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Discover cheap things to do in London for students

Are you staying in your London uni halls over the holidays? Returning home from campus to the capital? Planning a day trip for some fun during the break? Take advantage of any free time you have in the big city, and try out some of these cheap things to do in London. They’re perfect for a student budget!

We know you’ll probably be studying hard this holiday, but all work and no play will leave you burnt-out and miserable. Though your time off may be limited, use our tips to make the most of it.

Museums and history

London’s museums are amazing, and most of them are completely free. These include the British Museum, the Museum of London, the Wellcome Collection and more! Some of these have exhibitions on that you need to pay for, but they keep the prices pretty low. The Science Museum’s fighter jet simulator is just £6, and the Horniman Museum’s magical aquarium is £4.50. For cheap things to do in London after sunset, check out funky late night events at the Science Museum, V&A, and Natural History Museum. They’re all free (though some are ticketed).

Want a quick glimpse of London’s history? The changing of the guard happens at 11:00 am almost every day at Buckingham Palace. The Tower of London’s Ceremony of the Keys happens every night at 9:30 pm. Both are completely free, but for the latter online booking is essential.

One of London’s best-kept secrets is the Mithraeum, a Roman temple hidden underneath the Bloomberg buildings in the City of London. Dedicated to the mysterious figure of Mithras, you can visit without paying a penny.

The Great Court of the British Museum, full of visitors.
The British Museum. Photo credit: Konmac, Shutterstock

Art and architecture

Lots of art museums, like both the Tate Britain and Tate Modern, National Gallery, and the Royal Academy of Arts are free. Keep an eye out for free exhibitions at the Curve at the Barbican Centre too!

For something festive, Winter Light is a free, open-air exhibition at the Southbank Centre featuring ten festive installations from famous artists. Or, go hear some carols inside St Paul’s. Every year, the legendary London landmark hosts a series of free, non-ticketed carol concerts.

Looking for more architecture? On the first Wednesday of every month, visitors can see ‘Britain’s Sistine Chapel’ for free. The Baroque murals covering Greenwich’s Painted Hall were painted more than 300 years ago, but have just been restored. Somerset House, the last of the huge palaces that used to line the Thames in central London, also offers free tours. Alternatively, Severndroog Castle in south London is only £3.50. It’s great for panoramic views of the city, ancient woodland and general Gothic vibes.

The great outdoors

London’s green urban spaces are really special. Though it’s cold outside, on bright days you’ll still enjoy places like Green Park, Hyde Park and St James’s Park. Lots of these also have pedalo boats you can rent. These are usually around £4 and great fun if the weather holds out! For the really brave at heart, you can swim in the Hampstead Heath Bathing Ponds for £2 per day. Sack off the gym pool and join in if you dare!

A good walk with a friend is priceless, making it one of our favourite cheap things to do in London. Stroll along the South Bank, follow the towpath through Little Venice, or join one of Strawberry Tours’ free London walking tours. If you want to relax in nature while actually staying indoors, try the Sky Garden (free) or the gorgeous Barbican Conservatory (free on Sundays!).

Hyde Park, one of the best cheap things to do in London!
Hyde Park. Photo credit: Ingus Kruklitis, Shutterstock

Culture

Use websites like todaytix, or the TKTS booth in Leicester Square, for £20 West End tickets. But for a cheaper theatre alternative, standing tickets at Shakespeare’s Globe are just £5. Arrive early, and you’ll be close enough to touch the stage. The Royal Ballet also offers £5 tickets for amphitheatre seats right at the top of the Royal Opera House. Bring binoculars and enjoy!

Lots of London’s best comedy shows are either free or very cheap. You then tip what you can at the end depending on what you think it was worth. Our favourites include the Bill Murray in Angel and the Top Secret Comedy Club in Covent Garden.

For cinema lovers, the PeckhamPlex shows all new movies at ’90s prices. The House of Vans in Waterloo runs free cinema nights, as well as its other events like skate school and live music nights. And for cinema haters, Old Street’s Crap Film Club screens a different terrible movie every month. Early-bird tickets are £5.

Views

See the city from the top of Monument’s 311 stairs for just £5, or from the eighth floor of the OXO Tower for free. For outdoor alternatives, look out at the capital from Primrose Hill or Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath.

