Some advice to international students

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Work very hard to get a 2:1 or a first. A 2:2 would bar you from a lot of opportunities.

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Don't form your own social circle to the exclusion of others please. I don't understand why there are so many Chinese, Singaporean, Malaysian and Indian Societies at a university. We surely choose to come to the UK to learn more about its culture and its people, and I don't see how exclusive societies like these would help.

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Expect quite a lot of silent treatment from your local peers though, especially if you look different from them (even if you don't form your own exclusive social circles - see pt 2 above). When I was at university half of my tutorial groupmates would not even bother looking at me when I tried to speak to them. It was frustrating at first, but at the end you will just get used to it. Maybe it is because the perceived cultural gap is so wide that they just wouldn't bother to talk to you.

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Read the Daily Mail and its reader comments. I say read the Daily Mail not because of its high journalistic value, but because it will not be the second most popular newspaper in the UK for no reason, and it is quite easy to get a feel of public sentiment on various issues from its website. Search "international students" on the website, and click the "Best rated comments". If you feel uncomfortable with or even disgusted by the sentiment expressed in the "Best rated comments", then it is quite likely that you will feel uncomfortable when you move to this country.

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If you want to settle in the country eventually, then DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT STUDYING IN THE UK. It is way too hard. Go to Canada or Australia instead if settling in a country where you do your undergraduate degree is something that you will consider about. One of my American classmates lost her right to say after the post-study work rules changed during her course of study, and she felt cheated.