There are now many Thai restaurants in the UK, although they are generally quite expensive (in the UK, Thai food is considered to be a bit more up-market in status and quality than many Chinese and Indian restaurants, so prices are often higher). Supermarkets (like Tesco, Asda and Morrison’s) and markets in big cities usually stock food from all over the world and some Thai food items will be available. Look out for Asian food shops (for example there is one next to Tesco’s close to the University of Warwick and Bath has an Oriental food shop on campus) - remember that there are large Chinese communities in many UK cities. This means that Chinese food is easily available in specialised restaurants, markets and shops. If you are not sure where you can buy things, ask around! The cheapest way to eat is to prepare food yourself. Food in restaurants and cafeterias (often called refectories) on the university campus is very reasonably priced and is usually good quality, including a wide variety of traditional British meals as well as pasta and rice dishes, plus healthy salads. The “sandwich” was invented in England and different varieties are available everywhere to “take-away”. Pre-prepared and packed (in plastic/paper containers) salads, sandwiches, pies and other snacks are everywhere. Potato chips are called potato “crisps” and tomato ketchup is often called tomato “sauce”.

If you think that English food is not spicy, you might like to experience real English mustard (Colman’s) – you have been warned! Another great British invention is “Fish and Chips” (“chips” are French fries) and you will see a lot of Fish & Chip shops (slang “chippies”), while a real English Breakfast is a true feast and can include combinations of fruit juice (usually orange, apple or grapefruit), cereals (like “Corn Flakes” and “Frosties”), bacon, sausages, eggs (fried, poached, scrambled, boiled or an omelette), mushrooms, baked beans, hash brown potatoes, tomatoes, fried bread, black pudding, kippers (smoked fish), toast, butter & preserves (marmalade, jam, honey), all washed down with a pot or cup of tea or coffee (if you eat all that lot you probably won’t need to eat again for the rest of the day!!). The UK traditionally has a bad international reputation for food, but in fact it is often of a very good standard, and many of the world’s top international chefs are British. American fast food restaurants are everywhere, but you will find that they are considerably more expensive than in Thailand (and they do not have Thai versions like KFC spicy chicken). Chinese and Indian “take-aways” are also everywhere. Who knows, you may become totally addicted to British food!!! - probably not, but you might find that you put on weight if you discover little snacks like "Jaffa Cakes", "Cadbury's Crème Eggs", "Wotsits", "Turkish Delight" and chocolate "Digestive" biscuits!!!

“IELTS” stands for International English Language Testing Service. It is used as a basis of entry to higher education and language schools. You can take it at the British Council and IDP in Bangkok and at the British Council in Chiang Mai. “TOEFL” stands for Test Of English as a Foreign Language and, like IELTS, it is used as a way of assessing your English ability. IELTS is strongly preferred above TOEFL by many institutions because it gives a truer indication of real English ability. The main difference is that IELTS does not have a grammar/structure section, but instead has a 10-15 minute interview. TOEFL was computerized (the Computer Based Test – CBT) after originally being a Paper Based Test - PBT, but it is now available as an Internet Based Test – IBT. TOEFL scores are accepted by most places, but a few universities (or specific departments in a university) will not accept them, so check which test to take first! We strongly recommend that you take an IELTS (or TOEFL) Preparation Course before taking the test. Check out these websites for more information:
www.ielts.org        www.toefl.org

It is very important for your English to be good enough for you to do the course work. If your English is nearly, but not quite, good enough to meet the degree entry requirements, you may be able to do pre-sessional courses, successful completion of which will allow you to start your degree without re-taking IELTS. The following is a rough guide to some entry requirements for Bath, Exeter and Warwick (*check for exact requirements):

Some courses at Warwick Business School require that you achieve the minimum required score and will not substitute pre-sessional English and it is better to submit a good English score when you apply. It is very important to carefully check each institution’s requirements. It is also important that you plan ahead to ensure that you get to the required English score level BEFORE you start the course. It is usually possible to get from IELTS 5.5 to 6.0/6.5 in 2 or 3 months of hard study, but it is much, much more difficult to get from 6.0 to 7.0/7.5 – it can realistically take as long as 6 months.

REMEMBER: It is not always good to go somewhere just because they accept you!

