Yes. Lecturers explains more but you need to learn the art of writing fast.

It depends on what course you are taking.


Make sure you are able to mix well with other people. Be friendly and

Dos:
1) Don't afraid to ask during lectures. They are very helpful.
2)
3) Bring more Milo and Maggi Mee if you dun know how to cook or you don't like western food.
4) Bring some cash (not too much) along with you for a few days expenses.
5) Be thrifty BUT not too thrifty (kiam-siap)
6) Enjoy your life there
7) Always walk with another partner during the night. Safety first.
8) Don't waste your luggage weight by bringing 10-inch thick notepads.

Don'ts:
1) be a snob
2) show-off, wannabe or whatever falls in that category


Will add more later.

This post has been edited by goliath: Jun 22 2006, 06:41 PM

Updates:

Dos:
1) Apply Railcard for cheap train tickets (in UK)
2) Bring easy-to-wash clothes (e.g. t-shirt, jeans, etc.) which doesn't require much attention.
3) Bring a few pieces of winter wear (1-2 would do) ONLY because Malaysia sells sucky winter wears. Out of fashion and not thick enough > Get it over there.
4) Yes, you can work part time. But do not spend too much time in that until you neglect your studies.

Don'ts:
1) Waste your time on applying HSBC saving accounts. They are very fussy though they are famous/good/international/professional. Go for Natwest for instant approval. Barclays (not recommended) requires you to have a ertain amount of cash in your saving account or else you'll get penalty.
2) Bring dry products ONLY to avoid quarantine by Immigration department.

This post has been edited by goliath: Jun 27 2006, 03:41 PM

Hhhmm.. I was given a Savings/Student and Step account when I registered with Natwest. Maybe they have changed their policies now.

And yes, HSBC (in Sheffield, one of the branches) has snobbish staffs. And they have strict rules to get a good local student account (which is better than international student account)

Hail University of Sheffield. Me graduated from there too. Goooooood place to study . Btw, where are you staying? Broadlane? Halifax Halls? Tapton Halls? Enjoy it because it is goooood especially the student unions Probably azarimy could show you around

This post has been edited by goliath: Jun 28 2006, 08:40 AM

Perhaps you might wanna ask questions so that we answer it with what we know. That's easier. As azarimy said, there are alot, i repeat a lot, of Malaysians in Sheffield. So no worries. It is like your second home. One more advice I could give to you. If you love your stuff (expensive ones like electronic gadgets) so much, please go to Student Union and purchase Insurance from a company called Ensleigh (or something like that). I've lost 2 laptops within 6 months (amazing, rite???!!) but thank god, I insured my laptop. So the insurance company paid 90% of the amount that I insured (10% goes to processing fees). Please take care of your stuff properly. Lock the windows even if you go out for toilet visit. I'm not joking. That time when my laptop got stolen, I was in my friend's room for 5 freaking mins only!! . Other than that, nothing much to tell. There's Pound shop in The Moor. £1 for freaking BIG Toblerone.. Get your hangers and laundry bag from there too.

And yes, please don't be an @ss making false police report so that you could get a brand new phone (and having the thought of selling the current one to make money). A lot of people are doing that . What a humilating act.....

This post has been edited by goliath: Jun 29 2006, 11:37 PM

Yes, Meadowhall. The famous shopping complex in Sheffield. Shopping paradise.

For chinese groceries, go to The Moor. There's a shop named Tai Sun. It is located opposite of Golden Dragon (chinese restaurant). That's where I got most my cooking stuff (Bak Kut Teh ingredients, noodles, soy sauce etc)

For muslim groceries, my friend told me there's shop in Filey Street or Bramhall. Check it out.

Cheap western food, go to pubs (Varsity or Cavendish). (Last time, not sure about now) They offer 2 main dishes for £5. And the dishes are reasonable size.

If you are lazy to cook, get frozen food from Sainsbury or Tesco. Frozen foods are my supper usually

As for duvet (a.k.a. blanket in Malaysia), bedsheets and pillow casing, get it from TJ Hughes. You could try Mark & Spencers but they are pricy because their stuff are quality ones.
Yes. I'm suprised that I could walk pretty much in UK compare to here. Probably is the heat factor. However, get a walking shoes for comfortable reason .

This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 2 2006, 02:17 AM

I haven't been to ASDA b4. I think it's quite far away. So, I opt for Sainsbury as my main supermarket coz it is walking distance . Budgens is the place where I get my wines

Forbidden Planet. Is it the one located opposite of Tai Sun? I know there is a shop selling scary dolls. A white girl doll with long black hair; like those japanese ghost stories. Eerie..

