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Recent Posts
- Advice for Living in Student Accommodation 31 May 2019
- Specialist Academic Preparation for starting the IB 13 May 2019
- What can I do over the Christmas holidays? 20 December 2018
- 5 Tips for Postgraduate Study 08 November 2018
- How to Write an Essay: Tips for ESL (English as a Second Language) Students 18 October 2018
- Lecture Tips for International Students 18 September 2018
- Things I wish I’d known before I came to the UK 27 July 2018
- Staying Focused When You’re Missing Home 20 April 2018
- Study Tips for International Students 06 April 2018
- How to Make Friends at University for International Students 06 February 2018
- Getting into Higher Education for Refugees 04 January 2018
- Teaching Syrian and other refugees 15 December 2017
- Should I employ an English tutor to help with my university studies? 04 December 2017
- Five ways to kill time without your phone 21 November 2017
- Photo competition – International students: changing lives 20 October 2017
- A student’s guide to bills in the UK 16 October 2017
- Getting Ready for Results Day 15 August 2017
- Aim Higher for UK Education 23 June 2017
- 7 Alternative Study Break Activities for Students 18 May 2017
- Mental Health and Wellbeing at University 10 April 2017
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Calendar
December 2019 M T W T F S S « May 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Recent Comments
- Tori on Banking in the UK for international students
- Nure Alam Howlader on When do UK universities and colleges have holidays?
- Khalid Khalaf on What are Pre-sessional courses?
- Faisa on How can I improve my spoken English in the UK?
- Agnes on Banking in the UK for international students
UKCISA Twitter Feed
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🎉We are excited to launch the #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador Programme! Why are we doing it? 👂Let’s hear wh… t.co/ntOvaFj9As Time ago 17 Hours via Twitter Web App
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Tag Archives: UKCISA
Photo competition – International students: changing lives
To celebrate UKCISA‘s 50th year of supporting international students, they’re inviting you to enter a photo competition to show some of the excitement, achievements and surprises you’ve faced and how studying in the UK can change lives. They’re welcoming photographs that illustrate any aspect of studying in the UK. Themes include excitement, challenges, hopes for the future and surprises. A full list and further details are available at https://ukcisa.org.uk/competition
How do I enter?
Submit a photo and accompanying statement about what the image represents and how it demonstrates life in the UK as an international student. The photo must be the original file (to ensure printable quality) and in landscape format. Send us your entry by 5pm on 30th October 2017. Those judged to be the best 12 will be featured in a 2018 printed calendar to be sent to all of UKCISA’s university and college members.
The 12 winners will also receive:
- a ÂŁ50 Amazon voucher
- a copy of the calendar
- a ‘UKCISA Certificate of Commendation’
- an invitation to our anniversary reception event in 2018 (date TBC)
The best 50 photos and stories will be featured on ukcisa.org.uk throughout 2018. Read the full details and enter!
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Student questions on the Prepare for Success Question Wall
This month’s blogpost addresses three questions posted recently by international students on the Prepare for Success Questions Wall:
The first is from Mehmush. Mehmush is an Iranian student, who is currently living and working as a nurse in Italy and who wants to apply for a Masters degree programme in the UK.
The first step in applying for any postgraduate degree programme is to inform yourself about what is available in the area you are interested in. There are some online search portals that can be a useful starting point such as the Masters Portal or Masters Compare. However, you should always follow this step by searching for more detailed information on the university websites of the Masters programmes you are interested in and/or by contacting their Admissions office to request a brochure about the courses you are interested in. Once you are in contact with the university’s admissions office you can also ask about costs, possible scholarships and the exact procedure to apply for the course you choose.
The second question is from a student planning to study in Glasgow and who is wondering where the best place to live is – in halls of residence or in the city?
This is a dilemma that many international students have as there are pros and cons for both living in a university hall of residence or sharing a house or flat with others in the local community. Many universities will offer international students a guaranteed place in a hall of residence to save you the trouble of searching for private accommodation. Others will have an accommodation office, which can help in the search for private accommodation. The situation will be different from one city to another but here are some points to help you consider which is best for you.
