pattinsen asked: Hi! I was on the Nottingham tag and I found your blog. I just got an offer to do a twinning pharmacy program (2 years in the Malaysian campus, 2 years in the UK). I'm so so excited to go. I'm Malaysian too btw. Are you there on a scholarship? How is it like in the beginning? (Yeah can't lie I'm also pretty nervous about everything)
Hey there fellow Malaysian! Congrats on the offer! I’m sure you’re so excited (and nervous), it’s a pretty big deal going to university and living away from home!
Unfortunately, I’m not here on a scholarship. Fully-funded by my parents. Man those scholarships are hard to come by!
I loved everything in the beginning! (I mean, I still love everything but of course I don’t get as excited about little things like the first time) It was fall when I arrived in the UK so it was cold but not too cold.
Where do I begin.. My gosh it was so pretty! Fall is definitely my favourite season, with the autumn colours and the leaves falling off the trees. The university park campus which is full of trees looks spectacular. (though University Park looks pretty damn awesome in any weather I must say..) I used to go for walks around the lake everyday to take it in.
Transitioning to living on my own for the first time wasn’t too bad, I was in a catered hall so I really didn’t have to worry about much. (I just basically had to show up to meals) Being an international student though, you tend to get homesick but you do get used to it after a while and after all, there’s Skype, Whatsapp, Facebook etc. The most difficult thing was probably living without my Malaysian food! Hahah.
I’m sure you’re dying to know what the course is like. If I had to describe in one word, I’d probably say hectic. It’s a really heavy course with lots of timetabled hours and on top of that you’re expected to do quite a bit of reading and revision to keep up. I struggled initially but as I’m approaching my final first year exam I think it’s safe to say I’m getting used to the higher education system and getting into the groove of things. So be prepared! I’m sorry I can’t say anything about the Malaysian campus or the twinning program as I started my first year in the UK campus.
I wish you the best of luck with university life and if you have any questions send em in!
Hey guys,
This is a min rant as I am so tired of revision. Can’t wait to be done with this paper on the 28th of May!
However I know that once that’s over I might be slightly depressed that my first year at university had just vanished like that. Seems like I just arrived here a couple of weeks ago when I took this picture.
Can’t believe this was taken last September! The first time I arrived in Nottingham.
Anyway I hope all of you are well, and if you have exams I wish you the best of luck!
Much love,
Olivia
So before Easter break I applied to become a student assistant. (for those of you who don’t know, student assistants help out during international welcome week at my university answering queries, and basically just there to help with any problems)
It was such a mad rush because I only found out that I could apply a day before the deadline which was the final day of term. So the night before the deadline I was in a mad rush to not only fill out the application form, but to summon myself to start a CV from scratch. (hell)
This CV and application form had to be submitted by 12pm the following day at Jubilee Campus, (I’m on University Park) and I had a lecture to attend at 12. So of course it decides to snow that day!
Anyway, I thought to myself if I went through all that trouble to get this job and I was unsuccessful I will be truly pissed off. Thankfully the recruitment team saw something in my application and perhaps my exquisitely written CV that they informed me they would like to call back for an interview.
Fast forward to today; I’ve got the job and I can’t wait for September!
On a side note: If anyone reading this is going to be an international/exchange student at The University of Nottingham next year give me shout out!
I moved in to Cripps Hall on the 18th of September (during the international welcome week), then I moved in to my actual accommodation in Willoughby Hall on the 22nd. So I have been living in University Park for a little over a month now..
Sorry I haven’t been updating very often. I have had tons of things to do and catch up on. Week one was full of introductory lectures but it was a hectic week shuffling from building to building (and getting lost). I kid you not, Queen’s Medical Centre is a bloody maze!!
Week two was when the fun started and we got into our actual lectures, I realize by not taking A-Level Biology or actually A-Levels in general means I do have gaps in my knowledge but I should be able to catch up with a bit of reading.
Anyway, the week that just went by was Week 3 on the Pharmacy course. It was a bit more intense than week two with 9am classes from Tuesday to Friday! I’m glad to say that I am getting used to the walk across campus to classes. Sure there are some days where the weather is bad and I want to take the Hopper Bus, but on good days the walk is well worth it. The campus is gorgeous!
Don’t believe me? Here are some pictures!
If that’s not proof enough I don’t know what is!
Anyway, I’ll be off now, I’m organizing my lecture notes, you’d be surprised how much you can accumulate in just three weeks in Pharmacy!
xx
Olivia
So today is the 3rd of September which is officially 3 weeks before the start of my course at university. For those of you who didn’t know, the University of Nottingham has two types of portals for students. One for applicants and one for students.
The applicants portal is where students sign in with their UCAS ID. Up until today, I have been using this portal to check the status of my offer, upload my university card photo, pay fees & of course register!
But today, I finally have access to the students portal! Yay! It just feels more real now that I’m going to university. Plus we have access to the library, students union, and some course details. Though these features aren’t fully accessible yet, it’s still exciting.
Anyway that’s a mini update from me. Will post again next week before I leave for the UK.
Gosh, I can’t believe I’m saying this; I leave in 10 days!!
As always, thanks for reading.
Much love,
Olivia
Yay! This is kind of a late update but I got my first choice of accommodation! I’m pretty happy with it although it’s not exactly in the hall I wanted, Willoughby is so far away from classes.. Anyway, I’m not too disappointed though, I’ve been hearing good things about Willoughby and that the hall has a pretty sweet bar. :)
Looks like I can only get my visa sorted out once I get the confirmation letter from the university itself. Sigh. I have to wait for the letter, hopefully it doesn’t arrive while I’m in Australia..
29th February 2012: Withdrew application from Cardiff, Aston and Queen’s University Belfast. Then put the University of Nottingham as my firm choice.
1st March 2012: Booked accommodation on University Park Campus, I went for the shared en-suite. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll get Hugh Stewart Hall.
Things to be done:
- Get a student visa.
- Book flights & a hotel for my mum.
Hi there! I thought I'd start this blog to separate things from my main blog. This is where I post about my life at the University of Nottingham and occasionally my travels around England/Europe (if I should be so lucky). Thanks for stopping by.
