Just moved house to about 5miles from college, and would quite like an SS bike to commute on (it's really quite flat).
Not sure really where to start...initial thoughts are something like a pompino or a genesis day one CX style setup that can take mudguards and potentially a slightly wider tyre for winter.
Or, being a student at the Royal College of Art, build a stereotype fakenger 
ah, the classic practical vs fashion debate
Buy the Roadrat over on the classifieds
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I can whole heartedly recommend both a pompino and a day one as excellent commuting bikes. Getting a mudguard on the front of a day one is a bit tricky though, some fine tuning required there.
build something
SS, brakes, full guards, rack
pick your own: frame, size, bars, cranks, wheels, tyres are all up to you
more fun than buying new, potentially much cheaper, can build in all the anti-theft practicality you like/need
Genesis Day One
yeah i was thinking of a pompino on the on one "fix and mix" deal then adding some SKS mudguards and an open pro wheel build, i'm not the sort of person to buy a bike off the peg as such normally.
Used a Pompino in the past running 48:18 with open pro's and guards on, with a flip hub with a freewheel/fixed gear.
Building your own frame up sounds like a good idea
I built one of these bad boys up into a commuter earlier this year, although it was quite a bit cheaper then!
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/evil-bikes-resident-frame-and-fork-2010/
Rides really well and has mahoosive amount of clearance for big tyres plus mudguards.
Find an old rigid 90's mtb frame and forks and go SS/fixie with some slicks or semi slicks and a set of risers.
Find a magic gear so you don't need a tensioner. V brakes are great and quite light on that sort of setup.
Ditching all the heavy gears and adding some half decent wheels to keep weight down makes for great handling urban bike with some retro cachet.
I found a complete Trek 6500 in fluro yellow for £25. You can pimp and personalise that a lot for the price of a pompino frameset alone.
Having said that a Pompino is a great option particularly if you intend doing more than justb the 5 mile commute - miss mine. Roadrat is a bit of a sturdy lump in comparison.
Actually thinking on, wouldn't you be better off on a proper vintage bike and invest in some tweeds as a royal college student? How will your peers and tutors respect you with anything less?
more than likely! i'm not sure i've reached that level of pretentiousness yet mind.
I'd get an old 70s/80s racer.
I got a Bianchi took the gears off, put some new 25c tyres on, jobs a good un! perfect commuter as you don't "care" about it, retro and cool. Plus it only cost me £40.
Kona Paddy Waggon
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