Singapore Kopitiam

Totally missed the Predeparture talk from the British Council! Oh man did they mention anything important?

Most of the top London unis don't accept a Singapore diploma unfortunately because they require a A level math equivalent grade to be considered. My friend's a top graduate from Ngee Ann poly with a 3.9, rejected by lse as well. You should try other unis, study hard and try to transfer/ scholarship anyways my gap isn't fantastic but I got into the university of Birmingham, bsc money, banking and finance

You should get in touch with a local agent, they should know where your grades can take you. Pm me if you need help

oh. Anyway do we need to go for some xray or something? I heard that at london airports sometimes they make you do an xray

Nah, you don't need to do medical check ups or x-rays before heading over to the UK, except get all your immunisations in order. The batch of students I was in were so bloody 'kiasu' about it and they made me waste my time worrying and panicking about something unnecessary! If they do x-ray you in the airport, well then, free x-ray? Chances are, Singapore being Singapore and you coming from there, you won't be checked.

What type of immunisations?

Nah, you don't need to do medical check ups or x-rays before heading over to the UK, except get all your immunisations in order. The batch of students I was in were so bloody 'kiasu' about it and they made me waste my time worrying and panicking about something unnecessary! If they do x-ray you in the airport, well then, free x-ray? Chances are, Singapore being Singapore and you coming from there, you won't be checked.

anyways, greetings to all. I've been in UK for sometime now have encountered a few problems thus far.

Allow me to share them with you.

1) Flight

Don't pack liquids, shavers, razors, batteries into your hand-luggage. they will be thrown away. Juz put your laptop in your hand-luggage and everything else should go into the other bags that will be deposited into the plane.

Be early for your flight. Don't be complacent. I nearly missed mine but was told by the flight security officer that because I had a Portuguese sounding name, they waited for 5 minutes. It was a good joke cos he really calmed my nerves. Im a heavy smoker but i sprinted from the check-in area to the air-bridge section which leads to the plane under a minute. my 1.6km was 5 min 30 secs. 2.4km aged 19 was 8 mins 30.

When you get onto the plane, put your backpack in the compartments above and relax. Familiarise yourself with the entertainment system. You can watch movies, listen to music, etc. The food is great so don't worry; your stomach will be in for a treat.

If you take Emirates, its a 7 hours flight to Dubai, a 3 hour transit there and then 7hours to London Heathrow Airport. The 3 hours in Dubai passed by pretty fast. I went to DFS, bought like 3 cartons of cigarettes and walked for a bit. I wanted to smoke so when I asked the reception where I could smoke, the Filipino girl told me that I had to exit the Dubai airport. I was stunned. Thankfully, I do noe abit of Tagalog.

after a short conversation, she told me that there was a hotel just above the reception and that I could smoke there if I bought a drink from the bar. Things got better. The guy at the bar was so kind that I manage to freshen myself up in the spacious restroom, took several smokes and all this without even buying a drink. amazing!

2) Immigration

the immigration people will ask you questions. its their way of sayin, 'Welcome to UK'. and if they find you fishy, you know whats gonna happen next. answer the questions posed to you and you won't have an issue.

Keep a pen with you cos upon arrival at Heathrow, you have to fill up a white card and this has to be produced at the immigration counters. In fact, the card will be given to you by the air-crew, prior to the landing at Heathrow. The pens available at the counters are malfunctioned.

Also, keep your CAS statement ready for submission. The Certificate of Acceptance of Studies will be the defining piece of documentation that will either make or break you entry into UK. This CAS is given to you when you make payment of half the amount of your tuition fees to the university. The reason for this is cos too many clowns have been coming here on the pretext of studying only to disappear and work illegally. So they devised this ruiling so in the event that a clown chooses to default and runaway, the deposit is forfeited. Understood?

I know some people have said that you have to do medical checks in Singapore cos the immigration will ascertain your health before they let you enter UK. I did not do such tests and was instead directed to a small room to wait. 15 minutes later, my name was called up, they asked me a few questions and then was told that I could leave and that my documentations were in accordance with their regulations.

Let's review what happened. firstly, I did not have a pen, I had to borrow from someone else, I was redirected to the medical room and when I came out of there, the queues were gone and it was empty. So i guessed it worked out in the end. Well, at least for this part of the journey!!

3) Transport to Accommodation

Normally, before you leave SG, the uni will let you in on a special service that involves a coach/van/car/taxi to ferry you from the airport to the accommodation. You will have to apply for it so make sure you do and print out the form for safekeeping. The unis and the drivers are fully aware that delays are pretty normal and bound to happen so have some coins ready. There are public phones everywhere in the airport so head to one, and make a call to the driver. The driver will check your form against his and will pick your things up and bring you to the vehicle. You do not need to pay any money to him as this free service is paid for by the uni. but in actual fact, its included in your fees. LOL!

