If you’re studying and living in student accommodation in London, you’re following in the footsteps of some of the world’s most famous people.  Here’s seven notable alumni from London universities. 

Coldplay - University College London

Chris Martin didn’t take the typical route into rock ‘n’ roll: he read ancient world studies at UCL and graduated with first class honours in Greek and Latin. It was while studying in the Capital that he met his future Coldplay bandmates Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion.

Charlie Brooker - University of Westminster 

Binged your way through Black Mirror on Netflix? This is the man you have to thank. After doing media studies at the then-Polytechnic of Central London, Brooker went on to be a computer games journalist, as well as launching the spoof TVGoHome website, writing for Chris Morris’s ‘Brass Eye’, creating Black Mirror and founding the Zeppotron TV production company. 

Kit Harrington - Central School of Speech and Drama

Series eight went down like a lead balloon, but there is little doubt that Kit Harrington, in his role as Jon Snow, was one of the stars who made Game of Thrones the TV smash hit of the 2010s. He may have known nothing in the show, but he learned plenty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, where he studied acting. 
 

Judi Dench - Central School of Speech and Drama

Queen of the screen Judi has more than 120 acting credits to her name, with famous roles in the Bond films, Shakespeare in Love, Philomena and… Cats. But it might have turned out very differently. Dench originally wanted to be a set designer, before switching to acting when her brother Jeff attended Central. She applied, graduated and won four accolades during her studies along the way, including the Gold Medal as Outstanding Student.

David Attenborough - London School of Economics

The beloved conservationist has had a varied career, promoting green issues, presenting wildlife docs and at one time even being the controller of BBC2. While developing his broadcasting career, Attenborough studied for a postgraduate degree in social anthropology at LSE, only curtailing his studies when offered the full-time job of running the BBC’s second channel. 

And finally, the drop outs that still made it...

Daisy Ridley -  Birkbeck, University of London

She’s just finished playing Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which has seen her catapulted to global stardom. Before she was cast in the films, Ridley had dropped out of Birkbeck College at the University of London, where she’d been studying classical civilisation, to instead concentrate on acting.

Vivienne Westwood - University of Westminster 

After just one term at the University of Westminster, legendary fashion designer Vivienne Westwood was ready to give up on her dreams, saying “I don’t know how a working class girl like me could make a living in the art world.” She dropped out, but fortunately her prediction was wrong: the punk icon made plenty, with a net value estimated between 50 to 200 million dollars. 

London is a truly global city and one of the most inspiring places to study in the UK. We’ve got three residences in the Capital, Therese House, Depot Point and The Curve. See more details on student accommodation in London or get in touch now for advice and help.