In a hall of residence:
• You have the opportunity to meet other students, including those studying on different courses.
• You may pay less rent than in private accommodation of a similar size and location.
• Halls of residence are generally situated close to main campuses.
• Utility bills (e.g. for gas, electricity etc) are generally included in your rent.
• Staying in a hall of residence can help you to feel part of the university community.
In private accommodation:
• You have the opportunity to live and share with friends.
• You may feel more independent and more in touch with the local community.
• You will have to pay utility bills (e.g. for gas, electricity etc), which are generally not included in your rent.
• You can choose an area of the city that you would like to live in and look for private accommodation there.
• You won’t need to leave your accommodation during vacation time.
• You will be able to search for a more competitive rate for rent.
Lastly, there is a question from Peter from Nigeria. He is concerned about certain kinds of advertising (‘Come Along With A UK Study Abroad Programme With Free Visa’). Is it genuine or is it a fraudulent attempt to obtain money? Should he require proof even if it sounds real?
This is a very important question as every year there are numerous scams involving false promises, to extort money from students. You should always be very suspicious of anything that sounds too good to be true as it probably is, and NEVER send money or bank details in such cases. Reliable Information about how to obtain a study visa is available from the UKCISA website or from the student admissions section at the University you are applying to.
If you have a question related to academic life and study in the UK and you can’t find the answer in the Prepare for Success learning resources, write it on the Question Wall and we will try to answer it here in the blog next time.
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BYOD – Bringing your own device when studying in the UK and getting connected
This month’s guest blog post is by Andrew Davey, Technology Specialist in eLearning from the University of Southampton. In it he looks at some of the steps international students may need to take when bringing their own devices, such as personal laptops or tablets (iPads or Android), to use at a college or university in the UK.
Facilities
Most UK institutions have on-site computing facilities. These provide support to students and staff across campus in getting networked and using the institution’s online services and licensed software. Some of the instructions for getting your own device networked will often be online, so once you have an institutional username and password (usually the same as your email login details), you will be able to log in and follow instructions to access services. Students often bring their own devices to classes or lectures in the UK to support their studies and use them to work online also when not being taught. For these reasons, it is important to get your device connected as soon as you can after you arrive.
Accessing University resources off-campus
You may wish to access resources such as a personal filestore when you are away from your institution. It is important to have access to this and other services such as the library while off-campus and studying at home. This will usually be possible through a ‘Virtual Private Network’ or VPN, which allows you access to systems as if you were using an institutional device. Your institution may provide an app for ease of connecting to the VPN, or a set of instructions may be available.
In the UK, email underpins much of the communication between tutors and students on their courses. You will need to check your institutional email account on a daily basis in case there are any important messages from your teachers, department or the university in general. Spam emails can be a problem in most institutions so when using email accounts, avoid opening attachments from unknown sources. Some emails may contain a virus or spyware, which can help give hackers access to your accounts. Always make sure you have an up-to-date virus scanner installed on your device. You may be able to obtain one for free as part of an institutional licence, or you may have to purchase one separately.
The institutional VLE
Your institutional VLE (virtual learning environment) will be an important place to locate module and course information. Find out which VLE our institution uses and familiarise yourself with as soon as you have your institutional login. Blackboard and Moodle are both popular VLEs used in the UK. To find out more about how VLEs are used by course teachers, look at this learning resource: Preparing for Online Study.
Social Media
If you have any social media accounts, you may also wish to connect with these to your department or University by ‘following’ them on Twitter or ‘liking’ them on Facebook. For study tips and academic guidance you can follow @PfS_website on Twitter or Prepare for Success on Facebook. For general advice about life and study in the UK you can also follow @UKCISA.
If you have a question related to academic life and study in the UK and you can’t find the answer in the Prepare for Success learning resources, write it on the Question Wall and we will try to answer it here in the blog next time.
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