CURRENT STUDENTS : FAQ
LIVING IN LONDON : FOOD AND COOKING : THEFT OF PROPERTY : GRADES : CONTACTING LONDON FACULTY

LIVING IN LONDON

1. How can I meet British people?
If you spend most of your time in large groups of Notre Dame students, frequenting American-style bars and clubs catering to tourists, it is unlikely that you will meet many Londoners. Local pubs are, of course, one way of meeting people, but most British people go to pubs to spend time with people they already know.

The most effective way to meet Londoners is to socialize with them in the context of an activity or hobby. This is usually done on an individual basis or occasionally in small groups of two or three people. Some successful stories include volunteering at a women's shelter, tutoring children (both these activities are available through our volunteering programs), joining a rowing club, joining a camera club, or taking a non-credit class outside the Program.

Evening classes often follow the "term" system, which is similar to the American "quarter" system. English terms usually run from late September to mid December, from mid January to Easter, and from Easter to mid June. So if you wish to attend classes, you should start looking as soon as (or even before) you arrive. For more information about the range of classes and courses available consult Floodlight , which lists classes in everything from acting and archery to woodwork and yoga.

2. How can I meet other students?
For years we have encouraged Notre Dame students hoping to meet other students in London to purchase the inexpensive membership to the International Students House (ISH), which is connected to the University of London. The IHS offers a variety of activities and facilities, ranging from chess to salsa dancing, an active Travel Club, free films, some very successful sports teams (including cricket, football, and soccer), a series of active cultural events, arts workshops, and lecture series.

3. What's close to the London Centre that I can do between and after classes?
There are many things to see and do that are within a five-minute walk of the London Centre. Here are just a few.

St. Martin's in the Fields, in Trafalgar Square, is a famous church that has been drawing visitors for over 700 years. Rebuilt in the early eighteenth century in the English Baroque style, the church is now well known for its Café in the Crypt and for its lunchtime concerts on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays at 1.05pm. Evening candlelight classical concerts begin at 7pm for £6 to £20.

Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, is home to one of London's most famous West End productions, The Phantom of the Opera. The show is performed Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm, with additional matinee shows on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons at 3.00pm. Cheap tickets can be purchased at The Half Price Ticket Booth in Leicester Square, which is the only official discount ticket outlet, or at the theatre box office one hour prior to show time. The show runs approximately 2½ hours.

The Theatre Royal Haymarket has been home to some of the most popular theatre productions in London. Shows are performed Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3.00pm.

The Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square offers a variety of mainstream films throughout the afternoon and evening hours, as well as hosting premieres from time to time. The Prince Charles Cinema, just round the corner, provides a home for film festivals and arthouse, foreign, and second-run films at much more reasonable prices.

The Garrick Theatre, in Charing Cross Road, is home to many of the West End's best-known theatre productions. Shows change regularly but are performed Monday to Saturday evenings at 7.30pm, with Thursday and Saturday matinees at 3.00pm.

The Criterion, located on Piccadilly Circus, is currently home to the Reduced Shakespeare Company, known for its hilarious production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). See this lighthearted synopsis of the Bard's 37 plays in 97 minutes. The show is performed Tuesday to Saturday evenings at 8.00pm, with a Thursday matinee at 3.00pm, a Saturday matinee at 5.00pm, and a Sunday matinee at 4.00pm. Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (020) 7413 1437 or visiting the theatre box office.

The National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square, houses one of the world's finest collections of European paintings ranging from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. See the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and many more. Open daily from 10.00am to 6.00pm and Wednesday until 9.00pm. Admission to the main galleries is free.

The National Portrait Gallery, located on the corner of Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross Road, contains the nation's leading collection of portraits of the most notable figures of British history. Admission to main galleries is free.

4. What is the best way of travelling around London?
See the Travel in London information in our Travel section.

5. Can I get student discounts?
Many shops and attractions offer student discounts, however not all of them will accept your ND ID card as proof of student status. Some offers are limited to 'NUS', i.e., UK students only, but others can claimed either with your ND ID, or with an International Student Identity Card, which is internationally recognized, and offers many discounts, especially on travel fares.

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FOOD AND COOKING

1. Where can I get budget meals near the London Centre?
Here are a few suggestions:

Orsini's Snack Bar, 21 Whitcomb Street, is a family-owned snack bar featuring reasonably priced vegetarian, meat, and fish sandwiches, toasted ciabattas, baked potatoes, and hot pasta dishes. Orsini's pasta is prepared fresh daily. Orsini's sandwiches range from £1.40 to £3.50. Pasta is available for about £3.20.

