Jake Porter
Provider: LSE
London, England
2022/23 Year Abroad

On my commute to class, I pass two parks, a bunch of hotels, and some of my favorite places to eat. I hear the cars, buses, and birds on my way to class. My walk to class is 20 minutes; and, there is a bus that I can take, but walking is my preferred option. Most students live farther than 20 minutes away by foot and those students often take the Underground. I find the Underground (also known as the tube or subway) to be useful when trying to get across the city quickly, but it is expensive and doesn’t provide much value in my daily life.
In London, first-year students live in single dorms for the most part. After the first year, people will often split an apartment with 1 or 2 friends. I live in a single dorm in a building with about 180 students. Food is served in the dining hall in the dorm twice a day which is an improvement from walking 10 minutes to and from each of the 3 meals a day. However, lunch is not served in my hall, so I will usually either skip lunch or eat out near the university. The food is much better in London than people give it credit for. British food is not particularly good, but it is only one of many options in the city to choose from. I personally like Pret A Mangers “toasties” sandwiches and Greggs chicken. Pret has 317 coffee shops in London and are, without exaggeration, on every corner. Most students go to Pret as opposed to the other coffee shops due to the coffee subscription which I wish we had in the U.S.. Food is more expensive in London, but due to the current exchange rate, food prices are almost equivalent to the U.S..