Try the Emirates Air Line (nicknamed the Dangleway) for a cheaper version of the London Eye. The cable car opened in 2012, so as cheap things to do in London go, it still feels like a novelty. It crosses the Thames from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Victoria Dock, and best of all, it’s only £3.50!

Your favourite cheap things to do in London

Did we miss any must-see activities? Have you tried any of our recs and enjoyed them? Let us know in the comments below!

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Eight key revision tips for exam success

The good news is that the end of the year brings a well-deserved break. The bad news is that you probably have exams either before the holiday or immediately after. Here are some of our best revision tips to keep your exam stress low and your grades high this December.

1. Start early

The most important of all our revision tips is to begin preparing for the exam period well in advance. The more time you give yourself, the more thorough you can be. In addition, if you spread your work over more weeks, you don’t need to push yourself so hard each day. You’ll have more flexibility to take time off for special occasions, or just when you’re not in the mood to study!

But what about if you’re reading this the week of your exam and thinking, ok that sounds nice, but too little too late? We don’t recommend cramming, but sometimes there’s no alternative. Use Proprep‘s video tutorials to make your revision as efficient as possible, especially when time is limited!

2. Create a good timetable

If you’ve managed to start revision in advance, work out how much time you have left and divide it up into study sessions. Make a revision timetable and stick to it!

As we wrote in our time management tips, different people work better at different times of day and in different ways. For example, I know that I like to change up what I’m doing every hour. That way I don’t lose focus and can stay productive for longer. If I’m doing this, I can revise well from the morning until about 6pm, but I hate studying into the night. If you’re not sure how you function best, try a few different ways until you find a schedule you like. Remember to take enough breaks to keep you sane and avoid burnout!

Photo credit: Cmspic, Shutterstock

3. Find the right location to study

This might sound too basic for our revision tips, but it couldn’t be more important. What works for you might not work for a friend, and will probably be dependent on how you like to revise. If you need motivation to get your head down, go to the library. However, if you like to study in the early or late hours, your room may work out better.

Wherever it is, make sure you have a clean, well-lit, quiet space that you can focus in. Snacks within reach are an added plus!

4. Work on your weak areas

We all like to play to our strengths. However, if you only ever revise what you’re good at, you’ll never improve. Get real about which are your weaker areas, and dedicate more time to those when you’re making your schedule. Figure out how you can improve in these areas – do you need to do extra background reading? Can you ask a coursemate for help? If it’s time management itself that is a weak area for you, check out our blog about working on it!

If you’ve missed a few lectures over the course of the term, it’s all good. Proprep‘s video tutorials and study guides can help you if you need to go over content. This is true whether you were in the room but zoned out, or hungover in bed!

5. Use memory tools

Now to the actual revising. The goal of revision is to retain information you can then bring out to answer the exam questions. If you don’t have a good memory, this might feel a bit daunting. However, there are tons of things you can use as memory aids. Notes, flash cards, diagrams, flowcharts… If something’s worked for you in the past, use it again. Otherwise, again, try out a few techniques to see what feels the best.

Visual learners like using bright colours and aesthetically-pleasing notes to aid their revision process. Check out the world of Studygram if that applies to you!

6. Take advantage of resources

Be sure to use all the course resources your professors point out to you. They’ll have guidance, extra support, and revision tips for you to use. Alongside these, you can do your own research to find resources that’ll help you expand your knowledge of the subject.

Try Proprep‘s video tutorials if you want learning tools customised exactly to your STEM course. Don’t waste your time with material that’s not relevant to what you’re studying! If you can’t find a module, send us your syllabus to receive materials created especially for you. Plus, if you’re stuck on anything, you can send your questions directly to our professor team! They’ll respond shortly with a personalised video answer.

7. Practice makes perfect

Ok, so you think you have the theory down. The best way to test your understanding is to get as much practice answering questions as possible. Past papers will help you hone your answers as well as familiarising you with the format of the exam. For example, if you have a choice between two sections, you can decide which areas to prioritise in your revision. Try your hand at attempting problems under time pressure, and without looking at solutions or using any help.

If you’re looking for more opportunities for improvement, there are thousands of practice problems on the Proprep platform. Have a go at them, and watch the video solutions if you need to see where you went wrong.

Photo credit: Jacob Lund, Shutterstock

8. Study with your peers

Revising with friends is a great way to work socialising into your study schedule. As well as being an important break from staring at your notes all day, you can learn from one another. You’ll get to share resources, revision tips, and info. Study groups are great if you want to brainstorm in a big group, but so are one-on-one sessions with a friend. Choose to focus on a certain topic area every time you meet up, and bring your notes and other materials you might need.

