Hi All:

First of all, I'm not completely sure where to post this: I settled for Current PhD as I (sorta) am one and those are the people who will have the experience that I want to mine for answers.

I'm from the US and will be arriving in the UK this Sept to start PhD Research. I'm in the middle of student visa hell while trying to figure out banking (THANK YOU for the info on this site--it's the best I've found so far!), accommodation (I'll be doing student housing 1st year as I don't know London, so maybe 2nd year I'll go private), and scholarships (of which there are nearly NONE for me, as an American studying for a Creative Writing PhD).

My question is: what am I forgetting? With all of the paperwork and forms and applications, etc., I am afraid I'm going to forget or miss something important. The paperwork and everything have been a total pain in the butt, but otherwise it's all felt "too easy," which makes me wonder what it is that I'm going to suddenly be faced with upon arrival in a few months!

Anyone else a US to UK PhD transfer? Did you have the same experience? Am I being over-cautious?

Thanks,
kaya

Do you not have to get a student visa? - totally not sure on all these things!

I would also try and learn some of the lingo so you don't end up in any embarrassing situations e.g. pants are underwear here not trousers. ;-)

What about:

1) health insurance whilst overseas?
2) organising shipping of some of your key papers and books (if you can, try and scan loads with a modern photocopier/ scanner to pdf files on a usb pen or laptop - zero weight!)
3) Since you will be in London, think about getting an Oyster card a bit before you arrive and topping it up online (re-loadable integrated transport card in London that is cheaper than paying with cash individually for trips)

Check the health care position as I think you may be entitled to NHS care as you are a long term student. Hospitals in london are very good medically but the NHS ones are not like hotels (but hopefully you won't need it). You should register with a General Practitioner (general doctor) when you arrive - these are the only way you can access specialist doctors (other than via the emergency room of a hospital). The international office at your university should be able to advise you on how to do this.

Dental care is effectively all private, again you can get information on this fomrthe international office but as you are in London you may be able to get treatment at a dental school.

You should also enquire when you get your visa about whether there is a work permit attached to it (they have changed the rules recently but when I did my MSc there were quite a few non-EU students who were on the course and they were able to work (limited hours a week - 16 I think)) - that might help with funding.

You could also check what the position is regarding Schengen visas (which covers most of Europe) so that if you want to take advantage of being close o Europe adn do some travelling- not sure of the position for US passport holders but I know that some other nationalities hav eto get an EU visa) although that is something that will probably hav eto wait until you arrive.

Other things to do after you arrive is get a student identity card for discounts on all sorts of things, student rail cards which give discount on trains (if you want to see some of the UK while you are here this is probably the best option), check out the driving licence position (although if you are in London you probably won't need this)

A pair of quality Umbrella and a raincoat?

Check! (and done!)

It looks like I can use NHS since I'll be there for more than 6 months, yet I still have to carry my own insurance. That has been a bit confusing, but I'm figuring it out!



Yes, acc'd tot he visa I can work 20 hours a week during term.



I had not at all heard about that. I just assumed that my passport would allow me to travel to other countries. Thanks, I'll look more closely at that!



I've looked into the Intl student ID card and will get one of those this summer. But, having done a car trip in Ireland a few years back, there is NO WAY I'm going to opt to drive in the UK!
:-)

Thanks for the tips! I appreciate it.

I'm in the midst of figuring that all out.



THIS has been on my mind. I've been front-loading some research, and the books I've been reading are, to put it mildly, large and heavy. I should be able to get through them before I leave, and there is really one I want to take with me (luckily, it's one of the smaller ones). I figure, though, that I should be able to get any of these books there, as I'll be spending much of my time at the British Library. Plus, many of the books I'm working through are actually British! But the scanning is a great idea. Thanks!



Check. That was on my larger to-do list. I wasn't aware that I could get it before I flew, though.

Thank you for the tips :)

Oh, I definitely have to get a visa! I'm nearly ready to finally apply--sometime in the next week. Waiting on info from the school, going back and forth to get info elsewhere--it's all been a bit of a slog.



Ha! Yes. I know a lot of the different terms, but the pants thing will probably be my undoing!
Thanks :)

RE: Oyster, you might want to wait until you know whether you are needed 5 days a week in the office - then you can get a season ticket version and I think you get better student discounts, but you need a photo card and probably proof from your uni.

I'll actually be spending most of my days at the British Library, but since I'll be living a couple zones away the Oyster card is a good idea.

In my experience as International student in UK is... You will definitely need to ship/ store your stuff often and to find a good/cheap company will be hard.... Storage companies can be a bit doggy and expensive. After 3 years of PhD I can say the only shipping /storage company who did not lost any of my boxes was www.onestopworldwide.com the only thing you have to wait a bit to get through but not a big deal.