Sandwich Express, 25 Whitcomb Street, is a traditional London sandwich shop featuring a variety of egg, cheese, meat, and fish sandwiches. Jacket potatoes (baked potatoes) are also available. All sandwiches range from £1.80 to £3.50.

Peppers Sandwich Shop, 15 Whitcomb Street, is another traditional sandwich shop featuring a variety of sandwiches and hot pasta dishes. Peppers' sandwiches start at about £1.50 and pasta is available for about £3.50.

Pret à Manger is a popular chain of London take-away shops featuring fresh sandwiches and wraps, baguettes, salads, cakes, and puddings. Pret also serves a variety of hot and cold drinks. Pret's sandwiches range from £2.00 to £3.60. The nearest Pret is located at 52 Haymarket.

Pizza Hut features a menu that most Americans are accustomed to. Pizza Hut's main attraction, however, is the £4.99 all-you-can-eat lunch buffet that is offered from Mondays to Fridays (excluding national holidays). The nearest Pizza Hut is on Haymarket.

Wagamama is a chain of traditional Japanese noodle bars featuring a variety of Japanese and Chinese noodle and rice dishes. There are two branches within five minutes of the London Centre - one just off Haymarket, and one in Leicester Square. For the location of all Wagamamas, see their website.

2. Where can I get hold of simple recipes?
The Good Nuke Guide is a guide to preparing your favorite meals in the microwave. It provides recipes and general cooking pointers.

Delia Smiths How-to Index is an excellent guide to British cooking. It starts with simple recipes, but the recipes get increasingly complex.

Cooking Basics extracts helpful pointers from the Busy Cooks website.

Cooking School is the website of the Fabulous Foods Cooking School.

Recipe Archive is an archive of hundreds of recipes on all sorts of subjects.

Cook's Recipes is another large recipe source with good pointers on basic cooking.

Busy Cook's Recipes is a website designed to get you in and out of the kitchen fast.

Copy Kat Cooking contains recipes of dishes from your favorite US restaurants.

3. How do I convert American recipes into British recipes?
This page of British/American cooking terms gives a list of common terms and ingredients that may be different in the UK. This page provides a full complement of cooking conversions from temperatures to liquid measures.

4. How can I get hold of traditional British recipes?
Great British Kitchen is one of the best British cooking pages on the Web. Helen Gaffney's website includes regional specialties, excellent recipes, and suggestions for large meals.

Traditional Scottish Cooking contains a wide variety of traditional Scottish recipes.

Haggis Recipes contains the definitive guide to haggis.

Black Pudding pages is a website dedicated to some not so savory British cooking. (Black pudding is congealed pig's blood and fat!).

5. How can I get hold of New British recipes?
Jamie Oliver is the "Naked Chef". His nickname doesn't refer to his clothing but to the idea that he strips down his recipes to the basics.

Delia Smith Cooking. A mixture of traditional and new cuisine, Delia is the Martha Stewart of British cooking.

Ainsley Harriot presents a variety of cooking shows on BBC. He is famous for "Ready, Steady, Cook", where chefs compete to cook quick meals from limited ingredients.

BBC Online Cooking is a general website for all of the recipes you might see on BBC television.

6. How can I get hold of Indian recipes?
Curry House is a very useful website of Indian cuisine.

Mamta's Kitchen is a family cookbook by a first generation Indian immigrant to Britain

THEFT OF PROPERTY

1. If my wallet is stolen or lost, how do I get a new Notre Dame ID card or an ISIC card?
If you are a victim of theft, contact the Rectors for immediate support and advice.

You will need to speak to the reception staff at the London Centre to get a temporary swipe card, and to Ms Tyrell, who will assist you in obtaining a replacement Notre Dame ID card.

ISIC cards cannot be replaced. You can visit any STA travel agency in London - taking with you your Notre Dame ID card and letter of good standing - to purchase a new card for £9. ISIC cards can also be ordered from STA online, but this takes ten working days to process.

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GRADES

1. When will my grades be available from London?
Grades for London courses cannot be processed as quickly as grades for home campus courses because our semester is rather longer than the semester on campus. For Fall semester courses, grades are usually posted by mid-January; for Spring semester courses, grades are usually announced by early June.

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CONTACTING LONDON FACULTY

1. How may I obtain a London professor's email address or telephone number to make contact regarding grades, recommendations, etc.?
For reasons of confidentiality, we cannot release a professor's contact information. Students may, however, post a letter to the professor care of the Undergraduate Office in London. The letter will then be forwarded to the professor in London.

Please note that not all London faculty use their Notre Dame email addresses, so the Notre Dame Directory may not be a reliable source of contact information. If your professor gave an email address in class, please use that; otherwise messages may be sent via the London Program Office.

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