This one is harder to achieve if you’re home studying during the Winter holidays. However, sometimes even working next to someone doing something completely different to you will help keep you focused for longer. The perks of peer pressure! Invite friends over, catch up for a little while, then get down to business.

What are your best revision tips?

Did we miss anything important? Have you tried any of our revision tips and found they helped you reduce exam stress? Let us know in the comments below! We can’t wait to hear from you.

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How #studygram enhances student motivation

Have you heard of studygram? No? Well, picture that one kid in school who had 700 fineliner pens and always made the prettiest mind maps. Now imagine if they could’ve used the internet to connect to thousands of different versions of themselves, all around the world.

We’re probably all used to admiring the beautiful notes of some of our friends and classmates. However, the social media age means that we can now do the same to people from around the globe: enter #studygram. With over 13 and a half million posts (!), the popular Instagram hashtag has launched a positive student community of proud studygrammers. These users connect and share diagrams, to-do lists, tips, notes and more, to inspire other learners around the world. 

Pretty notes for the win

Typical studygram posts show off vibrant, neat notes, usually handwritten but sometimes created on an iPad or other tablet. Colours affect neurological pathways in the brain and create biochemical responses, improving our memory, stimulating our emotions, and further motivating us to learn. Taking notes by hand has also been proven to be better than typing for both understanding and remembering conceptual information in the long term.

Of course, it’s important not to get lost in the aesthetic aspects of your work and compromise on quality. If you’re a visual learner, however, investing in the appearance of your notes will definitely pay off. 

A positive community

Social media often gets a bad rep for being a distraction from your studies. The studygram world shows that it can also be used for good, keeping you learning from others and motivating yourself even during your downtime. Studygram posts range from stationery tips to detailed notes, aiming to inspire other students to get more organised about their studies and daily routine. In addition, studygrammers help their peers to discover new learning resources.

On the flip side, have you ever been labelled a ‘nerd’ or ‘geek’ for enjoying working hard? You can use the studygram community to take pride in being a diligent student. Instagram’s international reach means you can engage with like-minded people all over the world and of all ages. They’ll embrace you in all your highlighter shades.

The community is very positive, with studygrammers encouraging their fellows to share thoughts and tips in the comments. They’re also honest about the struggles of time management, staying motivated, and exam stress. Users have noted the culture of personal growth and accountability, feeling encouraged by seeing other studygrammers hard at work.

Photo credit: @studyrhi, Instagram

Our favourite STEM studygrammers

Emilystudying

Emily’s notes cover a range of topics in Biology and Maths, and always look beautiful! Check out the mix between her trademark rainbow-coloured pens and, more recently, some impressive iPad art.

Studykween

Aleksandra is a fourth-year medical student in London, and her page has it ALL. Using more muted pastel tones than the typical bright colours you might expect to see, check out her diagrams, study tips, and weekly newsletters!

Studywithara

Ara is a pharmacology and physiology major using her digital skills to promote good motivation and productivity habits. She even creates wallpapers available for download each month, with desktop, tablet, and mobile sizes.

Thewordygal

Don’t be put off by the name: Sarah is a nurse-to-be. For a girl who must spend so much time in the lab, her desk is AMAZING! Follow for workspace decor inspiration and tips for the best buys to help you study.

How to up your note-taking game, inspired by studygram

  1. Grab a blank page of a pretty notebook or planner.
  2. Make sure you have some coloured pens on hand, and use them as much as possible.
  3. Write a big, beautiful title at the top or in the middle of your page.
  4. Use numbered lists, bullet points, subtitles and boxes to divide your page into sections. These will break up the material and make it easier to learn.
  5. Try a hand-drawn graphic or doodled diagrams to add pretty detail.
  6. Most importantly: don’t panic if it doesn’t come out looking like how you intended. The studygram community is loving and supportive, and every page is a fresh start you can use to try again!
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Struggling with poor mental health at university?

I remember looking at older friends’ pictures from university while I was in school with envy. I couldn’t wait to join in the fun. A month into my own time on campus, however, I realised hadn’t thought at all about managing my mental health at university.

I’d been misled by my friends’ ‘highlight reel’ of the student experience. Of course nobody uploads photos of them working late into the night, or struggling to connect with strangers, or just going through life without the support system they’d known at home. Another huge thing I hadn’t realised was simply how much time I’d spend on my own if I weren’t proactive about it.

