Blog posts

Things to do in London without Spending a Penny

Anya Nanchahal

Medicine

London is renowned for being a city bursting with activity and opportunities. Equally, it is also notorious for being rather pricey. If, like me, you have the summer holiday stretching long ahead and the UK’s capital at your fingertips, here are a few suggestions for fun days out without breaking the bank.

1. Visit some incredible museums If you’ve ever been to an Imperial open day you may have heard the phrase ‘you have some of the best museums right on your doorstep’ used as a selling point. It’s true- stacked along Exhibition Road besides Imperial’s South Kensington campus are several world-famous museums.

A Trip to Wembley Boxpark

Medicine

I have been thriving after the end of lukewarm exam season and finally for the love of God, wrapping up my last summative assessment which went well, I think. I finally met up with some friends I have not seen since last year and have missed immensely. We walked to the Boxpark in Wembley and we had a great time. It is basically a huge street food style building with stalls for all the vendors and lots of seating with plants and fairy lights strung up around railings and staircases. The vibes are excellent, but do not forget to bring some ID if you are visiting after 8pm.

A Short Hiking Trip Out of London

Yee Tong Siow

MEng Mechanical Engineering

London is an amazing city, with vibrant events happening on a day to day basis. But sometimes… this might be overwhelming as well. As someone who isn’t used to living in the city central, being in London might be exhilarating, but can often be terrifying as well. Summer is finally here and with that, I have just completed my third year of studies here as well. After being cooped up at home watching online lectures for a whole year, a few of my friends decided to take this opportunity to try something unfamiliar for all of us. With that, we packed up our bags and went for a short hiking trip in Snowdonia, Wales.

Research or Medicine- here’s why you don’t need to choose

Anya Nanchahal

Medicine

Most people associate medicine with white coats, stethoscopes and hospital wards. Whilst clinical medicine certainly is a big part of the subject it is not the only one. Today, alongside their clinical duties, doctors are also expected to engage in teaching or mentoring, and many choose to undertake research of their own.

Research skills are fundamental in medicine. Their utility is not restricted to those who conduct their own research but extends to every practicing doctor. Doctors need to ensure the care they provide is evidence based and constantly evolves in line with new data that emerges. Appraising scientific literature is crucial but is also a learnt skill.

Summer has arrived! Now what?

Bianca Khor

MSc Management

As the city of London (hopefully) begins to warm up as the long-awaited summer holidays draw closer and closer, it comes with no surprise that some of us, despite feeling very much relieved after barely making it through a year of deadlines and exams, would feel lost and empty as to how their now empty schedule can be filled.

Whilst the often-popular definition of a productive summer break would be trying to win an internship at a firm or laboratory (bonus points if it is “prestigious”) – whether it is for the sake of trying to secure a “better” future, or simply to have a prettier-looking CV – I reckon there are so many other options that we tend to overlook.

Looking For Something To Read?

Medicine

Summer has arrived! I just completed my last summative presentation for the year yesterday and am finally looking forwards to lie ins, ice cream and picnics. I love to read and it’s something I am doing more of now so I’ve listed some recommendations 🙂

A friend from my research experience recommended that I read Circe by Madeline Miller, I have already read The Song of Achilles by the same author and enjoyed it, so I jumped right in. Circe is an adaptation of Greek myths like the Odyssey from Circe’s perspective, and I just finished it, it is fantastic.

Physical Rehearsals Are Back!

Yee Tong Siow

MEng Mechanical Engineering

In one of my previous blogs, I mentioned that due to the pandemic, clubs and societies have been finding creative ways to maintain active in a remote environment. Throughout the year, my A Cappella group – The Scopes have been searching for creative way to release content throughout the year. This includes releasing different music videos throughout the past two terms, while also engaging in different social sessions with other A Cappella groups around the UK.

After not being able to see one another for more than a year, we are now finally able to rehearse outdoors together and sing live for the first time with our new members.

First Summer Spent in London

Yee Tong Siow

MEng Mechanical Engineering

As I finished up my last Design Project Exhibition through Microsoft Teams, the sun greeted me with its warm embrace as I finally let my laptop go to rest. This signifies the start of the summer break, and this is an especially exciting year for me because it will be the first summer break that I will be spending in London instead of in Malaysia! Even though I miss my family and my friends back home tremendously, I decided to not travel back home this summer after careful discussion with my family. Travelling back home this summer proved to be quite risky as Malaysia is still struggling with its fight against the pandemic.

Flying Solo

Bianca Khor

MSc Management

They always said that my university days are meant to be the best moments of my life back then, and I held on to that belief throughout my years in high school and college because it gave me one simple yet powerful thing – hope. Though the catch was that they never really warned me about the initial shock that I might experience once I landed at London Heathrow Airport for the first time.

Put simply, I was told:

“You are on your own now. Take care and be smart about it.”

Fly away home

I would say that I am in a relatively privileged position where living with my family at home meant that I was occasionally spared from certain household duties.

Applying to University without Open Days

Anya Nanchahal

Medicine

There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges. Among these is a complete upheaval of the education system. In years gone by the university application process had been largely predictable. I had taken this for granted during my time. You applied via UCAS with your GCSE grades, wrote a personal statement, sat any admissions tests, took interviews if necessary and received offers or rejections based upon them. Then you sat your A-Level exams and hoped you got the grades needed to meet your offer requirements on results day. I’m not saying the process wasn’t stressful or hard work, and I certainly did my fair share of complaining, but compared to the situation now I realise we had it easy.

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