Daughter going to London alone

What time of year / months?

Hi Donna,

If your daughter cannot find a good place to stay before she leaves, there is a great hostel in Swiss Cottage called Palmer's Lodge. For a bed in a 14-bed dorm it is only about 15 GPB a night, and it is very clean, has free internet, free breakfast, and cheap dinners on weekdays. I stayed there this summer for a week and totally loved it! It might be easier to find a long-term residence once she arrives, and Palmer's Lodge would be a great place to stay while she searches. Let me know if you want any other info.

She plans to leave mid-October.

Your daughter should contact the college and ask for an accommodation list. As a rule the college Students Union generally has lists of approved places.

As for good places to stay in the Northwest area – well there are good and bad places dotted over any city but St. John’s Wood, Swiss Cottage, Finchley, Golders Green and Muswell Hill are nice areas and well served by the tube or the bus. There’s also plenty of adequate student accommodation around the Gower Street area of Bloomsbury.

The trouble is that you can never really know how good student digs are until you walk through the front door.

Al, thanks for the information on the NW area of London. Our family has never been to England and its difficult to know what we're doing without a pair of eyes looking out for us! Good to know you're in that area.

As far as I am aware, LCC is an online college.

Is she only planning on staying for 1-2 months?

In that case she could apply as a tourist. Doing a course is more complicated because in theory she should enter as a student. If she does not she is violating the rules of a tourist visa.

Immigration is VERY strict here so she better know exactly what she is doing before she arrives. She better have a large sum of money and bank accounts to show immigration when questioned.

A 21 year old female with no real plans is not ordinarily welcomed with open arms here. They tend to be too much of an overstay risk.

Worse yet, American girls who come over to meet their internet boyfriends. They get bounced the quickest.

Jenufa,

Thanks for the info. My daughter does have plans to attend college after she finds a place to stay in London. She knows a few people who live there, but only internet friends, and doesn't want to risk a stay with them. She has been trying to contact LCC, but the time zone difference is difficult. They don't answer emails, either. We are aware of the immigration laws, and are being as careful as possible. Her plan is to be there a month or so until she starts school.

Caitlin, what is a hostel??? Something like a hotel, I would guess, but what are the differences? In Swiss Cottage at Palmer's Lodge, are there 14 beds in one room? What is GPB?

When I first read "My 21 year old daughter is determined to travel to London alone and apply at London Community College" I thought, oh, Mom, let her go. But later in the posts my own mom instincts perked up. She can't get up at 5 am and call them? They don't answer emails? Your daughter is either ill prepared or pulling something. Something is fishy. Look up http://www.londoncommunitycollege.co.uk/index.htm
If she really were going to a real school she'd enroll there first and then get accomodations. So hash this out with her. Have her read Jenufa's post.

FYI, a GBP is a Great Britain Pound. That funny little "L" with the line in it. The GBP is worth roughly 2 of our dollars, so when you see 2500 GBP, think $5000. A hostel is a cheap place to live, with people bunking in large rooms with several beds, sharing baths and kitchens.

Whether she attends school or just goes for a visit, you both should read Rick Steves books on Britain/London because there's lots of good basic info.

Hi again,

Karen's explanation is correct, a hostel is a cheap place to stay where each person gets there own bed in a multi-bed dorm. Some are better than others, and Palmer's Lodge is definitely the best I saw in 5 weeks this summer. Some rooms only have 4 or 6 people in them, and some have as many as 14. I stayed in the 14 bed dorm because it was much cheaper. People who stay in hostels are usually students, but older adults on a budget stay there as well. It is great for a solo traveler because there is always someone to talk to, and at Palmer's Lodge, they really take care of you - free internet, cheap food, bathrooms and showers cleaned frequently, free sheets and pillow, free breakfast, a lounge with a TV, etc.
Sorry about the GBP mix-up, I should have put in the £ sign. At £15 a night, Palmer's Lodge is not quite $30, although I think rates are higher on Friday and Saturday nights.

Unfortunately for your daughter, I agree with Karen on this one -- something is fishy. LCC may have a real site, but only 12 staff members, only four of which are listed as "tutors"? (The rest are listed as admin, executives, or website staff.) And almost all of them seem to have foreign backgrounds. I would be very cautious about this. It appears that you sign up for a course, but can't withdraw unless you give them a term's notice that you are doing so (or pay a term's fee in lieu of notice). Read their website very carefully.

I, too, would be really leery of this. It is unlikely she will be able to apply for a student visa after her arrival...that usually must be done before departure, so the student can show UK immigration officials that they are truly there to study. As well, this "London Community College" is not like the community colleges you have in the U-S....it teaches on-line courses only and is a completely private institution....a business, not set up as an educational entity. There is a warning on their site that their on-line courses do not provide tutoring. And the only courses it offers "overseas students" are vocational qualification courses that start from $5000 and go up from there! Also, it does not appear that this college is on the list of the UK government's "Register of Education and Training Providers," which are the only ones that can sponsor student visas. According to the UK government's student visa website, "The Home Office will not grant anyone leave to enter or remain in the UK as a student, or leave to study to an overseas student national, unless he or she plans to study at a college on the Register."

If your daughter seriously wants to study in London, she should go through a university here in the states. Go online, look up a state college near you, and look for "Study Abroad" and you'll find lots of opportunities. London and UK seem to be more expensive than other countries. Maybe she's a lacking a little direction now? (Very normal!) You could use the carrot of a semester abroad to motivate her. Or if she just wants to travel some, she should work 2 jobs, cut her living expenses to the bare minimum, and save some money.

Wait, was this a travel helpline or a parental advice column? Oops.

Thanks everyone for your concern and great advise about London. My daughter and her dad and I have discussed her travel for some months now. Nothing with her is "fishy" because she's too independent minded to hide anything. She tells it all and doesn't care who doesn't like it. She is an artist and a writer. Go figure! Extremely talented. She is drawn to London because of some of the great writing workshops there. She is currently working 2 jobs and saving her own money. I know her friends in London (even though I would choose differently for her if I could). We have looked at Regent's Park University which has an excellent study abroad program. Just tonight, we discussed with her the option of just going to visit for 2 or 3 weeks, check out the area and different schools. Then, if she is serious about school there, she would come home until the Spring semester starts. We would then be willing help her get into an accredited college that has connections with the US. The advise you've offered regarding areas of town and accomodations has been extremely helpful. Thanks again to all!

Donna, sorry I must have misunderstood you, you said the friends in London were only " internet" friends,( which actaully implies you have never met them I guess) . Since you say you have actually met her friends, that is more reassuring.

The fishy remarks aren't about your daughter, they're about LCC.

I also wouldn't be giving them any money, and instead send her off to visit various universities and schools with the intent of applying properly next year. She can visit different cities to see where she likes, and where she wouldn't mind spending a year or two. Real programs are expensive for foreign students, but the experience of studying abroad can be worth it.