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It's May and all of us taking international CIE A Levels know that means it's exam time! I've just completed 2 papers and have 6 more papers to go till I'm officially free from exams for the summer!!

However, in the midst of the studying and preparation, I've subscribed to a few websites to better prepare myself for the UK!

I've certainly found them helpful and I hope you do too! If the links aren't clickable, then just copy and paste them into your browser! :)

http://www.studentbeans.com/
- Not only does the site link you to good deals and discounts, they often publish helpful guides from cooking gourmet meals with a microwave to spending on a budget!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/6168030/Money-saving-tips-a-students-guide.html
- I'm coming across as really thrifty, aren't I? But I suppose it is a major concern for many who are planning to study in London so here's a guide on how to spend!

http://m.rediff.com/getahead/2007/jul/27abr1.htm
- And a less useful, but absolutely hilarious take on how to survive in the IK. Don't know how true that is but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

It would be helpful to download a map of the area you're heading for and scouring your nearest Tesco or Pound Store to work out how much you'd have to bring from home and how easy it is to get stuff there! And for us Asians, keep an eye out for Chinatown!

Till next time!

All decisions are in, so.. where do I live?

I’m actually really embarrassed for having not updated in so long, but the fact of the matter is that I was too anxious waiting for my replies, and once I got them, I was so busy with my trial examinations (some call them mocks) that I didn’t get around to sitting down and writing something.

Well, all the universities have decided and whilst the anxiety of waiting for results has passed, making a decision is proving to be conflicting as well.

At the moment, I’m leaning more heavily towards my London universities but meeting the conditions of my offer may prove to be difficult as well. =/

Queen Mary has a requirement of A*AA.

LSE has a requirement of A*AA.

Nottingham has a requirement of AAA.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a scholarship student under the Central Bank of Malaysia, meaning that they’ll be sponsoring my education abroad providing I meet my requirements. With that being said, the bank also has the final decision as to which universities I’m allowed to place as my firm and insurance choices.

Whilst this takes away some stress over which university to pick, it doesn’t mean that decisions are out of the picture either.

Certain universities require us to pick them as our firm choice before allowing us to choose our accommodation whereas others allow us to apply but will not consider it till we’ve made our decision. LSE belongs to the latter group and in the past few weeks, my friends and I who hold offers to this university have been scrambling to decide which accommodation to pick. For those looking to reside in London, here’s a few things to consider: -

• Intercollegiate or university hall?

- Certain universities have their own private halls, meaning that you’d be living with your fellow university mates. Intercollegiate halls are halls which incorporate a combination of a few universities. For example, King’s College and Queen Mary are both under University of London. Thus, you could be living with people from various universities in the same area.

• Catered?

I’m looking forward to going overseas and living the life of independence, meaning cooking on my own, etc. However, it does seem a little inconvenient and some halls have dining halls with catered meals. You have to decide if you’d rather have not-so-good food and convenience, or a little hassle but more choice.

• En-suite?

How comfortable are you with sharing a toilet with 6 other people?

• Travel?

Would you like to cycle to university? Does your accommodation allow you that privilege? Or would you rather walk.. commute.. take a bus?

Unfortunately, not all of this information can be found at once place, but I found The Student Room extremely helpful. The website of your university would give you some basic information as well, but it really is worth doing extra research to find out a little bit more, rather than just trust the official photograph on the website.

Till next time!

Quick updates.

It's Chinese New Year in Malaysia and we're all on a week long break to usher in the new year. With trials coming up in a month and A2 looming close in May, it's going to be difficult to keep my eyes on both my studies and my wonderful holiday.

However, for a little good news to encourage me along, I've finally gotten my second offer with an AAA requirement :D This means I definitely have my insurance school, which isn't only reassuring, but lifts a huge load of pressure off my shoulders in case I don't meet my firm's offer of A*AA.

For those still waiting for offers, hang in there! I submitted my application ages ago in September and still haven't heard from LSE. It's totally normal to have universities take their time to reply (according to The Student Room) and hey, at least it isn't a rejection!

However, who those who have received rejections instead of offers, keep your chin up! There's always time for the rest of the universities to respond positively and you don't know what great things lie ahead of you! :)

I wish you all the best and a very prosperous Chinese New Year.

Wait- Hmm…

I’m sorry, UCAS, but I’m not happy with you.

Every time you send me an email, I get irrationally excited, only to realize that rather than it being another offer from UCAS Track, you’re sending me an update from UCAS Media or UCAS Connect (heh?) and as useful as the information may be, it’s just another reminder that universities really can’t seem to make up their mind about taking me in.  

Rather than emails titled ‘Thank you for your application..” or “Latest news..” which although I rationally know isn’t about an offer, how about start every other email with ‘NOT OFFER RELATED – Latest news, etc.”

Now wouldn’t that be a little less misleading?

Jokes aside, it’s been a little quiet from my universities and whilst no news is good news in terms of it not being a rejection, it’s also fuel to this ridiculous flame of suspicion I have that somehow, my application must’ve gotten lost… somewhere?

As I’m still waiting for replies from two London universities and with one London conditional offer in hand, I’m starting to think that I’m better off studying in London than anywhere else. After all, it is the city centre.

I’m compiling a list of pros and cons of London universities versus places in the outskirts so stay tuned and I’ll get that up as fast as I can. Meanwhile, if you do have any reasons as to why you would choose London over other parts of the UK, do let me know in the comments!

