Describing your university
Sum up your university in one paragraph:
It's not easy, but if you have the determination you can succeed here. If you have any doubts it's probably not worth coming here as you will no doubt have a better time elsewhere. Imperial does have pros but they are few and far between.

What is the academic life like at your university?
Academic life is hard. You really do have to put in long hours and it's hard to feel the rewards. You will need serious personal motivation to get through this.

Describe your Freshers' Week - was it as you expected, better or worse? Why?
My first Fresher's Week in halls was great - there were plenty of halls organised events to go to even if there wasn't anything special on at the Union. In subsequent years I realise that as good as it may have been it was never going to last. Even then I realised there were too many geeks and within a week I knew what Imperial was really like. I haven't bothered to go to Fresher's events since.

Are there any other notes you would like to add about life in general at university or anything else which would be relevant to a prospective student?
Take it seriously, 3 years is a long time - 4 years is even longer. Just because you did well at A-Level doesn't mean you'll have it easy, there's still plenty work to do. That said, don't be surprised if you don't graduate with a first. At places like Imperial they're taking the top percentile of students and spreading them between all four degree classes - some of those people will do well, some will lose out. Even if you don't do so well you'll still be set up for the majority of graduate jobs, and if you found you didn't like your degree there are plenty of graduate jobs you can get in different areas.

What is the best and worst thing about your university?
Imperial is well-funded, it's in an amazing location. Living in London - in this part of London has been a life experience I wouldn't want to part with. That said, it's an entirely science and technology based university - there are no arts students here and the predictable impact on the population makes it male dominated. This is always brought up, I didn't take it seriously, but it has a massive impact. There's no balance to the student population and thats made the social scene stagnate. If you weren't outgoing enough to party in London during A-Levels you won't be having much fun here.

Sport and extra curricular
What are the sport and other activities on offer like at your university?
There's everything, everything you could want. Every sport has a club for it and it's the only way to meet people. If it's sport and not just teams/clubs then Imperial has a FREE GYM, Ethos. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AS IT'S 100% FREE, I don't know a single other university that didn't charge subscriptions of >£200pa. What's more it's still very new and nice inside, it's very popular, but then it would be.

The social scene
What is the social scene (and/or nightlife) like at your university? Is it particularly alcohol orientated?
It's non-existant. Fresher's Week is good while it lasts but the charade quickly wears off and you won't be going back to the Union for a long time. The whole social scene revolves around clubs and societies - its where the union money goes. Do join them, there will definitely be something you like or want to try and it's the only way you'll meet people.

What do you think of the city your university is based in or near (as a city)?
London is great. I wouldn't want to be anywehere else. This is very probably (it is for me) the only chance you'll have to live in London reasonably well on a budget. London can be expensive, you do get extra maintenance loan allowance, you will need it, but reasonably quickly you'll find out where to go on the cheap. The main thing is avoiding tourist hotspots, outside of which London really is as cheap as anywhere else. I really do love London.

Accommodation
Do you live in a halls of residence or a student house (or college)? What would you suggest is best in your opinion?
I lived in halls in my first year and it was the right choice. London can be hard to move to if you're not already established so definitely live in halls in your first year. Imperial are being quite stupid and putting up their halls prices as they're building too much premium accommodation, but if you're looking for a cheap deal there are still cheap halls available. I shared a room in my first year - literally two beds one room I don't want anyone to be confused. It was certainly a big enough room and my room-mate was alright, it was definitely a plus to make friends at the start. Since then I've been living in private accommodation with halls friends from the 1st year. It's much better than halls as a more mature environment and your own space. Do look for houses as a group, you will not find anything worthwhile in studios or bedsits.

If you are in a hall or college, is it catered or self catered? Which is better for the first year in your opinion and why?
Imperial halls are exclusively self-catered - I appreciated the independance and I could only laugh at my friends at other universities who still couldn't cook one year on. Seriously, are you going to have someone cooking for you your whole life?

Approximately, what is the average cost of accommodation per week in your first year for catered and non-catered halls/colleges?
Halls was £90pw for a self-catered twin room, my mates in single rooms were paying ca.£125 but these prices have risen since. In private accommodation I'm paying £114pw for somewhere twice as far as halls, still only 30 minutes away from uni. It's much nicer, bigger and it's private (I have a single room). Although it does not include bills like halls (water, heating, electricity, internet).