What an amazing day - full of creativity, diversity and friendly faces. Check out the Freshers' Fair video and try to spot yourself and your friends in the crowd.Share this video with everyone and let the world know why you're proud to be part of SUARTS.
London is a big city! Which means that chances are, you’ll need to plan some form of transportation to get you from A to Z. Whether that means taking the bus, tube, walking or even driving, its really important to keep informed on the best, quickest and safest routes. We’ve compiled a few top tips to keep in mind when traveling across the city.
Plan in advance!
London might be pretty thriving, but don’t forget that tubes and busses don’t run consistently 24 hours a day. Inform yourself on the first and last tubes of the day, and the night bus service, as well as any planned TFL improvement works to avoid leaving yourself stranded in the city.
Download Citymapper!
Remember your postcode
This might seem obvious, but if you’ve just moved into a new place it can be pretty easy to forget that random series of letters and numbers which make up your address - especially if you’ve had a drink! Make a note of your address - or at least your postcode – in your phone, to bring out when directing the cab driver or imputing into Citymapper.
Be aware at night
Take a little extra caution when out at night. If you use the bus, try and get a seat near the driver or in an occupied carriage on a train or underground. Make sure you always use licensed cabs and read up on TFL’s Cabwise guidelines. Walking may not be the best option late at night, but if you have to, keep to well-lit, busy streets, main roads and footpaths. Avoid badly lit areas, parks, alleyways and underpasses.
Make sure your phone is fully charged
Since the rise of the smartphone we’ve gone instagram crazy, and are constantly getting our phones out to take snaps and upload online. But WAIT, and think about your phone battery life. If you’re out and about, rethink that selfie and make sure you always keep enough battery power in your phone to make a phonecall, text a friend or check Citymapper on the way home.
Keep your Oyster Card topped up
As great as the new TFL contactless payment initiatives are, its now more important than ever to keep your Oyster Card topped up to avoid those awkward barrier hiccups. You can top-up at loads of places across London, and can now pay via contactless payment cards, but just remember: London busses will no longer accept any cash. Make sure your Oyster is registered online, and consider setting up auto-top up.
If you thought the last few weeks of Freshers shenanigans were good, you haven't seen anything yet! Join us for the biggest (and bestest) week of the Freshers Calendar, quite possibly even your life, as we take you on a whirlwind of magical adventure. GO!
Monday 29th Sept, 11am: CSM Archway Tour
We will take you on a tour of the Archway campus and surrounding areas. Current students will be leading the tour giving you a chance to ask anything you need to get settled in to Art School.
Monday 29th Sept, 2pm: Stanley Kubrick Archive Tour
Stanley Kubrick Archives Tour + Film Screening in partnership with UAL Archives and Special Collection Centre.
Monday 29th Sept, 3pm: MiAL Meets the Freshers
Watch out for the MiAL team this Freshers week, we’re coming to a campus near you! Made in Arts London supports UAL students to develop the skills, experience and connections necessary to sustain their creative practice during their time and college and post-graduation.
Monday 29th Sept, 7pm: LGBTQ Freshers Social
UAL LGBTQ Society invites you to join us for a night out in Soho to kickstart your freshers. There will be something for everyone as we party our way through the West End.
Monday 29th Sept, 11am: Junk to Gems: 101 Makeover Tips
We will use lights to create imagery, captured on camera, experimenting with long exposures. We will ask ‘what powers your creativity?” and ‘Where does your energy come from and how do you use it?’ The best pictures will go online so you can share your experiences!
Monday 29th Sept, 12pm: Sustainability in Design, Business and Beyond
Do you want to change industry for the better? Come along to meet other students and talk about the amazing work of UAL students and alumni in this area. We’ll hear about how you can get involved through your course, competitions, beekeeping, natural dye workshops and loads more, so that you can get the skills to become a sustainability literate graduate!
Monday 29th Sept, 11am: Your Creative Future
There is no time like the present to start thinking about your career prospects in the fashion & lifestyle industries. LCF Careers will offer unique tips on engaging with opportunities while you are a student in order to boost your employability. Not to be missed!
Monday 29th Sept, 11am: Tips to Survive Term 1
This is an interactive session where you can gather tips on how to survive your settling in weeks at university. Come and hear from other students who have been through the experience, and share tips and strategies that worked for them.
