Prospects Postgrad UK 2007/2008 - (Page 23) SPONSORED BY www.prospects.ac.uk/PostgradUK ADVICE AND INFORMATION 23 FOOD AND SHOPPING The UK has shaken off its undeserved reputation for bland food and its restaurants, cafes, pubs, supermarkets and shops now offer high-quality, affordable cuisine for all tastes. This is due partly to the influence of ethnic food cultures (Indian, Thai, Chinese, African, Vietnamese and Caribbean to name but a few) and also to a general interest in healthy eating. As well as local markets, you can buy good quality food at a number of cheap supermarkets, including Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons (in the north), Somerfield and Asda. But other supermarket chains, such as Tesco and Sainbury’s, have regular price cuts and it may be possible to shop here if you stick to a tight budget. Most supermarkets also sell clothes, toiletries, stationery and music for less than a lot of high street stores, which is worth looking into if you want to keep costs to a minimum. You can also buy fashionable cheap clothing from high street shops such as Primark, and H&M, or from charity shops like Oxfam. STUDENT DISCOUNT freebies and discounts by owning this card. For more information visit www.nusonline.org.uk If you are aged between 19-26, you will also be able to apply for a Young Person’s Rail Card, which gives you 1/3 off rail fares in the UK. HEALTH Your university will usually have a doctor’s surgery on campus or will be able to recommend one nearby. For urgent health problems most doctors run an open surgery on weekday mornings. Any other health problems can be dealt with by making an appointment. Your doctor will give you a prescription for any treatment, which can be picked up from a local chemist. Prescriptions aren’t always free, but they are usually cheaper than buying treatments directly over the counter. More information about healthcare for international students can be found in the Prospects Applications and Funding Guide and on UKCOSA’s website at www.ukcosa.org.uk/ pages/guidenote.htm#health ENTERTAINMENT and, at Aberystwyth, you can find an Arts Centre, which has a cinema and gallery. You will be able to find out what’s on in local newspaper listings and from your students’ union. Most cities also have free guides to events and places of interest. Again, with some events, as a student you will be able to use your discount card and many museums and galleries in Britain are free to get into. ENVIRONMENT Britain has warm summer and cool winters but it is also known to have quite a lot of rain. Generally speaking though, British weather is clement. Temperatures rarely reach extremes of hot and cold and although Britain has recorded temperatures hotter than Miami, on average, it usually stays at around 23 degrees in summertime and drops to around four degrees in winter. This does depend on where you live though; as a rule, Scotland’s climate is colder than the South of England and across the Pennines, it usually rains more. RELIGION As a student you automatically become a member of the National Union of Students, which gives you membership to your university’s Students’ Union. Here you will be able to take advantage of all manner of services, such as cheap food and drink and you will also have access to a number of free welfare and advisory services. As a member of the Union, you can also apply for an NUS extra card, which gives you huge discounts on food, clothes, music, computing, phones, and a lot more. It costs £10 but you can get access to a number of There are plenty of bars and clubs for students to take advantage of and a lot of venues put on student nights, making it cheaper for you to go out. But Britain has a lot more to offer aside from drinking. There is a thriving arts scene, with world-renowned theatre, and music events, art galleries, museums, and cinemas. There are also many sporting venues up and down the UK, as well as plenty of historical places of interest which can be visited quite cheaply using rail or bus travel. Universities themselves also have entertainment venues, from the student bar to the university art gallery. The University of Manchester, for example, has its own museum The UK’s main religion is Church of England, or Christian but the number of people who attend Church is actually quite small. But the UK does have a strong history of Christianity and as a result, has many churches across the country. Due to its diversity, it also has many places of worship to accommodate Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists. Other faiths may have to search with a little more determination for places of worship, but the chances are they do exist. Every university has a chaplain, who can offer religious support and advice and some universities have societies that represent religious groups. http://www.prospects.ac.uk/PostgradUK http://www.nusonline.org.uk http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/pages/guidenote.htm#health http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/pages/guidenote.htm#health
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