Till then!

Mayday!!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair...

It was AS results time.

For hours, the students in my batch were wound like a wire with tension in the air. Nary a conversation had anything else to do besides the results. When it was finally time for them to be released, my class was cancelled due to the sheer disruption as some headed home to check in solitude, whilst others like myself whipped out their phones to check immediately.

In short, I did alright.

For certain subjects, I felt disappointed for I hoped I could have scored better but I'm still grateful to God for having blessed me so far with results which put me in a position of a safe A for A2. Still, if I am to meet my A*AA offer, I'm going to have to work doubly hard than I am at the moment to really do well.

And advice to those checking their results?

- Do it alone. If you feel like sharing how you did, then meet up with everyone else later. Otherwise, it's going to be very upsetting if (God forbid!) you score badly and people ask for your results.

- Don't compare. I have friends who were initially satisfied with their results but after comparing with other friends who did better, they felt very dissatisfied with themselves. At the end of the day, as long as you meet the required grade, that percentile should only matter for your A2 - not to brag about or feel sad for.

- Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best! Whilst I am a strong advocator of hope, I really do strongly advise against optimism to the point of expecting brilliant results. Whilst you can generally tell how you did after sitting for the paper, anything can happen and it’s much better off to expect little and receive more than expecting more and receiving little. Essay subjects like Economics really can be rather unpredictable and you won’t be quite sure till you receive your results..

Till next time!

And that's that.

Cambridge University has always been renowned for its reputation and prestige. Admission to such a university is bound to bring about gasps of awe and a fair bit of respect from peers, teachers, and prospective employers. But unfortunately, I won't be heading there.

I applied for Cambridge with low expectations, not expecting much from such a renowned university. As an international applicant, I interviewed in Malaysia and took the Cambridge Law Test.

The Cambridge application journey is a long one, complete with its fair share of trials. For starters, considering how I took my AS after application period, my forecast results were of huge importance. I had to write my personal statement much earlier than the 15th Jan deadline (before the end of September!) and had mock interviews by my college and education sponsor.

When the application was finally sent out, the journey didn't end there. We had to go through an interview by the universities' representative and for my course, I had to sit for the Cambridge Law Test.

When it all came down to it and the offers were sent out, I found out I was placed in the Winter Pool, which to be honest, already exceeded my expectations.

The Winter Pool or inter-College Pool is an important part of the undergraduate application process for Cambridge University in England, intended to ensure that the best applicants are offered places if they are not selected by the college to which they applied. Any strong applicant who cannot be offered a place by their first choice college will be placed in the Pool and other colleges will be recommended to consider them.

Being pooled is another situation all together. Rather than the direct disappointment of a rejection, there was the added suspense of the wait. I scoured forums for news on other poolees and cheered for those who got 'fished' and sighed with those who 'drowned'. Alas, a week after I was informed of being pooled, I received my rejection email.

At the moment, I only have 1 offer, and this rejection puts me at a 50% rejection which isn't the most encouraging. >.< Still, I'm trying to keep my chin up and hope my AS results are to my chosen universities' satisfaction and they will suddenly decide that they would want another Malaysian law student at their establishment.

As for Cambridge, I felt that I didn't do as well for my interview. I could have put a lot more thought into what my responses were rather than immediately answering with mediocre statements. The Cambridge Law Test, on the other hand, was a joy to do and if all law tests were like that, I would definitely enjoy it.

Although applying for Cambridge in itself is a tedious process and it ultimately ended in a rejection, I'm still glad I gave it a shot and would encourage others to apply as well if they are in the position to. It's definitely an experience and at least you can always say you tried. The interviews and tests are lessons in their own right as well so regardless of the outcome, you would've gained something.

I'll probably blog about my AS results soon and work on being more active on this site. :)

Till then!

An offer?

It’s been a while since I last posted and since then, many things have happened. From a university interview to my AS examinations, and up to my first offer, things have been such a whirlwind.

While my friends received offers left, right, and centre, I honestly wasn’t expecting much. I have yet to take my LNAT, and without it, 2 of my chosen universities would consider my application incomplete, whilst another university is notorious amongst students for giving out offers much later than the rest.

And so, when I received an email by UCAS, I was not only shocked – I was worried.

There is no possible way to make the Application Status Notification any more ambiguous and nerve-wrecking than how it already is.

I clicked from link to link to link.. and after much brain busting to remember my UCAS ID and password, I found out that I was made a conditional offer to one of the top universities for Law in London!  

The relief I felt with that one email was incredible. All that resonated in my head was the plain fact that despite it all, as long as I achieve my conditional offer grades of A*AA, I would be able to go to UK. I wasn’t offerless and I wasn’t doomed. There was hope and it was an amazing feeling.

At the moment, this is the only offer I’ve received so far, and until I sit for my LNAT next week, I doubt there’ll be any more to come in the near future.

It was a quick update but I’ll be back with more on my interview for Cambridge and if all goes well, tips for the LNAT.

To the rest who are still waiting for your offers, it would do no good to advise you not to worry, for I was worried myself. But what I can say is that don’t be too quick to have a ‘fixed’ university in mind. UCAS has allowed you to apply for 5, and these five should be your top five choices. With that, keep your eyes on all five and when even one falls into your lap, feel the elation I felt and be prepared to meet the requirements!

Till then!