Prior to my arrival here, I was told that I did not have to pay any money upfront to either the university or the accommodation officers until at a later time where I would be informed to do so. A few days before I left my home residence, I exchanged a sum of money into Sterling Pounds in a form of a bank draft and into some loose notes. When I arrived at the accommodation, I was told to pay 200 or 250 pounds which would form as deposit and internet connection fee. I was also asked to pay 20 or 30 pounds for the bed-pack set. Two days later, I was told to pay 1513 pounds for the first rent payment which would cover a duration of 17 weeks. I was left with 150 pounds and some shillings.

So don't bother listening to what people from here tell you. Have at least 2000 pounds or more on standby. **** will happen!

4) Bank application

When I made my way to the bank to open a bank account, I was instructed to obtain a letter from the university to proof my status as a student of the institution and also evidence my residential address in the United Kingdom. The following week, after the weekend, I went to reception and filled up the necessary form. I received the form on the Friday of that week and made my way to the bank. I was told that I could not apply for a bank account immediately as I had to schedule an appointment first. After choosing the nearest empty date in the bank's online calendar, I finally completed the application of the bank account but my joy was short-lived as I was told that it would take two weeks to receive the card and the pin number via mail.

It was nearly the end of the two weeks and I went down to the bank to enquire on the status of the application for a bank account. I was told to wait and that the essential details would be sent to me soonest. I finally received the card but the PIN number was not attached. I waited for a few days before going to the bank again to find out why there was a delay in the postage of PIN number. I was then told that I had to activate my card first before the bank would send out the PIN number via mail as this was part of their security protocol. I went back to the bank the next day with the bank card and got the card activated. I was then told to wait for a few days to receive the PIN number.

Do not mistake me, but in Singapore, everything from the application, to the eventual issuance of bank card and PIN number is done over the counter, in no more than half an hour. Perhaps I was naive to take what was told to me as the right procedure. I had to constantly go to the money changer to change money and it was pretty annoying. Simply because I had already budgetted my expenses and this is reflected in the sum of money stated on the bank draft. Changing money here amounts to losses. go figure!

5) Defects in flat

When I first arrived, both the shower and room heater were faulty. Initially, I assumed that it was probably due to the extreme cold weather which caused both machines to work below par and took things in my stride. I fell ill because it was terribly cold at night and the quality of the comforter pack, leaves much to be desired. It was only recently that I managed to seek assistance from a kind gentleman who was part of the accommodation staff. He repaired the defects and everything has been fine till now.

In short, when you move into your accommodation for the first time, perform a check on all aspects of the room. Take a shower, check the room heater, flush, etc. Check for possible blockages in the shower cos this can be super annoyin. Check that the shower heater is working cos you don't wanna be freezing in cold water in the middle of your shower. Accommodations have maintenance people on standby most of the time, so the sooner you spot the defects, the quicker they will be rectified.

there are problems with student accommodations.
exempli gratia: they want you to sign the contact the moment you check in. i mean, you're so shagged from the flight. all you wanna do is probly bathe and then sleep or vice-versa but nooooooooooooo. they have to show you around the room and then get you to sign on the dotted line. then they'll get you to buy the crappy bedpack. the deposit you pay will only be returned at the end of your tenure if the accommodation is in pristine condition. so if your flatmates are the bo-chap type, dun wanna throw out the thrash, always have reunion dinners every nite and mess up the place then simply put, you die. doesn't matter if you never stepped into the kitchen for the whole 9 months. the fact that you signed the contract means you're liable. so teamwork is crucial.

the walls of most student accommodations leaves much to be desired. i remember when i first moved in here, the guy beside me would ram his girl so hard i cld hear her soft moans. and just when i think that this couple has finished the session and i can get some well-deserved rest, the couple above my room goes at it. and their bed creaks like crazy and its ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta. even my AR-15(NS rifle make) also lose. so yeah, the walls are rubbish.

then if your flatmates or you dun throw out the thrash, insects, vectors, bees and the whole eco-system will come in and have a field day. so you mite wanna sort out the tasks and divide them equally.

this is precisely why the smart ones always stay in a hotel for two days upon arrival in UK, get an agent to find an apartment, go house hunting and then finally move in. the price diff is just 30-50 pounds. but the returns are massive; privacy.

6) Medical Treatment

Medical treatment here is free and you do not need to fork out a cent. The system here is pretty much similar to that of the one in France. the expenses are borned by taxpayers. for the purposes of this post, i shall not attempt to give you a lecture on UK socio-politics.