Student mental health

The arrival on campus brings amazing new opportunities. However, the upheaval can also leave you vulnerable to struggles with your mental health at university, as you deal with the stresses of adult life for the first time. This situation has been compounded by two years of cancelled social activities and classes held behind a computer screen. In an NUS survey, over half of participants said that their mental health had been negatively affected by COVID-19. Less than a third of them had sought help. According to the Office for National Statistics, 26% of students reported feeling lonely often or always, compared with 8% of adults in general.

Students can experience struggles with all aspects of their mental and emotional health. Triggers that students report include study and work pressures, relationship trouble, homesickness and loneliness, financial worries, and bullying. Anxiety is one of the most commonly-diagnosed mental health problems among students, as well as depression and suicidal feelings.

Warning signs for these disorders include things like extreme highs and lows of emotion, changes in eating and sleeping patterns, lack of energy and motivation, or physical symptoms like headaches, digestive issues and body pain. However, this checklist isn’t exhaustive at all. If you’re struggling, seek help immediately, regardless of what symptoms you do or do not have.

Photo credit: SewCream, Shutter

Taking care of your mental health at university

Go easy on yourself

Mental health struggles can make simple tasks feel overwhelming, so don’t overload yourself. It’s not realistic to expect yourself to be productive all the time (especially during the pandemic!), so do what you can in manageable chunks. Good grades are important, but nowhere near as important as your wellbeing. Take care of yourself and seek help when you need it.

Joining a club or society can be a great way to do something you enjoy and boost your mood. If you meet nice people, it can create a community to fight loneliness or homesickness. However, don’t take too much on – you don’t have to say yes to every social activity or study group. Make sure to relax and spend time in your own space as well! It can be hard to focus when this living space is untidy, so try to de-clutter. Clean up mess, and open windows to let fresh air in.

Let’s get physical

Your mental health is strongly tied to your physical health, so try to eat as healthily as possible. There are lots of resources online for how to do this cheaply and easily. Exercising might be the last thing you feel like doing when your energy is low. Nonetheless, just 15 minutes of movement can make a huge impact on your mood, especially if you manage to spend the time outdoors. With impending deadlines and nights out, it’s unlikely you’ll be getting the recommended eight hours of sleep. However, try to establish a healthy pattern when you can. And when you do go out, remember to drink sensibly.

You know you best

Find outlets that work for you – this could be running, baking, arts and crafts or something else. Do whatever you know will lift your mood and calm you down. Keeping in touch with friends you had before you got to campus is a good way to maintain your social interactions. It can also be a helpful reminder that a world exists beyond your university (sometimes easy to forget!). There are lots of apps out there that can help with mental health struggles, like Headspace, Calm and Worrytree.

The most important advice is to seek support early if you’re ever struggling with your mental health at university. Don’t leave it until you’re at crisis point – there are lots of people and services out there that have your back.

Photo credit: fizkes, Shutterstock

What help is available?

It can be hard to open up to family and friends about how you’re feeling, but it can also be a huge relief. Don’t feel like a burden; your loved ones are there to help you and hear you out.

To find out what support is available through your university, contact student services or look on their website. Your university’s wellbeing service can provide a listening ear and signpost you towards more services. These might include appointments with dedicated mental health advisors, drop-in counselling or mindfulness sessions, and support groups. Some institutions have their own phone helpline, de-stressing sports activities, and animal therapy sessions!

If you’re seriously worried about your mental health, it’s essential that you visit a doctor. They can give you a medical diagnosis and a referral to appropriate services. If you think it’s affecting your work, have a chat with your personal tutor or somebody in charge of your pastoral care. You can express your concerns and make a plan for the future. Once when I was going through something hard as a student, I spoke to my tutor even though I hadn’t felt any negative impacts yet, just to flag it up. You can also apply for mitigating or extenuating circumstances for any exams or coursework you think could be affected.

Organisations such as the Mental Health Foundation, Mind, Papyrus, Sane and Student Minds provide excellent advice and guidance. There are also multiple free support lines that you can call at any time to talk about anything that’s getting to you. Call the Samaritans at 116 123, or text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258.

