What should you do to prepare for studying in the UK?

Before studying in the UK, you should start with the following four points.

1. Aircraft.

Most airlines have their own rules on the weight of items to be carried into the country, but no matter what the restrictions, your entry baggage must include these: accommodation and school addresses, contacts** and how to travel, mobile phones, documents required for entry, a small amount of medication to be taken on board, a small amount of cash in pounds, valuable digital items such as laptops and chargers, pens and paper, etc. In particular, it is important to note that you can only carry a single bottle of liquids of no more than 100 ml (e.g. cosmetics, medicines, etc.).

2. Life.

If you are interested in living on campus, you must contact the school's accommodation office as soon as possible to apply for accommodation after receiving the offer letter. UK institutions usually give priority to first-year international students in their first year of study. The advantages of living in a dormitory are that it is easily accessible, well-equipped and safe, and you can live with classmates of different nationalities, which is a great opportunity to practice speaking, make friends, and learn about the local culture.

Even if you want to rent an apartment on your own in the future, you can move into the dormitory first and familiarize yourself with the environment before making plans.

3. Funds.

It is advisable to have a small amount of cash and change with you in case of emergencies, such as a bus ride from the airport to your destination and living expenses for about two weeks, as it will take a few days to open a bank account in the UK. If you bring a lot of cash, it is neither safe nor convenient. Often, you only need to carry £500-£1000.

Currency can be exchanged at Bureau de Change upon arrival at the airport or at the minimart.

4. Learning.

The United Kingdom is a country with a long history of education, it has the oldest higher education institutions in the world, and is the birthplace of the modern higher education system. The UK education system is different from China's, and Chinese students should fully understand the differences between the two systems when considering studying in the UK, but as long as they have a little understanding and preparation before the trip, there is nothing to worry about.

From 16 April 2012, all UK visa applications in China will be subject to the use of the ** application system. As summer is the traditional peak period for student visas, the number of visa applications skyrockets. The current visa approval time is about 10 working days, but it is advisable for students to allow 15 days to apply.

Because of the large number of applicants to study in the UK, students have to prepare more. However, some first-time students do not know what to prepare for the study abroad application in the UK, so I will answer it for you below.

1. Submit your application as soon as possible

Master's programs in the UK start at the end of September, and the application is a year in advance, so it is best to apply in October. In addition, some schools have special deadlines and need to be investigated. After applying, it usually takes 4 to 8 weeks for universities to process, but it usually takes 10 to 12 weeks for prestigious schools or popular majors.

Therefore, everyone must set aside time to wait for their own notification.

2. Apply to the right school

Most students want to further their majors, you can refer to some university rankings in the UK, basically the top 50 schools are better, and each university has its own strong majors, and the name of the major and the course arrangement are also different. Applicants should think specifically about what major they like, and they can't just choose a major based on rankings.

3. Apply for a suitable course

Both master's programs in the UK are one-year courses, and the teaching methods are mainly lectures and **, etc. Most of them are practical majors. Generally speaking, it is more difficult to apply for a research-based course because it focuses on a certain research topic, so students who apply for the examination must have sufficient research ability, and they must also be clear about their research direction.

4. Prepare application materials

College admissions places a lot of emphasis on applicants' cover letters, recommendation letters, and so on, and they want to see the applicant's application materials submitted after careful preparation. If the materials written by the student are similar to most of the application materials, it will be difficult to reflect the characteristics of the applicant, and it will not be possible to see anything special about the student. In particular, self-statement is actually a student's self-portrait, and if you just write something too perfunctory, you will not be able to get extra points.

5. Qualified language scores

Applicants should be aware of the English language requirements of the program they are applying for. Generally speaking, the requirements for IELTS for majors such as business, sociology, etc., are, and the entry requirements for science and engineering majors are. If the student has an IELTS score at the time of application, it will be provided as well.

If you don't want to take the test, it's best to indicate on the application materials when you will take the test and send it to the university as soon as you receive your IELTS or TOEFL score report. If possible, students can come to the UK for some language courses in advance to improve their English skills and meet the admission requirements.