LUU (Leeds University Union) Give it a Go events: I’ve read that the LUU is one of the best student unions in the UK and perhaps in the world! They plan a wide range of activities for everyone, and by everyone, I mean: the sporty (e.g. Quidditch), indoorsy (Stitch n Bitch club, cool name, right?), culture-aficionado (e.g. Italian wine and cheese tasting), the stressed-out (e.g. pet therapy), the extrovert (e.g. Leeds student radio) and the introvert (e.g. chess society). You get the idea…
Travelling: There are so many places to go! Places I wish to visit are: Lake District, Manchester, London, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Edinburgh, Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam, etc…
Concerts: Some of my favourite bands only tour in the U.S or Europe, so now’s the time for me to catch them live! I’m stoked to see Rend Collective Experiment, and For King and Country.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there favourite places you have visited or would love to visit? Do write a comment below 🙂
Hi everyone! My name is Meike, I’m studying English and Mathematics in Germany and was accepted for an Erasmus stay of two semesters in Leeds. I love organisation and planning, so I thought for this blog post I’d do a rundown of what I did to stay on top of things (which can be a challenge sometimes)! Of course, not everything here may be applicable to your situation, but it might be helpful for anyone who is preparing now and feels a little overwhelmed by all the things to consider. (This is mainly aimed at Erasmus students, but I hope it will contain some tips for everyone!) 🙂
General Tips for Organisation:
Write every deadline you get into your calendar or bullet journal, and add a reminder one week before. You can use your phone, but I’d recommend having a backup in written form. Reminder alerts are easily dismissed and…
Here are some budgeting tips that I’ve learnt along the way, from my own experience and from online websites and blogs!
The earlier you save, the more you can enjoy later 🙂 Photo from Shutterstock
Golden rules: Don’t spend more than what you have – set a budget limit for splurging e.g. 30% of your monthly income/allowance. Also, think about what makes you happy – does spending more on food or clothes or sports/entertainment make you happier? If you feel like you enjoy eating good food, then you should cut down on spending on other areas e.g. clothes or entertainment.
Before you go:
Take on a part-time job. If you’re interested in working part-time in NTU, you can find a job on the iNTU’s StudentLink page (Financial Assistance > Work Study Scheme). It is a part-time job listing for NTU students, and jobs range from administrative to technical (e.g. videographer, research assistant) and pay an hourly rate of $7 and above.
Apply for a scholarhip. Some schools, such as WKWSCI, provide a special scholarship just for exchange applicants. There are also university scholarships that cover the expenses for exchange, although I am not too sure about this.
Apply for a Overseas Study Programme (OSP) Loan. NTU has partnered with OCBC Bank to offer an interest-free OSP Loan for exchange students in NTU.
Buy round-trip air tickets in advance: Buy tickets for a round trip instead of a one-way ticket, because it’s cheaper. I bought my air tickets to Leeds a few months in advance. Some of my friends bought air tickets through STA travel, which is located in the North Spine in NTU. One of the major advantage of buying through STA is that they give you one free-date change for your flight. However, I preferred booking the tickets on my own, so I decided against going to a travel agency.
Buy travel insurance. In NTU, it is compulsory to buy travel insurance before you go for your exchange. NTU recommends buying it through this company.
Have a packing list and buy items on sale: It’s good to have a packing list of everything you need, before you start buying. Buy your travel essentials in the mid-year and year-end sales. For countries that have a stronger dollar against SGD, it’s wise to buy all your travel needs from home before you go.
Tip: If you’re on a tight budget, Daiso sells winter gloves and winter hats for $2! 😉
Choose on-campus accommodation: If your exchange Uni provides on-campus accommodation, it may be slightly more expensive than staying outside campus, but on-campus hostels are safer as they have on-campus security, insurance coverage, and you’ll make friends with people in your uni.
