Arabic to zoology: the choice is yours

If you are the sort of person who wants the best of everything, then studying in London could well be for you. For one thing, the city is booming. Take a walk from St Paul's across the Millennium Footbridge (no, it doesn't wobble any more) to the magnificent Tate Modern, then along the river past the strange sloping glass egg that is the Mayor's new home, and you'll soon get a feeling for the exuberance and confidence that permeates the capital.

Go out at night, and you'll find any sort of music you want in a club to suit your taste and budget. And there's plenty more. Want to see a good film? Catch the best gigs? Haunt the funkiest clothes shops? See some mind-blowing experimental theatre? London's definitely the place.

And if academic excellence is also what you're after, then no city in the world has more to offer. In London you can study anything from Arabic to zoology, confident that the people who'll be teaching you will be leaders in their field, and sure that, no matter how specialised your needs, someone somewhere will be able to meet them.

Not that London University really exists, as such. Would-be students have to work out which of its constituent colleges will most suit them and apply to that. Like University College, in the heart of Bloomsbury, where those aiming to be the next Rick Rogers or Zaha Hadid head for its prestigious and creative architecture school, The Bartlett. Or the specialist School of Oriental and African Studies, also in Bloomsbury, where you can take degrees in languages from Hindi to Persian, as well as study law or development economics. The London School of Economics, however, down near the Strand, is the place to go for probably the widest choice of economics and politics courses in the country.

Would-be doctors know that London's medical schools are among the finest. Some medical students study at Imperial College, sandwiched between the Natural History Museum and the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, and Imperial is also where you head for world-class science and technology courses, so it's not surprising to find there are two men for every woman studying there. It's a hard-working atmosphere, but reward comes at the end – fewer than 3 per cent of Imperial's graduates are unemployed after three months of leaving.

In fact, the best London colleges claim they do better than anyone when it comes to getting good grades for research, and know that what they have to offer is right at the top of the tree. But for those who'd rather aim for less heady heights, the choice is also plentiful. Head to Brunel University for a focus on industry, languages and business studies. Many of its students spend a year out in industry and are highly employable when they graduate. Or go to Goldsmiths College, in south London, which is known for its creative, cultural and social courses (artist Damien Hirst studied there) or to the University of Greenwich, which does much to meet the needs of mature students. Also look at some of the other newer universities, such as City or East London, which are working hard to widen access and tailor degree courses to fit a huge variety of differing needs.

Many students are frightened of coming to study in London. They think it's too big, dangerous and expensive – and for some it may be true. But London students say once you've taken the plunge, there's nowhere quite like it. Remember, they say, that everyone is in the same boat, so you're not going to be alone in making decisions about things like where to live. Remember, too, there are plenty of tips to help you live more cheaply. You won't find a studio flat under about £180 a week in the centre of London, but share a house with friends, in an area further out, and costs fall fast. Also, the rental market is not doing as well as it was, so rents are currently falling – great news for students.

As for safety, university and college accommodation offices, the student union, and more experienced friends can give advice on which areas are OK and which are best avoided, as well as offering information on how to stay safe. So much is good sense and it's worth bearing in mind that safety is now an issue for students in every city. As for living costs, students get a third off public transport (a monthly student travel card will cost between £40 and £90 depending on how many zones you opt for) while student unions offer cheap beer, and student entertainment discounts are widespread. Plus, if you are still finding it hard to make ends meet, there are always part-time jobs available, often with better rates of pay than elsewhere in the country.

However if a quieter city is more to your taste, there are still plenty of other sites of excellence around the South-east, and although costs generally are still higher than in other parts of the country, students who head for smaller centres don't have to pay the whacking transport costs that are an inevitable part of life in London.

The University of East Anglia, on the edge of Norwich, is well known for its MA in creative writing, but is also strong in areas such as American studies and ecology and environmental sciences. At present it is the only place in the country where you can do a degree in meteorology and oceanography.

Coming south, there is Cambridge, with its individual colleges and top-notch academic standards. You'll need at least two As and a B at A-level to be considered, and some students are put off by the fact that the town is long on ancient architecture but short on clubs and bars, but if you are attracted to the challenge, don't be afraid to have a go. The university is keen to widen access, and if you make an open application (which gets passed around all the colleges) rather than applying to just one, you'll get more bites at the cherry. Girls might like to consider New Hall or Newnham, the remaining women's colleges, where competition for first-choice places is said to be less fierce. However, be prepared to work like hell – engineers and medics have a particularly heavy load. Also, given the huge number of student clubs and societies, and the busy social scene, you'll need plenty of stamina for the short but frantic eight-week terms.

Of course, everything that's said about Cambridge is broadly true of Oxford, with a few differences around the margins. It's always worth checking out the current thinking on individual subject areas. Oxford, for example, is said to have a better reputation for history at the moment, and has long been known for its PPE (politics, philosophy, economics) course, while Cambridge, with its burgeoning science park, is perhaps out in front in the engineering and science stakes.

For a more European outlook, head to the University of Kent at Canterbury, from where it is just a hop over France, although if you walk through the streets at the height of the tourist season you may feel all of France has come to Canterbury. Perhaps not surprisingly, the university is big on flexible arts and social sciences degrees with an added language element.

The University of Sussex is the destination of many London-raised students, who want to get out of the city while they study for a degree, but don't want to lose too much of what they are used to. They find that the university's attractive campus offers the best of all worlds, with a sophisticated student community, the green South Downs just behind and a lively city life in Brighton down the road. And, of course, London isn't too far away if you suddenly feel the need to get back there.

Sussex was known in the Sixties for pioneering modular degrees which broke down the barriers between subjects. Today it is popular for a wide range of subjects, including USA and European studies, many of which offer the chance of a year abroad, and is also busy boosting its science, media, IT and management courses.

Like other universities in the South-east, it is a popular destination for overseas students, many of whom like to be within striking distance of London, and the region's good plane and train links. Essex University, just outside Colchester, for example, takes about a third of its students from overseas. Essex was once a hotbed of radicalism and said to be the source of the entire national supply of sociology lecturers. But it now lives a quieter life with a friendly campus and a good reputation for law, engineering and sociology.

However it isn't just academic subjects at which the South-east excels. London has many world-class music and drama schools and a whole range of good art schools – one list runs to 26 different institutions. Good art courses are also available throughout the region, with popular schools at Brighton and Kingston. Maidstone is another place with a good reputation, and with investment pouring into the Medway towns just north of it, a new airport planned and exciting new schemes for higher education in the region, even traditional backwaters in the South-east are likely to become exciting destinations for tomorrow's students.