Prior to the repair of the defects, I was terribly ill with fever, flu and sore-throat. I went to a clinic which was located just a stone's throw away from my accommodation, to seek medical treatment. I was politely turned away and was given a form to input my details as part of the registration process with the NHS. I was told to come back the next day with the form instead as it was already noon. I reiterated to the clinic staff that I was already registered with NHS during the induction programme which the university had organised.

Their reply was that I had to produce a card which would state my name and other important information on it. Unfortunately for me, I had not received such a card.

I then found the card in the middle of a stack of letters that had been left in the kitchen. So when you get here, make sure you tell your flatmates that all mails addressed to you, should be directed to you and not chucked in some silly corner of the flat.

7) University Identity Card Malfunction

When I first collected the card from the reception, I was really pleased as I knew that this would be a passport to almost all available resources such as borrowing library books, printing out data and gaining access to certain areas within the university's premises. Instead, the exact opposite took place. I could not enter the library and I was and am still grateful to the kind librarian who allowed me in after filling up a 'visitor's form'. I had to go back to reception twice, to rectify the errors as and when they surfaced.

I could not print out data and had to ask other students to scan their card so that I could make photocopies of material and in exchange, I paid them to reimburse the charges incurred against their card.

Therefore it would be wise to check the authorisation rights of the card for youself instead of believing what someone of a higher authority tells the masses. You'll be suprised, funny things do happen!

8) Food and Drinks

Making your own food is obviously cheaper in the UK. eating out costs like minimum of 4 pounds which is 8 SGD for like fried rice. yeap its that expensive. i normally buy food packets from Tesco. they have spaghetti, chicken curry rice, etc. its like 74p for each, SGD1.50. for me, i dun wanna waste time cooking cos i can do much more with that amount of time. For breakfast, nothing beats Aldi's loaf of chocolate bread @ 1 pound 50 p. expiry date is normally 1 month. Tesco muffins and cakes also cheap. like 1 pound for a packet of 5. Aldi is like the cheaper version of other branded supermarkets. their version of coke/cola is 39p for a 1.5 litre bottle. so yeah, Aldi is a place you need to stop by for shure!

9) Bedsheets/Comforters

im sure student accommodations staff won't be happy if they saw this but seriously, the material of their bedpacks are rubbish. i rather you go to ASDA and buy like really nice, comfortable bedsheets, comforters and pillow cases. it makes a hell of a difference and the best part is that it cost under 8 pounds!!! cos you get it as a set. so don't forget, don't buy the bedpack from your student accommodation. just walk to a nearby ASDA and purchase the set there.

10) Laptop

if your laptop is old and you ponderin whether to get a new one, let me be the first to burst your bubble and say, 'YES! get a new one!'. alternatively, you can purchase from here too. the price diff is not much. but nothing beats Sim Lim Square. if you know you tech stuff, no one can bull**** you. ensure you have thumbdrives, hardrives, etc. and bring your speakers. you are gonna be so lonely if you don't bring them along. Altec Lansing, Edifier, you name it, i got it!

11) Miscellaneous

i always joke with people by askin them why the divorce rates in UK are so low as compared to the rest of the world. its cos the weather is so wonderful and all couples wanna do is get home, put on the heater and snuggle up in bed. bring your perfumes, sunglasses, etc.

anything further, HOLLA!

oh. Anyway do we need to go for some xray or something? I heard that at london airports sometimes they make you do an xray

very nice, i'm saving this!

Does it really confirms that regardless of which diploma we have, the Singapore Diploma is generally not accredited?

Thanks in advance

I was saving this post for a more suitable timing. and i guess the moment has somewhat arrived. just hope our fellow singaporeans come here to UK, knowing what to expect, what sorta probs may arise & how to solve them so that they can concentrate on their studies.

you think by going to all those educational fairs in suntec city will result in the emergence of so much info that i shared in my post herein? u gotta be kidding me. knowledge is power but more importantly, knowledge is to be shared.

you know.. people back home say so many crap stuff bout the ruling govt and the way the politics are but they never mention that our education system is the best in the world. when you guys come to UK, u will understand. no matter what, we must fly the SG flag high up in the sky.

I suppose singaporeans find the exams in the UK relatively easier?

no no. u misunderstood. the foundation we received in SG is second to none. it will hold us in good stead when uni term starts proper. when u come here, stay away from posers, drug pushers, alcoholics etc. 9 months pass fairly quickly. you dun wanna be in a position to be appealing against your poor results. if you know u din study and was foolin ard for much of the curriculum term, then be prepared to face the consequences. all the best. make us proud!

Probably can think of more - but in South Africa at the moment

How are you doing now?