All my bags are packed I'm ready to go...but what to pack??!!

The road not taken...

With the admission done, student visa in hand and all the other formalities over, an international student going abroad for studies is possibly the most confused, now!


How cold will it be there? What utensils to take along? How much will I cook? How many notebooks? HOW MUCH WEIGHT IS ALLOWED??!

According to my daughter's friend who went to UK a year before her, "This country has 3 seasons, cold, colder and coldest, so when you land in September end, its going to be cold and from there on it just gets colder"!!

And so we went ahead and bought all possible warm clothes and sweaters that we could find in the hot and humid september in Delhi! In fact we bought a lot of stuff which, after she reached Leeds realized:
(a)  all of it wasn't as much of use (b) added to the weight (c) costed the same and (d) somethings were actually lesser!

So here's a list of things an Indian student should look into while you are packing. Use it a as a guide or a checklist to customise a list matching your individual needs.

CLOTHES:

1. Warm inners (1 pair, leggings and upper) - The buildings are heated, so layering is a better idea than wearing warm inners which cannot be removed if you're hot. However you would require it if you're planning a day out in the thick of the winters.
2. Sweaters/Cardigans - 2/3 for home-wear, 4/5 for wearing 'out' (Sweaters are sold at 'Primark' for low cost and a huge variety, should you require more after reaching).
3. Jackets - 1 thick, heavy.  2 light (Easier for layering). 1 hoodie (buy one from the University store with the logo and wear it proudly!)
4. Jeans - 2/3 pairs of jeans, different colours/shades (so that it doesn't look as if you are wearing the same for months!)
5. T-shirts/tops - At least one for each day of the week (easier for laundering, once a week).
6. A couple of fancy party wear, especially for the girls. Though my daughter says "at least 4 dresses"!
6. Shoes - Slippers/close toed slip ons for the room. 1 pair of comfortable walking (sports/lifestyle) shoes. Plus 1 pair formal/party wear. Again girls, more if you have the space.
7. Socks - 6 pairs cotton, 2/3 pairs woollen.
8. Clothes hangers - 8 to 10. Depending on your kind of clothes and space available.
9. A formal set of clothing - keep it separate (cleaned and ironed) for special days like attending job interviews, etc.
10. Towels. 2 full sized, 2 hand towels. Whites are difficult to maintain. The thinner cotton ones are quicker to dry. Plus a bathrobe, especially if you are sharing a bathroom. This too, I would suggest not to go in for the thick lush kind. Keeping space and drying time in mind.
11. Scarves/stoles -2/3, 1 pair - woollen gloves

STATIONERY:

1. Pens, highlighters, markers, pencils, erasers, scale, sketch pens.
2. Notebooks  - one for each of your subject (more or less and thickness, you know the best). These tend to be the heaviest so keep the net suitcase weight in mind.
5. Binders, folders and loose punched sheets.
6. Board pins, post its, cello tape, double sided tapes, pair of scissors.
7. A pouch to hold your daily stationery.
8. A bag (entirely your style) for taking to the University everyday.

KITCHEN:

Here the important factor to consider would be the kind of accommodation you're getting, catered or non-catered. If you're pampered, have no idea of cooking and can spare the extra cost, go in for catered (especially for the 1st year, after which you might find your bearings!). If otherwise, choose self catered accommodation.