Source for clubbing : Gatecrasher and Kingdom (if it is still exist)

However be warned that clubbing in sheffield is AIN'T the same as what you see in KL. . Just imagine, you are dancing to the tunes of Bon Jovi or Michael Jackson

3 months is short, man. I can't get enough of it even I stayed there for 2 years. It is so peaceful 'cept for at night where drunkards shouting and cursing 'Fook you'

This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 3 2006, 08:46 AM

Once, there's riot at the park opposite Budgens (year 2005). Protesting against the government for something. Not sure what it is. At times, police will have horse riders too.

I stayed in Gell St.. An apartment opposite Wilkinson St. Stuffs in Budgens are quite pricy too. The funny thing is they are selling pack of 6 eggs for 85 pence while pack of 12 eggs for £1.60

This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 2 2006, 05:10 PM

For toiletries (is this the correct spelling ), head to The Moor (yes.. again..!!). Look for Body Care (or something like that) . Cheap stuff over there. Or maybe you could buy from Boots too. Boots is something like Watson or Guardian in Malaysia. Therefore, please bring minimal toiletries by all means. They take up space as well as weight.

1. If ya wanna save money on printing, get a cheap printer (from here or there). I bought a portable printer which seves me well.
2. Agree
3. Yes. Your examination papers are most likely to be marked by PHd student. However the horrible lecturer n etc., just a small fraction of it. But do bear in mind that there are lecturers from other countries. So you have to get used to their English accent.
4. Yeap. I got one lecturer who locks the door when the lecture commences.
5. Yes. Sometimes you will experience this.
6. To call back home, you can use Skype. Else, try Telco Asia (one of the cheapest calling cards. If you need the website to purchase calling card, pm me.)

1. Very true.
2. You can get good deals in UK game shop. I bought my Warcraft 3 + TFT for £30 or less
3. It is an ADDICTION!! Trust me..
4. Hardly acceptable in Sheffield especially trams passing by.
5. Agree
6. WTF is this??!! 'shoot' what??!!
7. Argos is an electrical appliances store. You select what you want from the list, write the code down, and pay. They will give you a ticket and you have wait they call you to collect your stuff. Fun way to buy stuff.

Yeap. I bought Worms : Armageddon for only £3.99 . Original but pre-owned. Best of all, you can return if you are not satisfied with the game or anything else. But again, please don't be an idi*t exploiting all these privileges. Dixons are good. There are alot of electronic gadgets in there. Argos is more too bigger stuffs like fan, tables, etc. I bought a fan from Argos because it is blardy hot during summer.

Another thing, for coffee lovers, there are Starbucks (behind West St.), Costa (in the city) and Utopia (in front of Budgens). My favourite is Utopia because I could sit inside OR outside and smoke . Starbucks are infested with asians

Sheep?? I guess that would be outside of Sheffield . But, it is indeed peaceful place. I would not say it is boring because it is city campus. Provided you are staying in Halifax Halls, then you have to walk quite far to the city. Where are you staying?

Btw, Sheffield is near to Peak District. Peak District is a tourist place with hills and cottage farms etc.

This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 3 2006, 11:25 AM

Furthermore, don't be offended when cashiers over there take a highlighter and scribble on your cash. It's their way to check the authenticity of the note. And they don't really like £50 note. They will stare at you when you present £50 to them . So, if you have any of those, bank in and withdraw in smaller amount. Try to bring £5 or £10. I think I only bring £15 when I go out. It is sufficient to last for about 2-3 days. I'll bring more if I visit pubs.

Love = friend.

It is South Yorkshire's the 'Word' . Don't be akward because it is their way to be polite. E.g. "Thank you, love.", "How can I help you, love?", The total will be £3.99, love"

Yeap. Some look really mature but their age gave them away. Their physical could be as old as 23+ but their age is only 18~19 years old.

^ Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2 and 3G. These are the main ones. However, I couldn't say which one is good because each year, they will offer different type of deals. For example, I used T-Mobile when I first got there (because they offered Samsung E700 first). After my T-Mobile contract ended, I switched to O2 (for better deal). So, I for one, don't really stick to one telco provider. I go for the best rates and best package that I need. One more thing, UK telco providers allow you to bring your hp number along to another telco brand (if you have the thought of changing). Practically, it save the hassle of telling everybody your new hp number. That's what I like the most.

Note: By all means, try to avoid 3G (the brand) even though they offer good packages. Their coverage is quite bad because they are still new in the market.

This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 6 2006, 01:19 PM

^ Yeap. That's the thing that I like the most. Each year, you'll get new FREE phone. If you want to have the latest, you might have to pay a little bit more. Else, you'll get a nice decent phone.

I did the same thing as you last time. Subscribed a line, pay till I go back Malaysia, and give my phone to my sister because I am going to get a new one when I get back there .

