How I did it: I saved up money, applied for an MA program at a british University, was accepted and booked a flight. Now I've been here for two days, and will be staying for one year. The preparations weren't as bad as I thought, but that might be because I am a EU student.

Lessons & tips:

• Find out early all the differences between your country and England, e.g. the sockets are different, the health-system is, what insurance and visa you need and prepare accordingly (take an adapter etc)
• Find a place to stay first, then book a flight, that worked well for me.
• Prepare a list of things you need to take with you and plan your packing carefully.
• Print out maps and other information before you leave, because you don't know when you'll have a printer and internet on hand the next time.
• Get enough british cash and make sure you have an account to draw money from. A credit card is definitely needed, too.

Resources:

• http://uk.easyroommate.com and http://www.spareroom.co.uk, both of which were very helpfull with finding a place for a year that already has furniture
• My University website had lots of useful information for international students, on all kinds of topics, from living cost to maps and info about the swine flu...
• Ask people who've done it before, especially if they went to the same city as you...

Sep 20, 04:20AM PDT | 0 comments | 2 cheers