1. A 'kitchen pack' is available at most University accommodation. Do check it out before you leave and see if it meets your requirement. The cost is fine and the kilos you save could be priceless. However you could put together similar items, more specific to your requirement, so read ahead.
2.  1 small 2/3 litre pressure cooker. 'Prestige' has brought out a new model which can be used both with gas stove with flame and induction cooking. Some kitchens might have only induction method.
3. 1 round (10 inch or less circumference) non-stick griddle (tawa), without raised edges. 1 small kadhai. 1 small saucepan.
4. 1 lid to cover any of the above. Choose the lid to cover your biggest sized utensil, it can be used for the smaller ones too.
5. 1 wooden spatula, 1 ladle. 1 all purpose knife, 1 potato peeler, 1 tea strainer
6. Dining set - 2 full plates, 2 quarter plates, 2 tea cups/mugs, 2 glasses, 4 teaspoons, 2 tablespoons, 2 forks, 2 small/soup bowls. 1 medium sized bowl esp for microwave cooking. (You can buy the light weight, non chipping 'corelle' or go in for melamine). These sets meant for students are available at popular stores in UK itself and are pretty cheap. So you needn't bother if you don't have the space.
7. 4 kitchen towels
8. Buy a liquid dish washing soap after you reach. Avoid messy spills as far as possible.
9. 1 soap case and 2 dish washing scrubs.
10.  Spices - the bottled 'shaker' kinds are easier to take and use. Available in any of the modern food stores.
11. Take pickles only if you cant live without them! Try to get double seals. Avoid messy spills. There is a story on the net about an Indian student bound for US and the pickle packet leaked. He had a big suitcase full of everything dipped in oil inside! So be careful.
12. 2 - water bottles, 1 - tiffin box
13. 3/4 - plastic boxes of different sizes to store things in the fridge/cupboard.
14.  Zip - lock plastic pouches - 1 medium pack (having about 8 -10 pouches) for easy organization.
15. 1 - small chopping board
16. Can/Tin opener, bottle opener.
17. Rice and wheat flour (1 kilo each or less depending on your requirement, to begin with).
18. A few packets of 'Maggi'. Rest you can buy as required.
19. Packets of ready to cook kinds. 5 to 7 of your favourites, again to begin with.
There is 'Poundland' and '99p' stores where you'll find a lot of things for less like ketchup, spreads, cornflakes, muesli, juices, etc. Go there and find out gradually.
20. Don't buy electrical items like kettle, toasters or grinders. Most of the times you will find these in the kitchens or students leaving universities would be selling these.

IN THE ROOM:

1.  A bedding pack is usually available in the accommodation. Find out and apply before hand.
2. 1 - single bedsheets plus pillow cover.
3. Shower caddy (a small plastic basket to hold your toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, tooth brush, tooth paste, shower gel, loofah). Which you can take in to the bathroom and bring back with you to your room if sharing a bathroom. Fill in with small size of each. Buy there itself when you run out.
4. Smallest pack of washing powder for the washing machine to take you through your first washes.
5. Bathroom scrub and rubber gloves.
6. Feather duster/duster cloth
7. Dust bin (Check if it isn't already there in the room).
8. Small Laundry hamper (collapsible, for easy packing). Available in 'Hometown'. Check the circumference with your biggest size suitcase.
9. Hairdryer/straightener
10. Universal electrical adapters - 2
11. One small table lamp
12. Mobiles - Keep 2. Or a dual sim mobile. Take the one you are using and buy a sim from a local store there itself. The second, buy a cheap mobile in India and use a 'Lyca/Lebarra' sim (most of the stores in UK sell it for free).  You may also find them at 'British Council' exhibitions or the Visa office. The cost of calling India is very cheap with a 'Lyca' sim. If you use an i-phone, you can 'facetime' for free!
13. Iron (check availability in accommodation before buying)
14. 2 - Extension cords
15. USB sticks
16. Emergency sewing kit (sewing needles and 3 different coloured threads)
17. Spare glasses and contact lenses if you wear.(Take in bulk, depending on your usage, these will be expensive).

VERY IMPORTANT:

First aid box - Basic medicine for cold, cough, fever, aches and pains, ointments for sores, burns and a packet of bandaid. Of course you know best which medicine you use more often. Put all of these in a see through plastic pouch or plastic box.

Family pictures - Do take some happy pictures of your loved ones and pets to be pinned to your board to tide you over homesickness.

RELAX and enjoy the journey of one of the most exciting phases of your life!

IELTS - The way to go

IELTS - International English Language Testing System. This is one of the approved English Language tests by the UK Border Agency to show your English competency for a student visa. There are other tests that you can take instead, like the PTE (Pearson's Test of English). My daughter took the IELTS because it was also the requirement of certain Universities for admission.

Here are a few important points to understand:

1. There are 2 versions of this test. IELTS General Training and IELTS Academic. You take the General Training version if you want to study or train at an undergraduate level. You take the Academic version if you want to study at the graduate level or higher. Be sure which version you need before applying.