Another note, I was told that if you (a student) purchase an Apple laptop there, you'll get an iPod for free. I'm not sure it applies right now or not.

This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 6 2006, 03:53 PM

Note:
If you wear spectacles, remember to bring an extra pair along. To get a pair over there will cost you a bomb. Not only that, they require you to do eye test with their specialist first (which cost a lot too).

Well, I think most of forummers mentioned about the way lecturers teach and how lectures are conducted.

Average students per lecture : 150 ~ 200 students

Lecturer explains while you are copying their notes. Some lecturers will distribute their notes before the lecture commence. Some will tell you where to download so that you could print it out before attending their lectures. A significant difference between lecturers over there and here, that is they don't spoon feed. They don't tell you what to study for exam. They would just tell you which topic is not in the exams (but most likely all that you studied will be in the exams). IF you don't understand anything, please don't hesitate to ask even though it is a stupid question. They are very helpful and friendly.

And as I said earlier (I think), some of the lecturers are foreigners. Like mine, I got a lecturer from China and one from Korea. So, you might find it hard to catch what they are trying to say. But no worries, you will understand within 2 weeks or so.

I did engineering in Sheffield. 100% based on exams every semester. 20 to 30 credits are denoted to labs and reports every semester. How Malaysians cope? Hhhmm... I guess it is easy to cope up. But it all depends on you.

A haircut in Sheffield will cost around £20 or more for ladies. Mens could go to the barber located at West Street. Cost around £8 to £10. They might give you discount so, show your student card if it applies to student.

No problem at all. The voltage regulation is the same as Malaysia.

This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 9 2006, 12:36 AM

Yeah. But the average per lectures will vary because some are not from engineering course. For example, one of my subject consists of E&E, Mobile Comm. and Aerospace students (if I'm not mistaken). So, will sum up to hundreds of students per lecture. I heard that there are at least 350~400 students in Law lectures . Could be more too.

I think that one is called bursary. Some of universities offer that to attract more student to study in their university.

Yes. I agree on this. Immigration authorities are quite strict on those who are first time in UK. They worried that some are there to work instead of study. Therefore, you need to show the amount of money you have when you are at Immigration department. And not to forget the accomodation contract too.

Note : I've seen Immigration authorities hold up a student because he did not produce sufficient evidences to show that he is there for study purposes. Or perhaps, Immigration department is not convinced that he is there to further his studies. Not only that, Immigration officers facing difficulties in conversation with him. Probably, he can't really speak English . In the end, they (the autorities) decided to hold him up and interrogate him further. I'm not sure what happen to him after that.

Yes, you can. But chances of landing a job (Electronic Engineer) there is quite slim provided you have a darn good results. It is down to hard work.

1 year tuition fees = £11,000 (or less. It varies on where you are studying)
Accomodation = £3,000 (reasonable place includes electricity and gas bills)
Food = £2,500 (also depends what you eat, where you eat. If you cook, it is cheaper)

The cost above is rough estimation. Could go more or less.


This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 9 2006, 04:05 PM

Most of phd students in my course are Malaysians . Friendly yet helpful. And yes, they mark out papers at times.

I agree with that. Never skip a lab session because it is important (for those who are doing engineering). Marks will be given for lab practicals. If possibe, don't miss tutorials too because you could ask all your doubts there. Heck, don't ponteng at all la!!

Photocopy a book = ILLEGAL

To print a A4 paper, it cost £0.05. So, if you need to print a thesis, lab reports or past year question papers, then it is better to get your own printer. You'll save more. I bought an el-cheapo printer in Sheffield for £25~£30. But it didn't last long because of the print head . On the second trip, I decided to bring along a portable printer (small as in it could be put into my backpack) with few packs of ink catridges (black > colour)

Haha . I brought 1 kg of ikan bilis last time (last year in fact). I split it into 2 packaging and double seal it. On top of that, wrap up another layer with one piece of paper. I guess it is safe then. There was once they stopped me because I went there during SARS outbreak or tsunami incident. They have to check my luggages for virus detection . I was more worried of my ciggies coz I brought extra .

Note : Bring extra ciggies at your own risk!! If you get caught, you'll get blacklisted (in the sense that you'll be stopped each time you enter UK for inspection)

Most of my stuff comes the web from FYP because my topic is new. Nothing to refer too. So, I have to use Uncle Google most of the time . I can't refer much because my project is software-based. Anyway, these materials are for you to refer not to think about. In the end of the day, your thesis/report is what you think about the project that you are doing with your own explanation.

I think students are allowed to check-in 30kg while hand-carry would be 7kg.. Laptop will not be weighed

This post has been edited by goliath: Jul 12 2006, 05:15 PM

Give British Embassy a call. Visa regulation changes every year. It's better for you to ask them for a defintie answer