Monday 29th Sept, 2pm: London Shop Windows Tour
A guided tour across some of the most desirable shopping destinations in London, you will view key retail landmarks and learn about the history and landscape of London shopping!
Monday 29th Sept, 2pm: 5 under 25: Innovative Career Paths
An intimate panel discussion with some of our dynamic alumni, exploring the many career paths that can be taken. This is an opportunity to hear some of the experiences that creative professionals had as a student at UAL, in addition to launching their careers in the industry. Includes a special guest from Google.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 11am: CSM Kings Cross Tour
We will take you on a tour of the Kings Cross campus and facilities. Current students will be leading the tour giving you a chance to ask anything you need to get settled in to Art School.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 2pm: Palestine Meeting
Join us for an informative film screening on the subject followed by a lively discussion. Engage with the subject matter and have your views heard in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 5pm: Silent Disco
Come for a makeshift silent disco in the LCC library! Come with headphones and at the exact time we will all put the playlist on together and have a silent disco in the library.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 10pm: Celebrity Face Mask Party
So for the second edition of our welcome parties here at Darkroom LCC we decided we'd make things a bit more interesting with a celebrity face mask give away theme! Mix and mingle with your favourite celebrity faced freshers! PRIZE GIVEAWAY: one lucky winner will receive on the night a £50 love to shop voucher! And as always drinks are cheap as chips! Tickets are £5 and available from - www.darkroom.fatsoma.com
Tuesday 30th Sept, 3pm: LGBTQ Tea Party
Its the morning after the night before, so come and join the LGBTQ Society for its first Tea Party of the season. Grab a cuppa and pop your feet up as we try to rid ourselves of those freshers hangovers. There’ll be biscuits, boardgames, gossip, oh..and did we mention the FREE tea and coffee.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 3.30pm: Make Money as a Student
Do you want to make money while at University? This talk introduces you to the variety of ways you can do this: finding part-time vacancies, freelancing or setting up your own business, as well as selling your work and taking advantage of other opportunities.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 2pm: Influencing Citizen Action through Nature
To welcome new students, Centre for Sustainable Fashion have invited a panel of speakers to come share their motivations for creative action. Joining us will be representatives from design, nature, community and society: Galahad Clark, Alina Moat, Dan Burgess with Dilys Williams as chair.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 2pm: Get Involved!
LCF has lots of opportunities for students to get paid work within the College. This session, from the Student Recruitment Team, will outline the role of a student ambassador and job opportunities at open days and other recruitment events.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 12.15pm: So what’s the archive got for me?
This will be an opportunity to see up close an inspiring selection of objects from the Archives, and to hear all about the collections that make up the LCF Archives.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 2pm: Apps for a simpler student life
Looking for innovative ways to use your mobile devices for research, visual inspiration, editing and presenting your work? This is a hands on session that will introduce you to a range of apps, tools and resources to make learning a little more fun and productive.
Tuesday 30th Sept, 2pm: Explore fragrance and create your own!
A fun immersion in your response to fragrance and fragrance ingredients led by one of Britain's 'noses'. Find out a little about why you respond the way you do, what is behind the fragrance offer on the High Street. After an interactive introduction giving you more confidence in your own choices, you will have a chance to blend your own unique fragrance.
Wednesday 1st Oct, 10pm: XOYO Freshers Club Night
An exclusive night for UAL students at London’s XOYO. With Two Door Cinema Club (DJ Set) headlining this event, it’s a night not to be missed for UAL freshers!
Wednesday 1st Oct, 10am: Fresher’s Fair
Come along to chat to Students’ Union and UAL staff about all there is to offer outside of studying and studio time. We’re here to tell you about exra-curricular activities, student services, advice and support and fun things to do at UAL! You can research and join clubs and societies, learn about creative opportunities and meet new people! We’ll also have lots of partner organisations there to give you useful information, student discounts and FREE THINGS!
Thursday 2nd Oct, 10pm: Gym & Tonic does UAL Freshers
Legendary club night Gym & Tonic hosts an exclusive night just for UAL students! With two floors of classic house, hip hop, UK garage, R&B, trap and dance, there’s something for everyone at south London’s most popular arts venue.
