institution. Do the classes live up to that reputation?
Kohinoor: Classes at UCL are very challenging, but that’s the best thing about them. Professors have high expectations, so there is a lot more studying done outside the classroom than inside!