Some countries (and some universities and colleges in the UK) accept lower standards of English and students may go there and find that they cannot do the work because of their poor English. If this happens, you have wasted your money and your time. Also, it may make you give up the chance of a good education. At the Universities of Bath, Exeter and Warwick we do not want this to happen to you! We want your English to be good enough before you start studying. This way you will benefit the most. Also, you will enjoy learning and understanding all that slang (!!) much more easily if you have good English to start with. Even if you have achieved the required English score to start your degree, you will benefit from doing Pre-sessional English (at the University of Bath, for example, they offer Pre-sessional English courses specifically designed for students starting School of Management MSc and MBA degrees). In general, required English standards are increasing for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels of study - IELTS 7.0 is becoming common and 7.5 or even 8.0 is demanded by Warwick Business School for one of its master’s degrees. Also, some universities (or some departments/schools at some universities) require not only an overall score, but also minimum scores in each subsection - the Writing score is especially important.

Yes, and this is very important, you can often get a conditional acceptance at a university when your IELTS, TOEFL or WELT score is lower than what is required.  The condition will be that you must meet the requirement before the course starts. Usually the requirement is as follows:

(a) that you re-take IELTS or TOEFL and achieve the required score (some universities may ask for a minimum IELTS or TOEFL score in certain areas; e.g, some master’s degree courses at the University of Bath require IELTS 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each area of Listening, Reading, Writing & Speaking; some master’s degrees at Exeter require IELTS 6.5 or 7.0 with no less than 6.0 in Writing)

OR

(b) successfully complete (meaning attend, participate in, do coursework, not just register for!!) a pre-sessional English course. At Bath, Exeter and Warwick (as at most other UK universities), at the end of the pre-sessional, you need to take a test and if you meet the required standard you can start your degree course. Please note that it is very unusual for students at Bath, Exeter and Warwick not to be allowed to start a degree course provided that they have performed satisfactorily in Pre-sessional English. The university will be very keen to ensure that you are well-prepared for the course – having strict requirements on English is really important to ensure that you are ready. They do not want you to fail! They want you to pass!

If you have taken studying English seriously since you began (in primary school or elsewhere) then you will probably have a good knowledge of the basics and understand quite a lot. Production of good English is usually the problem for most Thai students because even though they may know something, they cannot always produce it due to not having enough practice in real life situations. There are some very good places to study English in Thailand (such as the British Council, IDP or New Cambridge), and we strongly recommend that you take English courses and take the IELTS in Thailand before going to the UK. You can also study in the UK one, two, three (or more, if necessary) months, BEFORE your main course starts. This way you will become more familiar with not only the English language, but also UK culture and lifestyle before you start studying your degree.

Come on! You want the best education and top-level studying is never easy. Learning to live in a foreign country makes you a better and stronger person – just look at the examples of other Thai students who have benefitted so much from studying abroad. Surely, you are not going to let a small problem like a little bit of cold weather for a few months of your life affect your chances of getting the very best education!!! Just think how enjoyable a cool climate can be; which do you prefer, Chiang Mai in the cool season or Bangkok in the hot season? Many Thai students say they loved their first experience of snow (and snowball fights!!), but it really does not snow very often.

The weather in the UK really is not that bad, and every building, taxi, train or bus has heating and all bathrooms have lovely, steaming hot water. Sure, during January and February it does get pretty chilly, but as the spring season develops from March through to June, along with all those new fresh green leaves and sweet smelling flowers, together with some glorious clear blue sunny skies, you will soon realise that the climate in the UK is actually very enjoyable. Also, during the summer months, daylight hours are very long (it doesn’t get dark until 10.00 or 11.00 p.m), which is great for doing your studying while you are sitting outside in the garden in the cool, fresh evening air, or relaxing over an ice-cool drink by the river. It is a little cooler in the North West of England, and quite a lot cooler in the North East of England and Scotland. Do not let other people tell you the weather is a reason not to study in the UK! Below are some UK weather statistics for temperatures (degrees Celsius) in January and June, plus annual rainfall (millimetres) – remember that these are AVERAGE figures(**see Thailand figures at bottom - who says it rains more in the UK than in Thailand??!!!!!!):

