I'm flying to York one week from today. Wow. I can hardly believe I'm only a week away from grad school. I know it is almost October, but I'm still holding on to summer vacation! Mostly to remind myself, these are some things I still need to do:
1. Get prescriptions filled.
2. Submit insurance claim forms.
3. Get personal belongings insurance.
4. Open up a UK bank account.
5. Get some money converted into pounds.
6. Pack. :(
7. Get a SIM card for my international phone.
8. Book train tickets from Manchester Airport to York.
9. Figure out how to get to Tesco from my new pad :)
10. Mourn the loss of American TV for the next year!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
A Packing List
How on Earth do you pack for an entire year? I have no idea. But, I need to get at least the bulk of what I need for the next year in luggage I can take on the plane with me. I figure that between me and my dad, that's a maximum of 4 checked bags and 2 carry on suitcases. While I can (and will) pick up some things once I'm in the UK, there's still a lot to take with me. Here's my current list. Items in bold will be things I'll pick up once I'm over there and items in italics may be packed or bought there, depending on available space in my suitcases!
1. A minimum of 7 t-shirts/tank tops for summer/spring (I refuse to do laundry more than that!)
2. A minimum of 7 lightweight sweaters/long-sleeve t-shirts for fall/spring
3. A minimum of 7 warm tops for winter (with some overlap with fall attire :)
4. Jeans, capris, shorts
5. Dressy clothes for going out
6. A couple of dresses
7. Some business causal stuff
8. Socks, camis, leggings, etc
9. Raincoat & Umbrella
10. Wool pea coat
11. Scarf, hat, gloves
12. Lightweight jacket for fall/spring (navy corduroy; purple trench)
13. Shoes! Casual, sneakers, dress shoes, moccasins, flip flops
14. Hairdryer and straightener
15. Pajamas, warm and lightweight
16. Hair brush, hair ties, clips, bobby pins
17. Alarm clock
18. Ipod, headphones, USB cord
19. Camera, USB cord, battery charger (note, need to locate the charger...)
20. Backpack
21. Laptop, AC adapter, AC adapter compatible with UK outlets
22. Laptop lap desk, sleeve, wireless mouse
23. Plug adapters
24. Medicines
25. Sweatshirt
26. Cardigans
27. Unlocked Cell phone & charger, UK Sim Card
28. Pot, frying pan, casserole dish, measuring cups (I refuse to figure out the conversions for all the recipes I make), wooden spoon, silverware, mug, cup, plate, spatula, Cutting knife, Tupperware, recipe book
29. Glasses, contacts, contact solution, toiletries
30. Set of sheets, pillow, blanket
31. 2 towels, washcloths, dishtowel
32. Small selection of jewelry
33. Totebag, summer purse, black purse
34. Pictures (need moved off my old laptop to the new one)
35. Planner
36. School supplies: pens, notebooks, notecards
37. Laundry bag; collapsible bag/hamper thing
38. make up bag
39. A small selection of dvds
40. Printer (which I might be able to do without if I can print at school)
41. Ethernet cable
If you actually read through that, I'm sorry :D I'm mostly just add things to this as I think of them so that I hopefully don't forget anything. Think I've forgotten something? Let me know.
1. A minimum of 7 t-shirts/tank tops for summer/spring (I refuse to do laundry more than that!)
2. A minimum of 7 lightweight sweaters/long-sleeve t-shirts for fall/spring
3. A minimum of 7 warm tops for winter (with some overlap with fall attire :)
4. Jeans, capris, shorts
5. Dressy clothes for going out
6. A couple of dresses
7. Some business causal stuff
8. Socks, camis, leggings, etc
9. Raincoat & Umbrella
10. Wool pea coat
11. Scarf, hat, gloves
12. Lightweight jacket for fall/spring (navy corduroy; purple trench)
13. Shoes! Casual, sneakers, dress shoes, moccasins, flip flops
14. Hairdryer and straightener
15. Pajamas, warm and lightweight
16. Hair brush, hair ties, clips, bobby pins
17. Alarm clock
18. Ipod, headphones, USB cord
19. Camera, USB cord, battery charger (note, need to locate the charger...)
20. Backpack
21. Laptop, AC adapter, AC adapter compatible with UK outlets
22. Laptop lap desk, sleeve, wireless mouse
23. Plug adapters
24. Medicines
25. Sweatshirt
26. Cardigans
27. Unlocked Cell phone & charger, UK Sim Card
28. Pot, frying pan, casserole dish, measuring cups (I refuse to figure out the conversions for all the recipes I make), wooden spoon, silverware, mug, cup, plate, spatula, Cutting knife, Tupperware, recipe book
29. Glasses, contacts, contact solution, toiletries
30. Set of sheets, pillow, blanket
31. 2 towels, washcloths, dishtowel
32. Small selection of jewelry
33. Totebag, summer purse, black purse
34. Pictures (need moved off my old laptop to the new one)
35. Planner
36. School supplies: pens, notebooks, notecards
37. Laundry bag; collapsible bag/hamper thing
38. make up bag
39. A small selection of dvds
40. Printer (which I might be able to do without if I can print at school)
41. Ethernet cable
If you actually read through that, I'm sorry :D I'm mostly just add things to this as I think of them so that I hopefully don't forget anything. Think I've forgotten something? Let me know.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Student Visas
Preparing to move overseas for a year is a pretty daunting task. The UK Boarder Agency hasn't made the process any easier for students. Requirements for obtaining a student visa were changed in March and there has been a lot of confusion over the new processes.