Catered vs self-catered accommodation: If your exchange Uni provides catered (meals provided) and self-catered (cook your own) options, this point is applicable for you. Based on the advice of exchange students in Leeds, some prefer catered because it’s more convenient, and they made good friends from sharing regular meal times with their flatmates. Other students who chose self-catered said they can save on food, by going to cheaper grocery stores and buying housebrand products. I guess it’s useful to learn how to cook, and may be overall cheaper to stay in a self-catered hall.
During your exchange:
Bank account: I’m not sure whether it’s more economical to open a bank account in the host country (e.g. open a Barclay’s account in Leeds) or to use DBS Multi-currency account. If you have a HSBC Premier International Account or plan to open one, you can benefit from the free international transfers to overseas HSBC accounts.
SIM card: In England, phone companies offer free SIM cards, which is usually mailed to a UK address. SIM cards can be bought at vending machines in London’s Heathrow airport, or at convenience stores. Tip is to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card, which is cheaper and more flexible than having a contract. Some SIM card providers: Lebara, which specialises in international calls, Giffgaff – offers free calls to other Giffgaff users, and Three – which allows you to make free calls in the EU.
Look for student-friendly discounts in the host country. E.g. UK offers a 16-25 railcard and bus card, which offers 1/3 off the rail fare/bus fare! Even though the cards are 1-year and cost GBP 30, it’s still worth it to buy it if you’re travelling around UK a lot.
Estimated cost of living: You can google the estimated cost of living in the place you’re going to. For example, this website provides estimation of the cost of living in many cities, but I cannot vouch for its accuracy.
For advice specific to Leeds/England, this blog post is helpful, and some websites you may be interested are:
Right now, I’m packing for the big day when I leave Singapore to Leeds (via London) – with lots of help from my mum especially. (Note: I’m flying on British Airways – there may be different luggage requirements)
First, I’m bringing 2 luggage – one that’s quite big (about 70 x 46 x 27cm) and a cabin size one (56 x 45 x 25cm). I’ll be carrying a backpack as well (about 50 x 18 x 35cm) – but unfortunately, it does not meet the size limit for British Airways’ laptop bag. The photo below shows the maximum allowance of a cabin size luggage and a hand-carry laptop bag in BA flight:
So most likely I’m going to roll/fold my backpack and squeeze it into my cabin luggage, so I can still bring both! 😉
I’m going in Semester 2, so I’ll be experiencing Winter, Spring and Summer all in a span of 6 months in Leeds! This means I’ll have to pack different types of clothing, for winter, spring and summer. For summer, I just packed in a few short sleeved tops, because I’m buying more summer clothes in England, so I’m saving the space for the winter wear. (Refer to Leeds weather infoto get an idea of the weather! I might also write a post just about the weather when I’m there…)
News update: It’s snowing heavily in Leeds, Dec 2017! (See snow news article)
Snowing in Leeds, 2016 (Photo taken from Telegraph )
It’ll be my very first winter so I’m not the best person to write about winter clothing. But one tip I picked up from my well-traveled relatives is to wear clothes in layers.
It’s recommended (by the Leeds Singapore Society) to buy more winter outfits in Leeds, because there is more variety of winter wear compared to Singapore. I’ve bought most of my winter wear in Singapore, but only essential items – all in sets of twos or threes. E.g. three sets of thermal inner wear for the top and bottom, three jumpers, two scarves etc. Although it’ll mean repeat wear outfits, I can mix-and-match what I have, or buy more in Leeds.
Because it snows in Leeds, I got a pair of winter boots in Singapore, which are water-resistant. But I suggest getting waterproof boots instead! (see this page for the difference between water-resistant and waterproof).
Cooking equipment: I’m bringing a small cooker that can cook rice and steam buns. Note: UniLeeds sells kitchen packs, and department stores in Leeds e.g. Argos sells kitchenware.
Food: I think I’ll be packing in Milo sachets and maybe a small teriyaki sauce bottle or chili sauce? I heard that Asian food will be more costly over there, and my friends even told me to bring a few packets of instant noodles. We’ll see if I have luggage space for that!