Weather in the UK
City / Town	January temp. C	June temp. C	Annual Rainfall mm
Aberystwyth Bath Birmingham Bournemouth Bradford / Leeds Bristol Cambridge Canterbury, Kent Cardiff Dundee Durham Edinburgh Exeter Guildford, Surrey Huddersfield Lancaster Loughborough London Manchester Newcastle Nottingham Reading Sheffield Warwick York	8.0 7.0 6.0 7.4 5.6 7.0 6.5 7.1 7.5 5.7 5.8 6.4 8.0 6.7 6.2 5.9 5.7 7.2 6.9 5.6 5.9 6.7 6.1 6.4 6.1	16.9 19.0 18.8 18.4 17.5 19.0 20.0 19.2 19.2 17.4 17.5 17.0 19.1 19.5 18.3 16.7 18.6 20.3 18.6 16.3 18.7 19.4 18.5 19.4 18.5	914 779 662 784 873 779 551 612 1061 701 651 638 764 668 831 1094 666 611 810 711 707 633 816 584 588
**Bangkok **Chiang Mai (city)	26.0 21.0	28.5 27.5	1397 1081

The academic year at most high schools, colleges and universities starts in September and finishes in June/July. Most high schools prefer students to start in September, but entry can be at the beginning of any term by special arrangement. A Level and IB exams are taken in April, May and early June. Most University Foundation Year courses (with the same terms as universities) start in September and finish in June, but some also start in January and finish in early September. University bachelor’s degrees start at the end of September/early October and finish in June. One year master’s degrees start in late September/early October and finish in September. Some new (and not top-ranked) universities offer January/February starts for master’s degrees, but usually only for the most popular “business” courses. Thus, it is thus usually possible only to start master’s degrees in subjects like Law, Economics and Politics in September/October. Bath, Exeter and Warwick do not offer January/February master’s degree starts. However, it is often possible to start a Doctoral PhD/MPhil programme at the start of any term – this depends on the supervisor and the research schedule.

Holidays
All high schools and universities have long holidays (vacation periods) at Christmas/New Year, Easter and a very long one in the Summer (please remember that “summer” refers to the warmest season in areas of the world with a temperate, four-season climate of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, and that “summer” is not in April). One-day holidays are called Bank Holidays (New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day (in early May), Spring Holiday Monday (in late May), August Bank Holiday Monday (in late August), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Terms
There are three terms (semesters) as follows:

The Academic Year in the UK

Term 1 - Autumn (Michaelmas) Term: Late Sept/Early October to about 18 / 20th Dec.

-------- Christmas / New Year Break -------- (3 or 4 weeks)

Term 2 - Winter / Spring (Lent) Term: Early January to late March / early April (This depends on when Easter is - either early or mid-April)

-------- Easter Break -------- (2 to 4 weeks)

Term 3 - Summer (Trinity) Term: After Easter (mid/late April) to early / mid-July (Schools usually have a Half Term break of one or two weeks in the middle of the term)

Yes, you can. In the UK, students from Thailand (and other countries outside the European Union) can work 20 hours a week during term time, and you can work full-time during vacations when you are registered on a course that is longer than 6 months. Part-time jobs are quite easy to find. A part-time job gives you some valuable work experience and it is a great way to make new friends and contacts outside where you study. The extra money is useful, too! (But do remember that a part-time job should only be to top up your funds – you still need to have enough funds to cover your studying and living expenses before you enter the UK) Also, it is not a good idea to work more than 15 hours a week during term time. In fact, any part-time job might affect your studies, especially if you are doing a master’s degree course when you will have a very heavy workload of assignments and projects. Make extra money, but do not let it affect your studies!

Yes, you can. If you have the final results of your studies, you may qualify. Check for the most up-to-date information on rules changes - the British government UK Border Agency (UKBA) is currently (October 2011) reviewing this situation. Most universities have excellent careers offices and they can provide up-to-date information. However, they cannot do everything for you and you should be prepared to do things yourself! The UK is a very international-thinking country and employers often welcome foreign staff. They sometimes prefer foreign staff because they are better and work harder than local staff! There is no difference in pay for men and women who do the same job and employers are legally bound to provide equality in the workplace. Work or any job you get will depend a lot on you, and on how you present yourself. Working in the UK after you graduated would be wonderful for your CV / Resume and it might even give you more chance to find a husband or wife in the UK!!!

