Honest Challenge of Studying in London

Your parents must be proud! For sure!  But let see the fact of studying master in the United Kingdom, especially in London. 

The university will accept you as long as you have money!

Let's be honest. UK's education is a business. You hire a lecturer or professor to teach you. They will treat you as a client and work with you to guide your disertation. Especially, if you are International Student. The tuition fee is twice of the British fees. I did not find any difficulties to get offering letter. I applied for 3 campuses and all of them give me offers. It happened to some friens as well. Maybe you have been read a news with a headline "An Indonesian accepted in 10 universities in the UK.". It is okay to be proud of that achievement, but if you do not have money or scholarship, what it for? The real challenge is when you apply for a scholarship to PAY YOUR TUITION FEE AND LIVING COST.

A city of Uni.

In some cities, the university is the heart of the city. Such as Oxford, York, Leeds, Exeter, and Cambridge. City center is the second place to gather the students. In term breaks, the city is very quite. The restaurant, pubs, and some stores will close. These city is depend on education business. I was living in Exeter and I felt like living in countryside. I prefer live in London because I can see the "people" and the "life". I'd like to increase the reference of entertainment and urban living. In another hand, if you want to study in peace and calm city, choose any city besides London or Glasgow.

Re-check the world university ranking!

Some of campuses are not better than the best university in Indonesia, such as University of Indonesia, Gajah Mada University, and Intitute of the Technology Bandung. The image of "master in UK" sometimes makes people blind. But if you have money and you need the opportunity to live in the UK or as the way to move to the UK, you can choose low-rank university. IT IS TOTALLY OKAY. Student in the UK don't give a fu*k with the world-ranking. Most of the uni have similar facility and access. They have great lecturer and library as well. If the US has Ivy League, the UK has Russel Group. The member of those uni are leading the research. Student in the UK prefer choose program with great module rather than the world ranking since it is the most important.

Daily Student Life.

Do not imagine that you will wake up early morning, have 15 minutes exercise, have a breakfast with coffee and pastry, go to the campus, study in the class and library, have lunch with friends in the park or canteen, go back early to go to the gym, and enjoy the night with british dinner style. IT IS DEPEND ON YOUR HABIT! In my version, I wake up at 7 am - as well as when i am in Jakarta - and then lay in my bed for an hour to scroll social media, wake up to cook meal for a day (which is Indonesian/Asian food such as mie goreng/fried noodle) and prepare a cup of coffee in a tumbler, walking to the school or library (I think it is economical and also for exercise), studying, lunch with my mie goreng kotak in public space, go back early because too tired to study more, sometimes direct to home but sometimes to the park to sit and enjoy the breze. On the dinner time, I warming up the mie goreng on microwave and then eat it in peace. I will end the day with warm bath - I only take a bath for once a day on winter-. 

Living in London is very expensive!

Now you need £1300 per month to live in London properly, but my scholarship only cover £1100. It is super annoying when people said that I am not thirfty enough. I cook everyday, living in private accomodation to reduce the bills, walking to anywhere to reduce the transportation cost, read books in library to keep me not buying a book, sharing film subscription with friends, not going to the film theatre even though I am a film student (because it is expensive), etc. I have to use my private saving. So, make sure your allowance is enough for living and networking (because you need it!).

Do you want to have a job related to your subject?

There are a lot of job opportunities in London. But it following the fact that there are a lot of competitor arround you. However you have experience to work in related subject, your visa is required you to work no more than 20 hours per week. While internship program is a full-time work. You have to be in a term-break to be allowed to work full time. If need work for saving, you can find easier to work in the caffee, theatre, supermarket, etc with minimum wages 9.5£ per hour.

You are not allowed to sick. But it is okay if you are dying.

I paid £700s to health insurance, but I cannot access the doctor easily. If you feel headache or fever on the weekend, you have to drink your paracetamol or ibuprofen until two weeks or more for the nearest appoinment with your general practicioner (GP/doctor). But if you are dying, you can call ambulance easily, and they will take care of you nicely. I experience allergic in two weeks. I went to pharmacy to get the allergy pils but until a week, it does not work. So, I asked injection but pharmacist cannot do that. It supposed to a doctor (imagine how long you need a time to get there). I have to change my medicine, and if it does not work, i have to go to doctor (think again, how long you have to wait.) And for those medicine does not covered by the insurance. They said that I can eat anything but it getting worst when i eat more seafood. I more appreciate Indonesian health care now.

I won't to de-motivate but those are the honest challenge of studying in the UK, especially London in my point of view. Another people might have different challenge. So, you will have your own. A cross from that, you might not face similar problem to me. So, keep trying and be brave!