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Five inspiring women in STEM

Due to the long-held (false!) belief that science and maths are “boy subjects”, female scientists and mathematicians have always been in the minority. They are underrepresented in every geographical region, and, in total, less than 30% of researchers in the world are women. However, despite its reputation as a male-dominated field, there are a ton of inspirational women in STEM. To celebrate the International Day of the Girl, here are just five of the female pioneers leading the way on the STEM scene:

Margaret Hamilton

Photo credit: Wikipedia

One of our favourite examples of women in STEM is Margaret Hamilton, an American computer scientist, systems engineer and business owner. 

As head of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Lab, she developed the guidance and navigation system for the Apollo spacecraft. After Apollo, parts of her code went on to be used in Skylab, the first space station, and then in the space shuttle programme.

Not only was Hamilton a leading software engineer, but she was actually the one to coin the term for the first time! During the early stages of working on the Apollo programme, she was frustrated that the software wasn’t taken as seriously as other engineering disciplines. In reaction, she started referring to it as ‘software engineering’. A lady who wrote her own title as well as her code – we love to see it!

Dr Sue Black, OBE 

Photo credit: sueblack.co.uk

Dr Sue Black is a British computer scientist, academic, and social entrepreneur. In 2016, she was awarded an OBE for services to technology in Queen Elizabeth’s New Year’s Honours list.

She is Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist at Durham University. She is an Honorary Professor in the Department of Computer Science at UCL, and a Senior Research Associate at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. And I thought my CV was impressive…

But that’s not all. Passionate about supporting women in tech, Dr Black founded the UK’s first online network for them, BCSWomen. She also created #techmums, a social enterprise which empowers mums and their families through technology. What’s more, she started the campaign to get Bletchley Park – the site of World War II code-breaking – the heritage site status it deserves. Dr Black was instrumental in saving the park from closure due to lack of funding.

Yari Golden-Castaño 

Photo credit: iine.org

Yari Golden-Castaño is an American systems engineer. She is one of the 100 finalists of the Mars One project, which aims to select the first 24 settlers on Mars. 

Based at the MIT Lincoln Lab, she worked on data analysis for air traffic control systems for her first four years. Now she develops hardware and software for laser communication, which will be the Mars One travellers’ sole source of contact with Earth.

Additionally, Golden-Castaño is currently enrolled in a Space Biomed programme at MIT. The programme offers new perspectives on the relationship between microgravity and our muscles and bones.

She is an advocate for better representation of women in STEM, and organises and runs hands-on workshops to introduce young girls to engineering. She also speaks in schools, universities and professional organisations about space exploration and the importance of following your dreams.

Dr Mirjana Pović

Photo credit: iaa.csic.es

Dr Mirjana Pović is a Serbian astrophysicist. She is a Professor of Physics and head of the Department of Astronomy at the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute. Talk about an overachiever – she has contributed to over ten international projects!

Dr Pović works on the formation and evolution of galaxies, and investigates the formation rate and mass-metallicity of stars. She has taught physics across Africa, including to orphans in Rwanda and HIV-positive women in Tanzania. She believes that scientists should spend more time connecting to the developing world, and that education and science are fundamental tools for combating inequality.

In 2019, Dr Pović was awarded the inaugural Nature Research – Estée Lauder Inspiring Science Award. She is using the €10,000 prize money to build networks for women in STEM across Ethiopia. 

Karen Uhlenbeck 

Photo credit: NY Times

Karen Uhlenbeck is an American mathematician and a founder of modern geometric analysis, who developed tools and methods now used universally in her field. She works in global analysis as well as gauge theory, the mathematical language of theoretical physics.

Uhlenbeck is a Visiting Senior Research Scholar at Princeton University, as well as a Visiting Associate at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). She is a founder of the IAS’ Park City Mathematics Institute, which aims to train young researchers and promote understanding of the interests and challenges in maths. In addition, she’s a founder of its Women and Mathematics programme, created to recruit and empower women to lead in maths research.

Somehow not impressed yet? Last year, Uhlenbeck became the first female winner of the Abel Prize for “the fundamental impact of her work on analysis, geometry and mathematical physics”. The prize is awarded annually to highlight outstanding advancements in maths. This makes her one of our women in STEM icons, and one Karen we can definitely get behind.

You could be next!

At Proprep, we are committed to diversifying the STEM industry. We want to ensure that people of all backgrounds – all genders, races, abilities and economic classes – are able to fulfil their academic potential. Click here to go to your account and see the benefits of our resources on your studying. Start your free trial today!