Many UK university campuses are a community on their own, with accommodation (halls of residence), shops, banks, restaurants, bars, theatres, medical centres, etc, on campus and you don’t really need to go off-campus for general living. It is best to look at a map of the university campus and local area (check out Google Maps or with Satellite/Aerial Photos) to get some idea of the local environment. If you want to live a few minutes from where you study then on-campus accommodation will be best for you (unless of course you can get off-campus accommodation that is very near the university campus). Living on-campus means that you will be totally within the university environment all the time, but if you really prefer to be away from where you study in the evenings and weekends, and also prefer to live in a city environment, then off-campus will be better for you. Also, some cities (like Bath) are particularly nice to live in and you may prefer to enjoy the fuller cultural experience of living in a city with local people around you rather than just the university campus environment. Living off-campus it may be a little too far to walk so you may need to take a bus to the university each day, but bus services will be frequent and cheap. On campus accommodation will be university-owned and managed, but Consortium UK strongly recommends only university owned or managed off-campus accommodation. If you do take non-university owned/managed accommodation (private sector accommodation) then it is best if your can either see it yourself first, or get a friend/relative to see it before you decide to rent it.

You will probably want to take your laptop (notebook) with you, which is fine. The mains electricity in the UK is the same as Thailand so you just need to use an adaptor plug (Thai 2 or 3-pin to UK 3-square pin). It is also very cheap and easy to buy a good quality second hand or used desktop PC in the UK - there are many advertisements for used PCs in the students' union offices. Most bedrooms (in university-owned accommodation) have internet access. Universities have computers available for students to use all over the campus in libraries, labs, etc, and there are Wi-Fi areas. If you want mobile broadband internet access, 3 store is recommended www.three.co.uk - they offer something very similar to Hutch in Thailand, but of course (just as in Thailand) if you go to a place in the UK where there is no signal, you won't get a connection!

In general, scholarships are given for outstanding academic ability; they are much sought after and the competition from the best students around the world is extremely fierce. The possibility of getting a scholarship depends a lot on both the type of institution – college/language school, boarding school, university – and the level of study – undergraduate, postgraduate (taught or research) – as well as the subject being studied. Another factor is the source and size of the scholarship. At university postgraduate level, there is a fairly wide availability of small, partial scholarships of 1,000 to 5,000 pounds (or even 10,000), deducted from the tuition fees. Full scholarships are much rarer and almost always only for research programmes. The following gives a brief idea of what scholarships may be available, but for more comprehensive and up-to-date information you should look on the institution websites.

Language Schools / Colleges
Scholarships rarely exist. However, special offers, discounts and reduced fees for long courses can help to reduce costs.

Boarding Schools / International Study Centres
Scholarships are usually in the form of reduced fees, but in a few cases full scholarships are available. Also, there may be bursaries (another formal word for “money given”) for outstanding ability in non-academic areas (e.g. sports, music, art & design, etc.). However, competition for academic awards is very strong – you will also be competing against British children unless an award is specific – so generally only the most outstandingly able students will win scholarships.

Undergraduate Study
Academic scholarships are seldom available for undergraduate study at UK universities. Many universities do have small scholarships for exceptional ability in music, sports or drama, but, in general, partial ones have limited availability and are only for students in special subject areas, usually in Science or Engineering; popular subjects like Business rarely have scholarships – look out for special offers!

Postgraduate Taught
Partial scholarships for very talented students who show outstanding academic ability are available in some universities. They may be specific to one country or may be very competitive. In the recent past, several Thai students have won 3,000 pound scholarships from the University of Bath and from WMG Warwick (WMG will again be offering two 5,000-pound scholarships for Thai postgraduate students in 2012).

Postgraduate Research
Most scholarships from universities and external organisations are for research. They range from partial to full and, again, are almost always for students with the highest academic qualifications and most relevant experience. Fierce competition is normal, but especially so in areas such as Business and Law. Subjects like Science and Engineering offer a much higher chance of getting a scholarship, particularly if the research area is something really unusual, useful and maybe unique. Full scholarships are usually only available from external organisations and bodies (like the British Council, The Royal Thai Government, Shell Scholarships, the Chevening Scholarships, etc.), but, again, competition is very fierce.

