31,280 discussions, 145 guides
Imperial College (University of London)
31,280 discussions, 145 guides
Imperial College (University of London)
Imperial College
University of London
London
SW7 2AZ
Tel: (020) 7594 8014
1907
IC Radio
Imperial College Radio broadcasts on 999am to the South Kensington campus. Recently, it has also launched an excellent website, with internet broadcasting and numerous competitions. The radio station has a collection of over 51,000 tracks, which are viewable on their website, via the SU website.
Stoic TV
Stoic is Imperial College's successful TV station. It broadcasts from the SU to the Junior Common Room, DaVinci's Bar and some nearby Halls of Residence.
Felix
Published monthly, Felix is in a glossy magazine format and is free to all Imperial College Students. It tends not to be political, to reflect the attitude of the University / Union.
Imperial has merged with Wye College, a forlorn outpost of the University of London to minimise admin expenses. There are frequently rumours circulating about Imperial merging with other colleges, perhaps most notably Royal Holloway. Reaction to one rumour from Holloway was swift. A senior SU figure said: 'The bastards will never take us alive'
The new Sports Centre on Princes Gardens, South Kensington campus, has been under construction now for a little over a year. The final few months are approaching before the Centre opens (January 2006) and when fully functional Students at Imperial will be able to use the gym and swimming pool free of charge! Now there really is NO excuse!!
Mary Archer - Lord Archers wife
Sir Roger Bannister - 4 minute mile
Alexander Fleming - Discovered Penicillin
Rajiv Gandhi - Former Indian Prime Miniser
David Irving - Historian
David Livingstone - Explorer
John Manzoni - Vice President of BP-Amoco
Brian May - Queen (the band that is...)
Trevor Phillips - TV Presenter
Simon Singh - Fermats Last Theorem
HG Wells - Writer
There are five bars in the main union building. There are also bars at the St. Mary's site (medical school) and Charing Cross. Some are described below:
Da Vinci's - Situated in the main SU building, this bar has recently undergone a refurbishment. It is also a café and, as a result, is busy during the day, as well as at night. The standard of the food is fairly good.
Union Bar - This has more of a pub atmosphere and is situated close to Da Vinci's in the SU building. It is more popular with certain sports teams than mature clientele (only joking guys...), especially on sports night.
dBs - This is the 500 capacity venue bar, which is open on the major ents nights. Other venues include the Great Hall (700) and the Concert Hall (430)
Union Dining Hall - This isn't a bar, but we thought we had to mention it. The oak panelled Dining Hall is on the first floor of the SU, and is used for certain big dinners etc. Clubs and Societies can also hire it for funtions.
Friday is the largest night, with a range of functions happening in the different rooms within the Union. XS happens on a Wednesday night (and is frequently taken literally) when there is a midnight bar and most of the sports teams have returned from playing matches. There is an Ents section of the SU website, but it is not updated regularly (the last time being Easter 1999!), so it is best not to look there for what is happening. The price of Ents ranges from £1.00 - £2.50, which is good for the University of London colleges.
Imperial College has two big balls (now, now ladies; none of that!) annually. The first is the Freshers Ball, where if you remember it, you havent had a good enough night!
However, by far the most prestigious event on the Imperial social calendar is the Summer Ball, which takes place in the West Hall and Palm Court of Alexandra Palace. Black tie of course, it includes a Champagne drinks reception, a three-course meal, and dancing until 2am. There is also a 40ft. Ferris wheel, bouncy castles, and dodgems. Dont expect to do anything constructive for days afterwards!
Many clubs, societies and departments also hold formal functions, and it isnt rare for these to be held at large London hotels. There are also carnivals every year.
Imperial is represented very well with clubs and societies. Its sports clubs range from Rugby to Shotokan, and there is even a Frisbee Club, and a Yacht Club. All major international and religious groups are represented, including a Persian Gulf Society and an International Tamil Society.
As for leisure societies, many of them seem to highlight the scientific background of Imperial, for example, the Linux User Group (how techie!!), and the Micro Computer Society. There are, however, fun ones like the Real Ale Society and War Games.
Imperial has numerous scientific awards to its name. Many are displayed or detailed in the Imperial Science Museum, near the University. As for sports, Imperials football teams always do well in the BUSA cup, and are, in terms of consistency at least, probably the best student football team in London.
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Imperial College manages to house all of its first years in either college halls or intercollegiate halls, but for other years this housing is very limited. In all there are 11 halls and 5 of what Imperial refer to as houses - the largest of which (Bernard Sunley House) is like a hall.