2. The only valid ID is your passport.

3. You will get your results within 13 days of taking the test.

4. I found booking through booking through the British Council the best way.

5. The British Council site also has all the information you could possibly require on how to prepare for the test. If you score above 70% - 75% in CBSE exam, you can prepare on your own with help of all the material provided by this site, as well as a host of other sites on the internet. But you do require practice, however good you consider yourself to be. If your English is not up to the mark you must go through a preparatory course.

6. The listening, reading and writing components are held together without any breaks on the test day. The speaking test is conducted separately, 7 days before or after the main exam date. My daughter had it on the same day, after a gap of a few hours.

7. The complete test takes 2 hours 45 minutes. Listening - 30 minutes, Reading - 60 minutes, Writing - 60 minutes and Speaking - 11 to 14 minutes.

8. You can take the test on any of the available 48 test dates in a year. Find out the exact dates here, the official IELTS site.

9. The test fee is INR 9300 as of July 2013.

10. Register early. You may not get the date you want. The places fill fast. You need time to prepare, take the test and get the result. A re-sit if required. Find out more about re-sitting here.

The DREAM offer!

Close on the heels of the the second offer came the third and the fourth offer, both conditional and very achievable.

And amongst all of them came the dream offer from The University of Leeds. The offer that my daughter had been waiting for. BA (Hons) Broadcast Journalism with a conditional offer to score about 78% in the 12th board exam. I distinctly remember her jumping up and down with joy and relief for days! And the rest of the days of the exam period went relatively stress free!

Then came the offer from Nottingham Trent University with a very low score as the condition for the offer for their BA (Hons) Broadcast Journalism programme. It was a perfect back up, the insurance, easily achievable.

Later the fifth and the last offer came too. University of Westminster gave a conditional offer after a telephonic interview. Too many choices!

However my daughter decided to choose Leeds Uni's offer as her 'firm acceptance' and Nottingham Trent's offer as her 'insurance acceptance'. Do check the UCAS website's page to understand how to reply to your offers. It's very simple really and everything is clearly and lucidly explained. Check out the video too.

We, as parents and I, as a mother, cannot even begin to describe the relief I felt when my daughter had both of these offers in her hands. With only 2 subjects left for which she had to write the exam, we just had smiles on our faces throughout the said period and for much much later.

And very quickly out came my 'journal' and the jotting started yet again. This time around I was looking at the halls of residence, other accommodation, food, etc of both these universities, with the smile perfectly in place!

Finally, a conditional offer!

The not so patient waiting finally bore fruit. Not a sweet one but a ripe fruit nevertheless.

The second University to reply was Bournemouth. Though they made an offer, the conditional percentage seemed very high to achieve (at that point of time). Their website states a general entry requirement of less than 60% of the 12th class board exams for Indian students. However, and I assume because of the very high class media and journalism programmes and so the obvious competition, they asked for a score of above 85% for my daughter.

And so I strongly advise that one must email and ask the uni beforehand for specific subject entry requirements. The general entry requirements may be vastly different from subject specific requirements.

Consequently Bournemouth University's BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism, a beautifully designed programme that was supposed to be a smart back up, the 'insurance', wasn't one anymore. You can't place a seemingly difficult to achieve conditional offer as your insurance.

This left my daughter roughly in the same square as she'd begun. Hoping desperately for the University of her topmost choice (now only one) to make an achievable offer. While still concertrating on the final exam at hand. Not an easy task, a child's life these days, honestly!

Fortunately the 3rd and 4th offer came close on the heels of this offer, right about this time and date, exactly a year ago!

Best Female On Screen!

My daughter has been nominated for 'Best Female On Screen' for NaSTA awards 2013!!

Here's her short video compilation.

Kudos to LSTV (Leeds Student TV) for their marvelous performance every week and for providing an extremely encouraging environment for each and everyone to learn and grow! I'm absolutely amazed and highly appreciative, having seen (as a student's mom) the insides and their working, nomination or not.
LSTV, may your tribe increase!!

This was a special post for this very update. I had to shout it out!