Thursday 2nd Oct, 11am: Zine Day
Join us for a day spent learning about and making your very own zines! Be inspired by the library’s extensive Zine Collection and more. Contribute to the SUARTS Freshers’ Zine. All materials included.
Thursday 2nd Oct, 2pm: Gallery Trip: Disobedient Objects at the V+A
From Suffragette teapots to protest robots, this exhibition is the first to examine the powerful role of objects in movements for social change. It demonstrates how political activism drives a wealth of design ingenuity and collective creativity that defy standard definitions of art and design.
Thursday 2nd Oct, 5pm: Elefest
Elefest, the Elephant & Castle Festival returns for its 12th year with bigger, bolder and more eclectic programme than ever. It is a 4-day feast of music, cinema, arts, history walks and delectable food. It opens on the 2nd at the Coronet with a live gig by Escapists, Movie, and Lois and The Love - a delicious mix of electronica, alt-indie, high-octane vocals and psychedelic undertones. it is followed by a 3-day cinema extravaganza at the neighbouring The Cinema Museum, which will be screening classic Sci-Fi films, among them The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (Karel Zeman ’58) with live rescore performed by The McCarrick and slapstic and Charlie Chapiln comedies. Other highlights include: concert by a Latin phenomenon WARA, night market, guerrilla gardening, mural walks, local
Thursday 2nd Oct, 11am: Pitch Your Ideas to an Audience
Share ways to present and communicate your ideas - Use professional presentation equipment This is about having fun but also learning why communicating your individual creative message is a key skills at University and beyond.
Thursday 2nd Oct, 11am: Knit 1/Purl 1
Join the Stitch'nBitch - you'll be surprised what you can learn in 2 hrs! Learn the basics of hand knitting in a couple of hours - how to cast on, cast off, knit and purl. This will get you started and could inspire you to find a lifetime of pleasure through knitting.
Friday 3rd Oct, 2pm: Chelsea Ghost Tour
Chelsea College of Arts was many things before it became a university building including a military hospital and an old prison. Find out more about the history of the building and what the studios and gallery spaces were really built for. An interesting chance to see your college in a new and ghostly light!
Friday 3rd Oct, 12pm: UAL Part-time Job Fair
Taking place during Freshers week the Part-Time job Fair is a great opportunity for our students and graduates to speak to employers, find out about part-time, freelance or seasonal opportunities. Take advantage of all activities taking place on the day, get your CV checked at a one to one CV check with a CV specialist or sign up to attend one of our employability talks.
Friday 3rd Oct, 1pm: Welcome to LCF!
If you are commencing your undergraduate studies at London College of Fashion in the School of Design and Technology, do come along and join your fellow students and teaching staff from the School, to say hello and to get to know each other.
Are you a UAL student with caring responsibilities for a child or other loved one? Come to this event to meet other like-minded students, the Students' Union, student services and enjoy food, drink and good company. Fun and games for all ages included.
The weather forecast for next week is... MORE FUN!
This is the last Throwback Thursday until Freshers kicks off! It's so exciting that we've dredged up some memories of Freshers Past in anticipation of Freshers Future. What's it going to look like? WHO KNOWS!
Throwback to UAL Cheerleading Society in 2011...
Throwback to the Freshers reps in 2012...
Throwback to those CSM bags in 2013. Will they make a reappearance? Anything could happen...
this time next week I'll have moved out, settled in and getting ready for my first night of freshers with a completely new group of people. I've never been so excited.
So, yesterday was the day. I moved to uni. After my intense last minute packing session the night before, I set off with my parents and tons of boxes and suitcases, feeling extreemely nervous.
Once we arrived, we unloaded the car, and then went to grab some lunch and did the all-important food shopping. Not sure how much use it'll all be if I can't cook :/ But guess I don't have much choice but to learn.
Back in my room, unpacked some things, said bye to my parents (got pretty emosh ngl - especially my dad) and then hung out with my flat mates. I've met 3 out of 5 so far, and they seem lovely. One of them is a medic student too, which is perfect for me. Having someone in my flat that's doing the same course as me :)
Had the welcome talk, and then just predrinks at our flat for the UV rave (except none of us went in the end). Played Never Have I Ever. That's definitely the quickest way to find out the juiciest info about your flatmates that you've just met :P
Spent the rest of the night alternating between looking after someone that was completely off their head, and also trying to sort out my room and making it more homely.
