• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: Kensington
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London W8 6BA
020 7938 2335

Jessica_UK said
Starbucks Coffee Shop
I really like starbucks in general, and this branch of starbucks was what I expected. There are a wide selection of cakes and cookies, as well as hot and cold drinks. It has to be said that starbucks is pretty overpriced with their frappochinos costing over £3 for a decent sized cup. As a student I don't visit often, but when I have done, it has been a very relaxing and friendly place to meet up with someone. There are quite a lot of seats to eat whilst you talk, but it does get crowded sometimes and noisy. Apart from that, a convenient location to meet a friend, though maybe a bit difficult to get good seats at lunch. The staff are usually very friendly and polite as well.

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: Manchester
• Category: Shops and Amenities

Manchester M4 3AJ
0161 216 4570

Jessica_UK said
Apple Retail Store, Manchester
Located in one of the busiest parts of Manchester, the Apple Retail Store has become very popular with many visitors excited to try out the products offered. The shop is always very busy, and there are a lot of staff members, a greater percentage than other stores of that size. The interior of the shop looks very spacious and the macbooks, macbook pros, etc are presented in a very convenient way so that customers may easily try each of them out. Although I constantly felt that the staff there were trying to sell me as many apple products as possible, even after buying a macbook, they were very helpful and never hesitated in explaining anything to me. I would have given this store 5 stars if the products weren't so obscenely priced. Although I really adore my macbook, I could have bought 2 or maybe even 3 laptops for the price of what I paid for this one. The Apple retail store offers a decent student discount if you show your student ID card and you can often cut back over £100 on products. The shop stocks all the essential software required for your mac as well. Overall, a very nicely presented shop, with everything a mac user would want and need, as well as helpful and friendly staff who genuinely seem to believe in their products.

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: South Kensington
• Category: Education

London SW7 2DD
020 7589 5111

Jessica_UK said
Imperial College London
I am currently a student of Mathematics. Last year, 2007, Imperial College was ranked as the 5th best university in the world. I have often heard people say that if student satisfaction were higher, then Imperial would overtake OxBridge in the league tables. I have to agree, student satisfaction is generally pretty low here. When I applied to Imperial, I got my offer after a good part of my A2 year had already past, and the correspondence was absolutely appalling. I received, since applying to Imperial, till I started, about 1 letter and 3 emails. The letter was actually my offer letter! This might be due to Imperial being my insurance choice and not the university I could have gone to, but even so I think it was a very poor effort on their behalf. The Maths department aren't particularly nice to their students when it comes to exams, since we had 8 exams in a row with no breaks apart from the weekend (which I spent sleeping), whilst almost every other department that year had both less exams and exams split over a decent time period. There is always work to do, and pressure from being able to study alongside the brightest students from pretty much every country, as well as having lecturers who are both renown and extremely intelligent, but at Imperial, and London for that matter, it has been a great opportunity to meet a lot of people. Imperial offers a lot of clubs and societies, some of them aren't great at all, but again provide many opportunities to meet people and learn new skills. I must add, Imperial is a university specialising in science and technology, so you can't get degrees in humanity subjects, but having said that, there are opportunities still to learn new languages. For example, many courses (not Maths...), allow students to take language courses that add some course credit to their degree for that year. (In Maths, for those that are interested, you can take humanities courses in second year, but they don't count towards anything, plus you have to do and hand in all the coursework etc). One thing I really didn't like about my department particularly, was the fact that some lecturers didn't seem to want to lecture or teach us, which is fair enough, since they come to Imperial primarily to research, but it just meant that lectures were noisy, and students lost enthusiasm completely. Apart from languages, Imperial also has the Blyth Music Centre which is the home to a dozen or so pianos that anyone can come in and play on. If you are an Imperial student, you can also gain free access to the gym and swimming pool at the Ethos sports centre, which has state of the art facilities. The location to Imperial is great. Imperial is in South Kensington, one of the best parts of London, and is also next to Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall. Prices at Imperial aren't very good at all, and I have been told that buying a sandwich from Harrods is cheaper than buying a sandwich from our Junior Common Room. The male:female ratio is also notorious. It is probably about 6:4 or even 7:3. Having said all of that, Imperial college still is one of the best places in the world to study and as they hold careers fairs and invite speakers to talk in societies, it is also a great opportunity to find internships for the summer. A lot of students from Maths go into banking and getting a degree from Imperial is definitely a plus. It is a lot of hard work, and prices in London are also notoriously high with some students paying over £150 a week for rent not including any bills either. I feel though, that apart from meeting people (and having a life generally), the main purpose of coming to Imperial is to get a good degree in order to get employment afterwards, as is the view of many people at Imperial. Overall, I'd recommend Imperial, it offers world class scientists and an environment where everyone wants to succeed.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Bankside
• Category: Nightlife

London SE1 3QX

Jessica_UK said
SEOne
I went to this club because I was talked into it by my friends. The price that we payed was £15 and I must say that I really didn't think it was worth it. My friends told me that there was a laser quest, bouncy castle, foam, bubbles. There was no laser quest to be seen as far as I know, there was a bouncy castle yes, the size of the bouncy castles 6 years old children sometimes are lucky enough to have at their birthdays, there was a lot of foam and that was probably the best part of the club, the bubbles were decent as well. The club is situated in quite a rough area of London and the queue to actually enter the club was long. We were queuing for about an hour and only managed to enter the club closed to midnight. Whilst we were waiting, the crowd there weren't very cooperative, as cars were constantly trying to pass and no body really bothered. The club is pretty large, and I can see why it is very popular. They played a lot of dance music, but if you want to enter the foam room, it's not wise to wear high heels. I don't think I'd come here again, as the only thing I liked was the foam, and even then, after I got home, the next day I realised that the foam had irritated my skin. So be warned if you have sensitive skin!