Most of the halls are around South Kensington, and although the standard is OK, over a third of students share a room, sometimes three in a room! Sharers are charged less. Princes Gardens, a leafy square immediately to the east of the South Kensington campus is currently home to six halls of residence. Three of these are in Southside Hall, the subject of a major redevelopment scheme. The other halls are Garden Hall, Weeks Hall and Linstead Hall. A single room in any of these halls will cost over £100 a week and more realistic prices crop up when rooms are shared. The best quality hall is Beit Hall, which has single en-suite rooms. Other halls are in Hammersmith and other locations in West London.
When the time comes to get private rented accommodation, most students head for Hammersmith, because anywhere else near Imperial is very expensive. Some students also try south of the river, Battersea is quite popular -affordable and only a short bus ride away.
The main site of Imperial College is set in South Kensington, on land purchased during the Great Exhibition of 1857 for the advancement of Arts and Sciences. In 1907, various colleges (including, Royal School of Mines, and the Royal College of Science) merged to form Imperial.
To find out what London is like generally, read the unofficial-guide to the [/guides/ulu-accommodation.html University of London (local area section)]. In this section we will deal with South Kensington.
One of the biggest attractions with the Colleges location is that it is in the heart of museum land. Nearby are the Victorial & Albert Museum (V&A), the Natural History Museum, and the Imperial Science Museum, all of which allow students in for FREE.
Entertainment in South Kensington tend not to be as mainstream as many other areas of London. As Ali G. would say, they is posh, init. Typical places include very well designed wine bars (with beautiful clientele, might I add), and expensive clubs. However, there are some normal pubs, which are also good.
Check out the French Institute and the Goethe (German) Institute, both near South Ken tube station, they have very good film programmes and interesting events/talks etc. The Sepentine Art Gallery, showing international artists and with a good specialist bookshop, is also nearby in Hyde Park.
Londons West End is a long walk, or a fairly short bus ride away, and Notting Hill, Chelsea, Fulham and Putney are fairly close. Good local pubs include, the Rat & Parrot, Finnegans Wake, and the Queens Arms.
Parking is only available if you are disabled or have a large trust fund!
There is a NatWest Bank on the main site. Other banks have branches close by.
Disabled facilities at Imperial can best be described as hit and miss, depending heavily on who has been there before you. The university has just hired a Disabilities Officer, and buildings have been made accessible where possible. Some lecture theatres have hearing loops and accommodation has been set-aside for disabled students. However, the Colleges location generally, being so far from Central London, makes it difficult for many wheelchair users.
There are two shops on the main site, one, the ICU Shop, selling stationery, clothes, and light snacks, and the other (sorry, cant remember the name) which sells groceries. The Student Union also contains a travel agency and a cinema, boasting the largest student cinema screen in the country (and apparently the 6th largest in London)!!
A branch on Waterstones is on the main campus.
Like all colleges of the University of London, Imperial students are allowed to use the sports facilities at ULU (see [/guides/ulu-facilities.html University of London unofficial-guide]), as well as their own.
The most amazing thing about Imperials sports facilities in South Kensington is that they are underground in order to save space! Down below there is a 25m swimming pool, squash courts, weights room, gym, Jacuzzi and Health suite. There are lesser equipped 5 star hotels in London!! On the surface, the College has tennis courts, a shooting range, and a boat house in Putney.
To add to the Colleges repertoire of amenities, one has to include the 60 acres of playing fields in Harlington (12 miles from Kensington, which are used by Chelsea football team as a training ground), the 50 acres in Cobham, Kent and the 12 acres in Teddington! There is simply no excuse to graduate from Imperial College unfit!!
The new Sports Centre on Princes Gardens, South Kensington campus will be opening in January 2006...watch that waist!
The Union runs a night bus on Wednesday and Friday nights from the union. Priority is givin to ladies and single men. It great for those who live quite far away in North London.
The public transport system, however, is good. The nearest tube stations are Gloucester Road and South Kensington, which are both on the District, Circle and Piccadilly Lines.
Buses run along Exhibition Road heading to the West End, as well as many other parts of London. The nearest train stations are Paddington and Victoria.
There are numerous quads around the main campus, as well as public squares...like those seen in the movie 'Notting Hill'. Plus Hyde Park is very close and huge!
There are two main libaries in South Kensingon, the Central Library and the Imperial Science Museum Library. Many departments also have their own libraries, and the School of Medicine at St. Mary's has its own collections.
Overall, Imperial College have around 760,000 books and 2,500 study places. Furthermore, Imperial students, as with all the University of London, are allowed to use Senate House.
Computer facilities are better than average at Imperial...being a science college and all...with over 1,400 terminals. There is also some 24hr access.
Imperial students tend to be a fairly happy bunch of bunnies! The College Health Centre have a 10 man (/woman, for those who are politically correct) medical team, and a dentist. There are also several counsellors.
The Students' Union provides more general help, on everything from sex to finance. They also have quite a good section on the SU website.