Bedding: UniLeeds campus accommodation does not provide their own bedding, except Ellerslie Global Residences (if I’m not wrong). Note: UniLeeds sells bedding packs.
Travel adapter: I think UK shares the same 3-pin plug electric socket as Singapore, so I’m not too concerned about this. I’ll bring a multi-plug adapter and may buy an international (Europe) adapter as well.
Skincare: I’m packing in moisturisers, lip balms, and skincare products that I use and are not found in Leeds. (this is a tip I read from the official study abroad blog in Leeds!)
Stationery: SG sells good stationery brands that I’m so used to (e.g. Uniball), which are unlikely to be found in Leeds, so I’m going to bring a few pens overseas.
Photos – family/friends photos or small mementos to remind you of home,
Travel documents – don’t forget to bring extra passport photos just in case!
Good news is that if you’re on exchange in Leeds, you can join the Leeds Facebook group (which you will be invited to join via email), and many students who are in Leeds the past semester and are packing to go home would usually make generous (free or low cost) giveaways for useful things, such as coat hangers, cooking equipment and bedding.
If you’re staying on campus in Leeds, the Accommodation Portal suggests buying or packing bedding, kitchen equipment, and towels. Kettles and irons (and ironing boards) are provided in all halls except the following halls: Liberty Dock, The Tannery, James Baillie Park, Leodis and Grayson Heights.
Moreover, you are not allowed to bring these things (Source: Leeds Accommodation portal):
Portable electric or gas heaters
Chip pans or deep fat fryers
Fairy/Christmas lights
Candles
Incense sticks, oil lamps or anything else that’s a fire hazard
Pets or animals, except guide dogs (please let us know!)
Anything that could harm you or others (or looks like it could!). For example pellet or airguns, knives or any other form of weapon, chemicals or fireworks
DJ equipment (unless you use headphones)
Nitrous Oxide or other gases
If you’d like a more detailed packing list, the following links may be helpful:
The exchange application process can be a bit overwhelming, so I have divided the application process into 6 parts, and I hope it helps! 🙂
Part 1: When to apply
There are 2 rounds of application for GEM Explorer. As recommended by a prof, it’s better to apply in Round 1 of the application because there are more vacancies in Round 1, hence more chances of going for exchange.
Check the deadlines of the application on GEM Explorer and prepare any necessary documents for submission in advance.
Part 2: Which Uni (and country) should you choose? In the application for NTU’s exchange programme, you’re given 3 choices, based on 1 (most preferred) to 3 (least preferred). If studies/education is an important priority, I think it’s better to decide on the Uni before considering the living environment, but both are equally important. Since there are over a hundred Unis in the vacancy list, it may be helpful to shortlist the Unis by considering the following factors:
Vacancy and GPA Criteria: The greater the vacancies allocated to the Uni, and the lower the GPA Criteria, the more chances you can get in. But note that this means more competition as well, especially for Unis that are open to all NTU students to apply. This brings me to the next point:
School-specific: Some Unis are open to only one or a few schools to apply. E.g. Stuttgart Media University, Germany, is only open for ADM and WKW students. This means you’ll have more chances of getting in if you apply to Unis that is exclusively partnered to your School.
Courses/modules available for course matching: (Go to iNTU Student Link) First of all, note that you may not get to take the modules you want, or the number of modules you want. (This is a reason why some people don’t apply for exchange, but I feel that the benefits far outweigh the cons!)
Take modules that interest you. If you’re planning to clear some of your course-related modules, then take modules that are interesting (not just because they are easy to clear) and relevant to your course.
Also, do check the exchange Uni’s website for the available modules, by looking at the Semester it is offered in. E.g. for UniLeeds, the module catalog whether the course runs in Semester 1, Semester 2 or from Semester 1 to Semester 2. Additionally, some courses are not open to exchange students, or have pre-requisites. This depends on the specific School you’re going to study in.
Ask your School’s exchange coordinator for help: for matters such as what courses can you match and how many AUs to clear, please email your school’s exchange coordinator.