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Westminster
• Category: Nightlife

London SW1Y 4EE
020 7930 2949

Jessica_UK said
The Comedy Store, London Piccadilly Circus
Although I payed £15 to get a ticket or thereabouts when I first went, which isn't something I can afford daily, it was definitely worth it. The improvisation was fantastic, and although some of the things seemed a little unbelievable - the standard of improvisation was incredible, I had a fantastic time. There is definitely something for everybody as they explored all types of humor and really got the audience involved as well. The audience provided constantly the ideas behind the improvisations which made the whole show even more enjoyable, as anyone could take part and give in their ideas. The stage is fairly big and all the members of the show could be seen quite clearly. The Comedy Store does have some notable members and all the members that we saw gave very high quality performances, although some members were better than others which is to be expected. Overall, a must see if you have the chance!

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: South Kensington
• Category: Food and Drink

London SW7 3JP
020 7584 0055

Jessica_UK said
Hummingbird Bakery: Old Brompton Road, London
This very cute looking shopping sells mainly all-American cupcakes. The shop is very, very well presented and although it isn't too big, it always has enough staff to serve the many customers that visit this shop. Apart from cupcakes, other different types of cakes are sold. Although I have to admit, the cakes are very expensive, with one large slice costing over £3, and even more if you decide to eat in, the cakes are absolutely delicious, and are tasty enough to attract students nearby who visit every single week. There is a seating area with many comfortable seats and tall chairs. I've seen people pay for cakes, and bring a book they can sit down and read with. The atmosphere is very, very nice. The cupcakes which the shop specialises in are close to £2, and although they aren't very big, they are very nice, but I would probably only visit this shop as a treat and not regularly. I've been told that even if cakes are bought in batches, they don't do any special sort of discount unlike Ben's Cookies, whom I'm more likely to buy from, since they are better value.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Kensington
• Category: Arts and Culture

London SW7 3EY
020 7589 9400

Jessica_UK said
Au fils des mots
An excellent French bookshop in the South Kensington area. Although the bookshop isn't very large, it stocks a huge range of popular titles at a very reasonable price. The shop doesn't have many members of staff, but the staff are very friendly and as they are French speaking, they are able to help very quickly with suggestions and other things. I managed to buy two classic books: Manon des Sources and Un Sac de Billes for no more than £6 each, which is very reasonable, since I have been unable to find either book for a reasonable price online or in other bookshops. This bookshop is great for people waiting to find learning material as well and has a really lovely atmosphere. It is one of two French bookshops that I know of in that area, and is located near other very nice shops.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Kensington
• Category: Restaurants

London SW7 4SF
020 7835 0840

Jessica_UK said
Ask: Gloucester Road, London
I've visited this restaurant twice now, and although it definitely is priced above student budget, it makes a nice meal out. The waiting time wasn't unreasonable, and the menu always had something for everybody. The food has been delicious each time I've been, although if you are not used to London prices, you may be expecting to get more for your money. The restaurant serves very good Italian food and the restaurant is very nicely decorated and well staffed. It has to be noted, however, that some of the staff members have been quite ''in-your-face'' at times, and that might well be snobbery from not being very student friendly. The atmosphere generally has been very pleasant on all the occasions that I have gone. The location of this restaurant makes it quite a popular one.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: South Kensington
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London SW7 2ND
020 7589 9155

Jessica_UK said
Ben's Cookies
The Ben's Cookies store in South Kensington, London is only one of less than nine Ben's Cookies stores in the UK. Although the store is very small, it is very popular and it is not surprising since apart from being located right next to the South Kensington underground station and also for the quality of the cookies. The cookies are a lot more expensive than any cookie you can buy from a supermarket, but with the large selection of freshly baked delicious cookies, they are too good not to try. I was skeptical about the quality of the cookies, since they cost over £1 each if bought separately, but I tried them, and they surpassed expectations. I believe that they are far better than the famous Krispy Kreme doughnuts and am sure I am not the only one who thinks so. I tend to buy them in a box, as it is a better deal. Last time I visited the store, the offer was something like 12 cookies for £15 which does sound like a lot, but they make great gifts, and from experience have been enjoyed by everyone that eats them. Apart from cookies, Ben's Cookies also sells drinks as well. The store is very small so only has a couple of staff there, but they have been very reasonable to me, even offering discounts when a particular cookie was unavailable. The opening and closing hours are very reasonable as well.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Altrincham
• Category: Food and Drink

Altrincham WA15 9QT

Jessica_UK said
Tescos, Altrincham
A very, very large Tescos supermarket. The supermarket has a very large parking area, and is very popular. A very well presented supermarket that stocks something for everyone. It contains a small section of clothes, a large range of magazines, as well as a decent amount of popular books for a very reasonable price, as well as CDs, DVDs, games, and stationary. The food is at a very competitive price and they have an excellent stock of most items. The staff are very friendly and helpful and there is access for disabled peoples as well. The supermarket is understandably very busy and there are a large number of checkouts to reflect that. It is also cheaper buying daily necessities such as shampoo from Tescos rather than from Boots as well, although their selections aren't as large. The supermarket is very large, but it is not difficult at all to locate what you need as there are large signs above all the sections that can be seen from a distance. There is always staff on hand to ask as well if there is any difficulty.