Singapore Expats

hi, im currently waiting for the release of my A levels results. I'm thinking of going to the UK to study for my degree. however, one of my biggest concerns is whether i can adapt to the culture, lifestyle there as i have never been to any parts of the UK before. Anyone can give me a comparision betwen the 2 countries? thanks!

Major difference for you apart from the weather.......

....don't expect to go shopping or eating at all hours. 95% of everything is shut by 7pm! Okay, slight exajuration, you'll be able to eat...... at least up until 9-10pm.

Adaption on the otherhand will not be a problem. There is already a lot of foreigners studying in the UK.

here are some of the pro and cons

pro...
nice and cold
can afford to own a car/bike

con...
no cheap chicken rice or hokkien mee
cold, wet, windy, cloudy

Pro:

Con: Full of Brits

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Pro:

Con: Full of Brits

there's less brits in UK now. they all gone expat!!! so you will probably see more illegal immigrant by comparison.

You gotta point! Course Plavt is still there.....

what about living costs? cos my family isnt too rich, so even if i go it will be on a realllllly tight budget! like today i was checking out the prices for courts to play badminton, its SGD21 per hr?!?

like what my friends told me, i cant go there n survive on instant noodles and have no life right?

durain wrote:

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Pro:

Con: Full of Brits

there's less brits in UK now. they all gone expat!!! so you will probably see more illegal immigrant by comparison.

It's mostly legal immigrants nowadays, Poles especially. Which is great of course, they replace old local "tribal" traditions with their own folk traditions, instead of bagpipes you get Pole dance.

Practical advice- The UK is far more expensive than Singapore for most things.
You could buy a car, but then the insurance, fuel and road tax would add to the expense.
You can live in certain areas of the country and it is cheaper....the further north you go, the property gets cheaper...generally.
You can go to community centres/sports halls for sport and they will be cheaper than private clubs and again in the north these will be cheaper than in the south.
As a londoner I can tell you London is a cold place to live and I dont mean the weather...it can be an unfriendly place with many cultures all living seperate lives and often in their own parts of the capital.
All the real londoners have moved out to new towns and suburbs, so it is nowhere near as friendly as it was when I was a youngster there.
It depends on where you want to study.....maybe one of the northern or even Scottish universities would be more practical??
People are friendlier,property is cheaper,beautiful scenery and cheaper lifestyle would be a plus for going north of the border!

jockney wrote: It depends on where you want to study.....maybe one of the northern or even Scottish universities would be more practical??
People are friendlier,property is cheaper,beautiful scenery and cheaper lifestyle would be a plus for going north of the border!

Ya' Bas. What do you mean by "even" in there???

Generally Scottish universities have a good reputation too and i don't just say that cause i went to one And i'd still agree to your other plus points, it's cheaper than England.

Depends on where he/she wants to go....I have a house in Scotland and love the place, but have no experience on Scottish universities.
'Even' is just a word....I know some Jocks are touchy though, as I am married to one!
The UK government tell us the Scottish Education system is the best....then we come here and find the education here far superior...so I would not believe what they say too much about anything really!

Don't think it was ever claimed to be the best in the world, just the best of the UK.

Having said that SG system still does have problems, like creating free thinkers and individuality that is being changed now. It does depend on what you are looking for. SG is far better at having students regurgatate facts and figures but less on what the mean or how to expand upon them.

often in Scotland it is stated the Education system is the best in Europe and the world....but in reality it is worse than Singapore and maybe not as good as they believe eh? You only find out how good it is, when you have the chance to try another system and many dont get the chance?
Anyway this post is not about the education system....start another one if you want to talk about that....I was only passing my experience to someone who wanted information.
Sorry for diverting from the point.

hi all, many thanks for the advice!

im actually thinking of heading to university of warwick to get a degree in management from their warwick business school. reasons being, i want to try an education in a new environment [after being educated in singapore for the past 12 yrs!], especially in an environment where i can learn to be independent and where i can interact with an international group of students.

and yea, so the college is located near conventry..? any tips about that place in particular?

Nice part of the country...but would imagine Warwick to be expensive, but Coventry a bit cheaper.
Right in the centre of the UK, so probably a good place to be eh?
You will be within 1 1/2 London on train, Birmingham within 1/2 hour and Wales easily reachable also.
Dont know much about the University....but sure google would help?
Good luck, sounds great