Undergraduate Guide

The transition of going abroad is always difficult, Bru Hull society have provided some useful tips or guide to insure that you are well prepared for the journey ahead of you.

First and foremost, 

I.Pre-Departure

It is important that you prepare all important documents beforehand, you MUST also insure that you know the address of the university, the accomodation that you will be staying and appropriate documents to show that you have been offered a place at the University of Hull. 

A useful tip would to bring all of this documents by hand as the UK immigration may or may not ask you to show proof of further studies while in the UK. Important documents such as : 
  1. Passport
  2. A Level/O Level/Foundation/Certificates/IELTS transcript
  3. If you are a scholarship holder, please insure you bring all relevant documents.
  4. CAS/Offer letter ( please insure that you have this in hand while at custom UK border, if you are a new student)
  5. Medical records ( if necessary)
  6. Passport Pictures ( this would be useful when applying for student cards, registering for clinics as well as applying for bus membership, etc. Recommended copies : 20)
II. Accomodation 

Before coming to Hull, it is highly useful to insure that you have found a place to stay during your undergraduate studies. The Bru-Hull society committee will usually hold a Pre-Departure briefing or a get-together beforehand in Brunei. During this meeting, we will tell you of available accomodation, some of which you will be housing with current bruneians student who are either in their 2nd/3rd or master year in Hull university.

The choice is entirely up to you, you can also opt to choose to live in one of the student accomodation. Hull University website provides details description about the student accomodation, but if you still have doubts, please feel free to ask us and we will try our best to help you.

Before signing your contract, you must be aware of several information. For example, the location, the length of the contract and the people who you will be sharing the accomodation with.

It is adviseable to stay within the Newland Avenue/Cottingham Road/Beverly Road area rather than the city centre as it would be much closer to the university campus. 

III. Food and Kitchenware

It has been somewhat, a tradition, for any new students to bring along Instant noodle with them. For the first two weeks of coming to Hull, you may be too busy to cook hence it is adviseable that you bring instant noodle/instant food with you ( this is entirely up to you, of course). Also be reminded that there are some food that are not available in the UK but is available in Brunei. Some food are also sold cheaper in Brunei.

Several food that is best advised to bring:
  1. Instant noodle
  2. Canned Food (Chicken Or Beef)
  3. Corned Beef, Etc.
  4. Milo/Teh Tarik
  5. Food mix are also recommended, for example "perencah" such as nasi goreng mix, vegetable, soups, belacan, etc. 
Please insure that you seal and pack your food appropriately to reduce damages or accidents during travelling.

As for Kitchenware, there are a variety of kitchenware items available here in the UK that are reasonably priced. You can find them from Tesco, Argos,Wilkinson, House of Fraser, Debenhams or even online, IKEA.

Rice cooker are sold in the UK but it can be quite expensive, hence if you have enough space and Kgs, bring along a small rice cooker too ( if you wish to do so).

IV. Stationaries & Clothes

It is highly recommended for any university student to have a laptop with them during their studies( this would be very useful especially since you have to do assignments and research in your own time).

Please insure that you have a harddrive or pendrive with you as well. Advise: Back up and scan important documents such as certificates, IC or passport..  always, so that in case of accidents ( I.e your laptop is stolen/lost), you may not have to worry about your important documents.

Pens & pencils may also be bought from Brunei. Of course, there are always shops around where you may find a wide variety of this. Shops: Tesco, University Union Shop, Wilkinson & more.

! please remember to bring one or two care melayu/baju kurung ( for special occasion, such as junjung ziarah & national day)

! for muslim students, praying necessities such as telakong or alquran/buku Doa2/yassin will not be easily available in the UK, you are advised to bring this along with you.

V. Arrival 

There are several options to getting to Hull. It also depends which airport you would be coming from, those who are flying RBA will usually be stopping at London Heathrow but for other airlines, there are options to head to Manchester Airport.

For those from London:

If you are staying for a few days in london, for scholarship/private students, it is required of you to register for a BSU card at Brunei Hall, paddington. You are not required to do this immediately but whenever you come to london. It may take only a few hours for your registration to be completed, depending on the number of people. The BSU card is important for your stay at brunei hall and during ceremonies such as junjung ziarah. 

To insure fast & easy registration, please fill in the forms beforehand entering Brunei Hall. You may find the appropriate forms from Here . 
Please be aware of the different forms for different students ( i.e Scholarship students are required to fill in the Academic status form 1 and private students are required to fill in Academic status form private)

"once you are in london, its also useful to get an Oyster card ( not a must ), This will be useful in for your future transportation when you head down to london as it is the fastest and cheapest way to get around london."

There are several ways for you to get to Hull from London:

1. By Car 
This will take about 4-5 hours. Depending on traffic and pitstops. 

2. By Train ( King Cross)
The passport pictures would come in handy when you are registering for a Railway card. For students, it is usually (16-25 railway card). This is immediately given to you when you register at the train station. To get to hull by train, it only takes about 2hours and 40minutes if it is a direct train and about 3hours if it is not a direct train.

VI. Phones & Internet
For cheapest option, students usually opt to go to GiffGaff. Although this would require you to wait a few days until you get your simcard. you can read more about it at giffgaff.com

Other available lines are Vodafone, 3, 02 or libara.

VII. Registration 

Once you reach Hull, it is important to know when the registration date is for your specific course( you will usually get an email, if not, please visit your department and ask them. Each new student will usually get a registration pack, explaining the process more in detailed. It is important that you attend all the welcoming departmental lectures, as this would provide you information on modules, lectures start dates and important dates).

It is important that you complete all the form included in the registration pack and bring it with you when you register with the student administration services ( each student will be given a time slot in the pack to know when and where they are required to register). PS; passport photos are needed for this.

Your registration to university will be completed once you have your student card in hand. 

"Basic Registration Steps"

Step One

Collect your registration documents from your supervising academic departments during opening hours.

Step Two

Check that the information in each section is accurate.

Step Three

Take the documents to Student Administrative Services at the indicated dates and times where staff will officially register you with the university.

( Before coming to university, also remember to check your emails from Hull University. Information regarding freshers week and welcoming week are usually given beforehand)

VIII. Getting a Bank Account. 

To open a bank account, you will need to get a letter from the University ( International office) before going to the Bank of your choice. Once you’ve opened your account, you then need to wait for another 1-2weeks for a letter (with your debit/credit card) from the bank. Only then will you be able to activate your account/card. 
There are several options to choose from : Llyods, HSBC, Barclays or Natwest.
IX. Transportation In HULL
For students living around the university campus, it is just a 10-15 minutes walk to Newland Avenue/Beverley Road/Cottingham Road ( where most cafes and several Halal restaurants are available).
To go to the City Centre, Students would need to get the Bus from any of the Bus station nearby. The Bus that goes to city centre are 103,115,105,15. It is easy to spot which bus goes to the city centre as they would usually indicate it on the front screen as " HULL PARAGON STATION" ( this would mean City centre).
It costs about 1.60 GBP (Single ride) and 2.90 GBP ( Return) for any Bus Ride.
There are two types of Buses in Hull, can usually be indicated by the colour. Blue or Red

"We hope this guide has been helpful but please for any further enquires, small or big, please don't be shy to leave us a message."
In hull, we are all a family :) 









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