First offer...Rejection!

The first Uni to reply was Sheffield. This was amongst my daughter's top 2 choices. Unfortunately I logged into track that morning to find some 'changes' made.

It was a plain 'unsuccessful application'. And there it was, staring back at me, without any change, however long I looked at it. I even tried to log in again hoping there was some kind of error! Well there wasn't. The reply was too quick after months of hard work. Her predicted grades were higher than the asking for that course. And so we tried to get a feedback on the reason for the unsuccessful application. They asked for my daughter's 10th class grades, we sent, but we were still not given a reason.

If the first offer to come is unsuccessful, the idea takes longer to seep in and it may lead to thoughts like 'what if' imaginary rejections! And you start working on the back up plan/s in earnest. 'Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best', an excellent thought to keep in mind.

My daughter was however very 'cool' about the whole thing. There were 4 other offers to wait for and she needed to concentrate on her upcoming final exams, which she (thankfully) duly did. And very rarely logged into track. But I almost hyperactively did!!

WHICH university-2-the final five

The final 5 universities my daughter chose, in order of preference, for her under-graduation in Journalism were:

1. University of Sheffield : Subject - Journalism Studies (BA) Accredited by PTC, NCTJ, BJTC.
2. University of Leeds : Subject - Broadcast Journalism (BA Hons). Accredited by BJTC
3. Bournemouth University : Subject - Multimedia Journalism (BA Hons). Accredited by - BJTC, PTC, NCTJ.
4. Nottingham Trent University  : Subject - Broadcast Journalism (BA Hons). Accredited by BJTC.
5. University of Westminster  : Subject - Journalism (BA Hons). Accredited by BJTC

Generally speaking each had an entry requirement of around 85% going down to 65% overall in 12th standard, CBSE. Plus an IELTS score of 7 to 7.5 or above and/or 85% and above in 12th standard English specifically for Broadcast Journalism.

BJTC- Broadcast Journalists Training Council. Find out more about what it is and which courses are accredited.
NJTC - National Council for the Training of Journalists. To find out more, look up their website.  

In this list, the top 2 are highly ranked in the league tables and amongst the topmost in UK for Journalism.  Bournemouth is not so highly ranked overall but is excellent for the subject. The last two had lower entry requirements (than my daughter's predicted) and even though are not ranked so high in the league tables, they are quite well known for this subject and a host of others. So this final 5 list was kind of balanced. Whether she scored well or lower than expected. That actually removed a lot of pressure off her for her 12th board exams. All this was done by August-September of 12th standard.

Now that the 5 Universities were identified we started with the actual application procedure. 

NEXT - UCAS and the application process

WHICH university-1-the daunting task!

Time to choose THE one! How do you decide which university. For students who are very high scorers it's easy. You score so well that the best universities choose you! However, it's not the same for the others. You need to strike a balance between what you want and what you'll get based on your predicted marks.

Once you've decided on your subject, as discussed in the previous post, google for the university rankings for your specific subject. Make a list of all the universities which offer your choice. Select 20 to 25 from different rank brackets. Most top ones, some above average and a couple of mediocre, as back up, below your expected grades. There is no limit to the number of universities you want to add at this moment. Finally start tabulating it all. Make a table with 8 columns as follows:

Columns:

1. Name of the Uni, as it's usually shortened to in the UK. Leave at least 5 to 6 lines after each name.
2. Cost per year. Not just cost of tuition but boarding, etc too. And if it offers scholarships. Though from my research there aren't many for Indian/International under-graduates. Most scholarships offered are for students who want to pursue post-graduation and higher degrees.
3. Ranking. Have 2/3 sub divisions for different rankings in this. For World-QS/World-Times/UK, etc. Though don't rely heavily on the rankings alone.
4. Subject. That this Uni offers, the exact name plus is it an honors degree and is it accredited. As in the case of Broadcast Journalism, the recognized accreditation is BJTC.
5. Entry requirement. Most of the unis state the exact requirement for Indian Board Examinations. Look for subject specific requirement which is usually different from the general university requirement. Email and ask, if in doubt. You will get a prompt reply.
6. Alumni. Famous alumni especially related to your subject may tip the scales in favour, especially  when it becomes difficult to decide between two.

