Cardiff University Pre-Departure Briefing

Croeso !! (Welcome- Welsh)

This post is dedicated to my friends who had missed the briefing last week (19th July) which was held at Grand Millennium Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. For those who have not attended yet, I suggest you go to the one in JB this August.

So, I'm going to go straight to the point. First, they did an introduction bout Cardiff. Cardiff is the capital city of Wales. So there's pretty much of everything there; great shopping outlets, 'Harry Potter' styled buildings plus 330 parks and green spaces. It's also located approximately 2 hours from West of London. (They showed us one video bout Cardiff. I don't have it here, sorry~)

 

Next: Visa. You need to wait for your results first so that your offers changes from Conditional to Unconditional. Then, Cardiff will send you an email to confirm your details for the CAS number. Only a week after you check your details, they will send it to you. (x pasti la plk kalau mmg kne after betul2 seminggu or within that time). After you got your CAS number and TB certs ready, you can apply for Visa. Its called Tier 4, General Student (Diorg kata ada satu lagi jenis Tier 4.. So don't get them mixed up yerrr..) Plus, they said something bout preparing financial document in case diorang nak tgk (I really don't know what that is...)

Third: Accommodation. I'll assume that most of you had already applied them. They said the earliest moving date is 17/18th of Sept. So if you arrive early, you have to stay in hotels or other places first. There's internet access and they will try to mix up everyone in order to create a more diversified environment. To pay them, you can do it either by installments (ada 3 installments) or lump sum by using credit card/ bank transfer/debit card. The first installment are paid after moving in. So, you don't have to pay anything first for accomodation (For undergrads la.. Postgrads kne bayar duit pendahuluan)

Fouth: Enrolment. There are two enrolments needed to be done: online enrolment and school enrolment.The online enrolment is VERY IMPORTANT. We need to confirm the details and pay the first tuition fee installment; 3 to 4 weeks before the course starts. (Yang ni rasanya nnty Cardiff akan hantar email utk remind but the payment kne discuss ngan JPA mcm mne) As for the school enrolment, ni buat after arrive in Cardiff. It's about module choices, collecting timetables and meeting tutors. 

Fifth: Money. For the JPA students, we just bring what the amount that they provided. Other scholarships or private students, they advise to bring enough cash for at most 2 weeks before opening a bank account there. It's advisable not to bring too much cash in hand. In Cardiff, there are about 5 banks (HSBC, Barclays, etc ) Yang HSBC tu, kalau nak bukak siap2 kat Malaysia pnyer, amik yg HSBC Premium. That one is for international. Now, to open a bank account, you need to have student ID, passport and bank letter from school (Cardiff)

Sixth: Travelling to Cardiff. There will be a free coach collection service that will pick you up at Heathrow or Cardiff Airport. But you have to book it first. (Tengok kat website Cardiff).  http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/for/prospective/international/coming-to-cardiff/before-you-arrive/coach-collection-service.html The bus will be provided on the 17th and 18th of Sept and the last bus leaves at 3pm on the 18th. So make sure you arrive before that. If you missed them, boleh datang Cardiff simply by bus.

Seventh: Welsh/Cardiff Culture. 

Tips 1: Clothes. Need to have at least one of these 3 items; umbrella, Wellington Boots (rubber bases) or rain coat. 

Tips 2: Language

Cheers or Ta - Thank you

Lush              - Great or Brilliant

You Alright?  - How are you? or Hello?

Tips 3: Life in Cardiff

-Taxi need to be booked. (X boleh tahan taxi kat tepi jalan mcm kat Malaysia)

- Healthcare free (not include dental)

- Plastic bags costs 5 pence each

- Be prepared to answer questions bout Malaysia. Ex: about the multicultural in Malaysia. They don't quite understand how Malaysia have many races. 

Eighth: What to bring.

Hand Luggage

- Passport

- Offer letter

- CAS letter (Very important)

- University Residential Agreement

- TB Certs

- Medical reports

- Arrivals Guide

- Money

*Extra copies of each document

*Separate the originals from the copies.

Check-in Luggage

- T-shirts, long sleeve shirts

- Long pants, shorts, leggings etc

- Thermal Wear *

- Winter Jackets (Advised to be bought in Cardiff)

- Formal Wear (For formal occasions)

- Traditional Wear (Baju Kurung)

- Toiletries

- Stationery (Senior ckp kat sana x byk pilihan)*

- Dry Food ( Milo, Instant noodles, spices, homemade cookies etc)

- Personal Momento ( stuffed toy, diary)

Student Essentials (beli kat sana)

- Bedding sets (pillows, pillow cover, duvet, etc)

- Hangers

- Table lamp

- Cooking utensils

- Laundry basket

- Washing Liquids/Powders

- Toiletries

- Groceries 

Ninth: Foods

- Cardiff Market

- Local Supermarket (Tesco Extra, Asda- Has halal chicken, Sainsbury)

Tenth: Halal Restaurants

- Cafe' Malaysia (ada nasi lemak)

- Subway (Talybont)

- Uni Kitchen

- Magic Wrap

- The Taf (halal chicken)

- Red Hot World Buffet (partial halal food)

- Restaurants on City Road

Eleventh: Taxi's

- Capital Taxis 029 20 777 777

- Dragon Taxis 029 20 333 333 **(Recommended. Boleh download apps)

- Premier Taxis 029 20 555 555

Twelfth: Mobile network

- Giffgaff **

- O2 **

- Vodafone

- Orange

Thirteenth: Festival of Diversity (F.O.D)

One of the biggest events organised by the Malaysian Students Society where the are a lot of activities such as acting, singing and dancing and showing the beauty of Malaysian cultures.

 

That's all I guess.. There were also slots on work experience. I won't write it in this posts. It's long enough already. I don't think there's much to tell on that anyway. They basically explain on the Do's and Don'ts of CV's.

So...Toodles!