Student visas now fall into what is called the "Points Based System." Applicants receive a number of points for supplying various documents and must receive a total of 40 points. 30 are awarded for providing a visa letter from their university stating that they are, in fact, going to be students at a UK university. 10 additional points are awarded for providing documentation proving the applicant has the necessary funds to pay their tuition fees and to support themselves for the first nine months of their degree program.
Personally, I think the points just confuse things. Why they don't just say that you are required to provide the various documents is beyond me. I don't see the reason for adding the points system at all. Adding additional confusion is the new requirement for "maintenance funds." Applicants must now show that they have at least 800 pounds a month for studies in London or 600 pounds per month for studies outside of London. Starting October 1st, applicants must have the necessary funds in a bank account under their name for at least 28 days prior to the date they submit their visa application. Since I applied before October 1st, I only had to prove that I had the necessary funds on the day I applied.
I understand the idea of requiring applicants to show that they can support themselves without relying on public funds once they get to the UK, but this whole process is, in my opinion, ridiculously complicated and unnecessarily confusing. A number of news articles confirm this. The number of international students in the UK is much lower than expected, in part due to problems obtaining a visa. Many students are turning to schools in Australia or the US because it is easier to get a student visa for these countries.
Thankfully, my visa application went through fairly easily. Applications from my home state are processed at the British Consulate in Los Angeles, which has an advertised turn around rate of about 15 days. However, due to the new requirements for student visas, all of the British Consulates faced delays processing applications. The Consulate in LA was backed up even further because they had a new IT system installed in mid-September and could not process new applications while the new system was being installed. I'll admit that I got nervous when I received an email this past weekend saying that my application was now in their system and should be processed in 10 days. I'd been planning to leave for York on October 2nd, but that would have been cutting it really close if I didn't get a visa until September 30th. I'd been waiting to buy plane tickets until I knew whether or not my visa application would be approved. But on Monday, I got an email that my visa application was approved, so I should receive it tomorrow and be all set.
Now to buy plane tickets and figure out how I'm going to get everything over there!
Student visas now fall into what is called the "Points Based System." Applicants receive a number of points for supplying various documents and must receive a total of 40 points. 30 are awarded for providing a visa letter from their university stating that they are, in fact, going to be students at a UK university. 10 additional points are awarded for providing documentation proving the applicant has the necessary funds to pay their tuition fees and to support themselves for the first nine months of their degree program.
Personally, I think the points just confuse things. Why they don't just say that you are required to provide the various documents is beyond me. I don't see the reason for adding the points system at all. Adding additional confusion is the new requirement for "maintenance funds." Applicants must now show that they have at least 800 pounds a month for studies in London or 600 pounds per month for studies outside of London. Starting October 1st, applicants must have the necessary funds in a bank account under their name for at least 28 days prior to the date they submit their visa application. Since I applied before October 1st, I only had to prove that I had the necessary funds on the day I applied.
I understand the idea of requiring applicants to show that they can support themselves without relying on public funds once they get to the UK, but this whole process is, in my opinion, ridiculously complicated and unnecessarily confusing. A number of news articles confirm this. The number of international students in the UK is much lower than expected, in part due to problems obtaining a visa. Many students are turning to schools in Australia or the US because it is easier to get a student visa for these countries.
Thankfully, my visa application went through fairly easily. Applications from my home state are processed at the British Consulate in Los Angeles, which has an advertised turn around rate of about 15 days. However, due to the new requirements for student visas, all of the British Consulates faced delays processing applications. The Consulate in LA was backed up even further because they had a new IT system installed in mid-September and could not process new applications while the new system was being installed. I'll admit that I got nervous when I received an email this past weekend saying that my application was now in their system and should be processed in 10 days. I'd been planning to leave for York on October 2nd, but that would have been cutting it really close if I didn't get a visa until September 30th. I'd been waiting to buy plane tickets until I knew whether or not my visa application would be approved. But on Monday, I got an email that my visa application was approved, so I should receive it tomorrow and be all set.
Now to buy plane tickets and figure out how I'm going to get everything over there!
Welcome!
Hello, and welcome to my travelblog! I'm about to be a grad student at the University of York, in York, England. I'll be using this page to write about my experiences, studies, and travels throughout the UK, as well as putting up some pictures. So far, this blog is pretty bare, but check back often, as I hope to update fairly regularly. Things will pick up more when I actually arrive in the UK in early October. Thanks for reading!
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