7. Location. Where in UK is it. How would you reach from the international airport and how long does it take. However, again this can be the deciding factor only in case of two equally acclaimed unis. And in no way means that all universities close to London are better!

8. Others. Leave this column for any extra comments you would like to add. For example, if you've emailed them and are waiting for a reply or the date when their representatives are visiting your city or even something about their accommodation.

Visit chat rooms and keep googling using different words each time to dig out as much information as possible about each university that interests you. Here are the links to some I found very useful.

 Push - especially their university guides.

The student room - I picked up a lot of good information (plus a lot of gossip!) from here. Type in the exact name/subject you want information about in the search box at the top, right hand corner. Spend time sifting through all the chats to get what you want.

UCAS - The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, highly informative and dependable site.
Click on the red coloured links on the left hand.

The British Council - For information about various courses, universities and many important related topics of settling in and staying on, etc.

QS-Study in UK - (one amongst many such which give loads of Info) - click on the names of Universities given.

I also googled 'worst unis in UK' to strike a few universities off my list! Of course you will have to take everything you read with a pinch of salt. Use your wisdom and don't believe everything you come across, good or bad.

Additionally, visit all 'study abroad/UK' exhibitions to meet the representatives of various universities. Make a list of all possible questions beforehand to ask them. Make a note of the answers they give (to tabulate them later) to be added to your table. I remember the first one we visited was the British Council's 'Education UK Exhibition'. Amongst many we met the admissions officer of 'London City University' who told my daughter to spend at least a day with a journalist and know more about this profession. Which she dutifully did, later to be added in her personal statement.

Once your table is ready it will become easier for you to compare and contrast. Keep writing down tips that you come across in your readings from various sites. Add stars or strike off, write 'not good reviews', 'very good subject content' or 'highly rated for journalism', etc, as and when you're sure. Thus narrowing down to a few chosen ones. For the simple reason that you can't apply to as many as you want but to only 5, through UCAS.

Be careful!

1. The names of universities can be similar and thus confusing. Be sure which one you want. If there is Sheffield then there is Sheffield Hallam. Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University. Nottingham and Nottingham Trent university, etc. One may be good for certain subjects while the other may not match your requirements. Do a thorough check.

2. Always check the International students ratio. This will give you a good picture in terms of its international popularity.
3. If it's possible speak/email to any current Indian student at that university. 

4. Be sure of the value the programme will add to your education. Even if it is the 'name tag', it should be worth all the money spent. 

5. Be extremely careful of fake universities. A fake university will certainly not be there on any world league table of top 200, for example. And you will certainly pick up something about it in the chat room discussions. You can't be duped if you've done your homework well.

NEXT - WHICH university - the final 5 

WHY this blog at all?!

Sending a child abroad for studies is a major decision in the life of any parent. Especially Indian parents because of huge finances and long distances involved in sending children to US or UK. These being the two most popular destinations for Indian students. The other two being Canada and Australia, in that order.

When we started thinking of sending our only daughter abroad, we started asking around. Friends, relatives, neighbours and anyone who had even the slightest inkling to people with deepest insights. Then of course, there was the internet. The internet had hours and hours and yet more hours of material worth reading on thousands of sites! It was exciting but extremely overwhelming. If it had been for any other reason, I would have probably skimmed through the sites to jump to a conclusion. But the fact remains that an undergraduate degree happens to be a notably important factor in your child's life, as important as his or her schooling. So I couldn't just skim over, in fact I read the really fine print and went into details. And boy did I go into the details!

I spent a whole year and more, researching and jotting everything down. Roughly, in the beginning but had a properly maintained journal by the end. And now that my daughter's safely and happily settling down in the University of Leeds, I've got down to noting down all the points of how that journal came to be and what's in it. To the tiniest important detail.

My journey as a parent and a guide. For these couple of years, especially.

I am writing this blog as a way of helping other parents and students who may be as lost as I was to begin with. I hope this provides clarity and gives some useful insights. Thus making it easier for everybody to take one of the most important decisions of life!

NEXT - WHY study in the UK