things i like

Things I really like about UCL/London/britain in general so far

1. No textbook buying (especially paying $$$ for "new" editions that are only changed very slightly). Instead, the library has only one/a few copies of the text in the library and you can only have it for a few days at a time. This works really well for the british system of reading throughout the semester (and not much actual "homework"), with most of the grade coming from a single final exam, but might be hard to adapt to the American system.
2. Reduced rates for students at a lot of shops/restaurants/for public transportation (where they actually check for school ID). Helps students, encourages education (somewhat).
3. Speaking of which, public transportation to get everywhere is fantastic. The 29 bus stops right outside my dorm and stops right in front of the gates of UCL, saving me a 20 minute walk. For longer distances, the underground can get you within a 10 minute walk of anywhere in London pretty quick/cheap. With the Oyster Card (which they heavily discount fares for: 1.8 instead of 4.0 for the tube) you just have to tap in and tap out on a sensor (no swiping, feeding the wrong way, etc. like for Cleveland's RTA)
4. Cell phone plans that make sense. It doesn't cost money to receive calls and all the major providers have pay-as-you-go and affordable month-to-month contracts that you can cancel without penalty (with 30 days notice).
5. Conservation efforts: default printing is 2-sided (duplex printing). This would save so much paper (and since they charge the same per sheet printing double sided, also saves printing money). The showers are also like sinks in public bathrooms - you push to turn them on for like 30 seconds. Feelings are mixed on this one - I like it; it very effectively encourages you to take shorter showers; Other people hate it for making them do work to shower. The lack of recycling compared to Case is sad though.