Info sheet: NTU prepares a pdf infosheet for most (if not all) the Unis, so if you have time, do read through the information guide for the Unis you’re interested in.
World rankings: Although they may not give a complete picture of the university, world university rankings tables can help determine the academic quality (and international student ratio) of the Unis. If you’re looking at UK Unis, see Guardian’s UK Uni ranking.
Country: Consider factors such as safety, language, living costs, and healthcare.
Which semester should you go for exchange: This may matter more for Unis which have clashing semester periods with NTU. I chose to go in Sem 2 because in UniLeeds and most UK unis, the exams in Sem 1 extend to January, and would likely need me to apply for a leave of absence in NTU. But I have recently learnt that it’s possible to work around this by taking modules that do not have final exams, or by asking for special exam arrangements that will allow you to take your exams early. (Or you can apply for the leave of absence in NTU.)
Part 3: Applying to GEM Explorer. More detailed information can be found on the GEM Explorer homepage, so I’ll just be highlighting a few points:
Check the deadlines for application,
The 500 word personal statement section: A tip is to write about what you hope to gain from the exchange, give examples and your personal thoughts.
If you need some help along the way, you can email GEM or ask your peers, or ask me 🙂
Course-matching: Basically, there is no limit to how many courses to submit for course matching in NTU. I submitted 16 modules for course-matching (including UEs, Ger-PEs, and PEs). It’s better to submit more modules for course-matching as back-up plans, in case the exchange Uni did not enroll you in the modules you wanted.
How to do course matching? The easiest way is to refer to the course matching list in the NTU course matching portal. However, I recommend going to the exchange Uni website as well to explore all the modules that is offered to exchange students, so you won’t be limited to the selection of your seniors.
Note that you do not need to do STARS registration for the semester you’re going on exchange. Also, it’s not possible to take NTU modules on exchange (e.g. the compulsory ML0001 Absolute Basics for Career) so you’ll have to take it the semester after your exchange, and email the course coordinator to enroll you in the NTU core course(s) you’ve missed out on during your exchange.
Part 4: After application: Please wait for NTU to send you further details. To share my experience, I applied one year in advance for my application, so there was quite a long waiting period for me to know what to do next. The general steps after application are:
NTU informs you if you have been successfully allocated to X uni. (Results are out usually within a month of your application).
NTU sends you an email that you are nominated to the X uni, so you can start applying to the X uni. If you’re doing the application to the X uni yourself, you need to be aware of their deadlines as well. (NTU may do the application to the exchange Uni for you, and you’ll need to submit the required documents in the NTU Exchange portal (go to iNTU student link > Academic matters > Student exchange > Student exchange portal)
Part 5: Making an application to the host Uni:
For UniLeeds application, I had to write a Personal statement and find a referee, in addition to the personal and academic (module enrollment) details.
UK Personal statement: There are many good websites that offer guides for this, but they are mainly for applicants for full-time studies in the UK. My tip is to follow the general guidelines provided by these websites (e.g. UCAS , British Council), and write based on why you chose to go for exchange and what do you hope to get out of your exchange.
Module enrollment: It depends on the exchange uni. For UniLeeds, you can apply up to 100 credits (each module is worth either 20 or 10 credits), but Leeds only allows each student to take a maximum of 60 credits.
Referee: Email one of your favourite profs, and I’m sure they’ll be more than willing to help you.
Submission deadline: Check the submission deadlines for each semester. For UniLeeds Sem 2, the deadline is usually 31 Oct.
Part 6: Before you leave
NTU will send you an email to fill in a google form that is titled “Status check” – it’s helpful as a checkpoint on what things are left to do.
Fill in the NTU Indemnity form in the iNTU student link. (Student Exchange Portal)
Register with MFA once you know your accommodation address.
Print out all the necessary documents e.g. bank statements, passport photocopies, air tickets, insurance certificate, and the offer letter from the exchange university!
Sarah's Exchange Blog 