The Best Place to Stay in London

Every full-time student and professional trainee can become a member of International Student House (or ISH for short), the amazing residential hall in the centre of London that I am proud to call home. However, ISH is much more than a residence. It is actually a cultural, intellectual and social center where activities literally do not stop thanks to the efforts of a fun and dedicated staff, especially the ISH events team.

Endless Activities

In the last six months, I have participated in an incredibly diverse range of ISH activities: guided tours of London (with champagne included!), paintball games, karaoke sessions, quiz nights, ethnic suppers, talent shows, fancy receptions, gym classes, classical music concerts, lectures, salsa dances, community service...I could keep going.

What is most remarkable is the fact that these events are all free-of-charge! The amount of work that goes into daily coordination is visible, and speaks volumes of the institution’s commitment to fostering an open, safe and fun environment in which students from every country can come together and form friendships over shared experiences. This guiding purpose can be traced back to the origins of the institution in 1917, when it was created to commemorate students who died in World War I and to provide facilities for the overseas students that came to London each year.

Travelling

There is one part of ISH I treasure above all else, though: its travel club. With the help of grants, the ISH Travel Club is able to organize and significantly subsidize national and international trips for students, meaning that members can travel the world for 50% less than the actual cost!

In the last few months, I have joined the travel club on trips to Bath, Salisbury, Oxford, Cambridge, Berlin, Maastricht, Stonehenge (pictured above), Wales and York, but other trips have included locations as attractive as Egypt, the French Riviera, New York and Istanbul. The trips are not only an excellent opportunity to meet interesting people, but they also provide structured itineraries that feature guided tours, meals, and entrance to historic sites, with plenty of opportunities to go about on your own.

The travel club symbolizes what is unique about ISH: a fun opportunity to share and explore. Certainly, there must be some truth in the already familiar words of our ISH Dean: “If London is the best city in the world, and ISH is the best place in London, then ISH might just be the best place in the world!”

For more details about ISH and lots more student accommodation in the UK, check out our Accommodation Listings.  

Maria is a guest blogger for Foreign Students. She posts regular updates of her experiences as a postgraduate student at LSE in London. Click here to see her older posts.

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