Scholarships Available in Thailand

Scholarships administered by the Royal Thai Civil Service Commission (Office of the Civil Service Commission – OCSC or “Kor Por”) are the largest source of full funding for undergraduate, taught master’s and research degrees. They are, of course (sorry, again!!) competitive, but they do cover a very wide range of subjects. The standard condition is that the scholarship recipient works for the Royal Thai Government on a “2 for 1” basis – for instance, if you get a scholarship for 3 years, you must work for the Government for 6 years. However, the 1 year master’s scholarships are very good, covering full fees, flights and a generous living allowance of about 710 pounds a month. Other sources include the King’s Scholarships, Shell Scholarships and the Chevening Scholarships, details of which are as follows:

The British Chevening Scholarship Programme

• It is for a one-year master's degree, either taught or research.
• Applicants must have an offer from a UK university.
• 20 + are awarded annually (from 2006 only applicants working for organizations invited by the British Embassy were eligible).
• Covers tuition fees, books, living expenses and return airfares.
• Must have a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.0 and at least 2 years relevant work experience, plus a very high standard of written and spoken English (IELTS 6.5/7+ and it is recommended that you submit this with the application). Applicants are usually aged 25-35.
• Applications must be made 1st August to 15th September (deadline) for a course starting the following September. Interviews November / December.

More information: www.chevening.com or email: chevening@britishcouncil.or.th

Scholarships Available in the UK
University, Department, Faculty or International Office Country-Specific Scholarships are sometimes available; these can vary from 500 pounds, to 50%, to full funding. Research Councils, Overseas Research Scholarships and Corporate Scholarships are also available on a competitive basis – keep your eyes and ears open for offers!

Example of Country-Specific 20012/2013 Award:

University of Warwick (Warwick Manufacturing Group - WMG)
University of Warwick (WMG) Two awards of 5,000 pounds each for Thai Postgraduate students who have received an offer to study a WMG taught master’s degree.

Selection is based on Academic Achievement, English Language Proficiency, plus other things such as work experience, social service activities, achievements, etc.  

Finally, whatever scholarship you aim for, be sure to APPLY EARLY and PLAN AHEAD - most have a specific closing date, which is not negotiable!  GOOD LUCK

Getting a visa to study in the UK is an easy process if you follow the right guidelines, get good advice, complete the application forms correctly and truthfully, and provide all the required (and correct) documents. If you make a mistake with your visa application, you may be refused, in which case you will need to apply again and of course pay the fee again, or you might not be allowed to apply again (if you do not tell the truth). Consortium UK can give good advice and we recommend strongly that, in addition to looking at the official UK visa website, you take the time to come to our office (not a phone call unless only a quick and easy answer is required) and discuss your individual situation. Then you can make all the necessary preparations before you apply for your visa. For full-time student visa applications, the University will apply to the UKBA (UK Border Agency) for a Confirmation of Acceptance (CAS) for you. They will then send this to you so that you can apply for a visa. You cannot apply for a student visa without a CAS, and to qualify for the CAS you must be unconditional (that is, you must have met all the academic and language requirements, and, if necessary, paid a deposit).

For a visa, first you need to complete and print the online application form, then print and complete the self-assessment form. Then schedule an online appointment and then you need to go in person to the Visa Application Centre, pay the application fee (about 10,000 baht), have your biodata taken digitally (fingerprints and photo), and then submit the required documents. Your application is then processed by the British Embassy and you will hopefully get your visa – the time this process takes varies, but (and this is MOST important) the Embassy will always try to ensure that your visa is issued before you intend to travel to the UK if you need to be there before a specific date (for example, your course start date). A visa may not be issued quickly if it is not urgently required (this is particularly true at busy periods). A visa will usually allow you to travel to the UK no more than one month before your course starts. Also, when you get your passport, check that the visa details are correct (check the validity dates especially).

For all the up-to-date visa requirements, look at these websites:

Visa Application Centre Bangkok - www.vfs-uk-th.com
UK Border Agency - www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Online visa application - www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk