Your advice/thoughts on studying in England
Jul 21st 2014, 5:06 am
#16
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Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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Re: Your advice/thoughts on studying in England
Hello Carolina - you sound like you are such a lovely daughter (can I borrow you lol?!) 
There are many students from all over Asia attending various universities in the UK, Australia and New Zealand; in particular many Malaysian Chinese & Indians study overseas due to the 'Bumiputera' system in Malaysia (ie. ethnic Malays are favoured for university placements, job opportunities etc.) so you would not feel out of place.
I suggested Australian universities because Bangkok is much closer to Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne than British cities, yet the culture isn't too dissimilar to that of the UK. You would be able to get home easily in the university holidays and it would be much cheaper in travel costs. OTOH if you do go to uni in the UK you have Europe on your doorstep and you can travel cheaply and easily to France, Italy, Spain, Germany etc. etc. (if you have a desire to explore Paris, Rome, Venice, Madrid, Berlin)
The British Council has an office in Bangkok (it is a respectable organisation, supported by the British government) What we do | British Council and the good news is that next month they are going to be hosting representatives from British universities to give information to prospective students - (I used to live in Singapore and they would have a 'College Fair' at least once a year which was organised by the British Council)
British Council | Thailand
I've just discovered that there is going to be a 'Mini-Education Exhibition' in August (on my birthday lol!) - see link below but I think there is a mistake on their page, it's unclear whether or not it is at the Intercontinental Hotel or the Grande Sheraton...best to give them a call or send an e-mail enquiry:
Education UK Mini Exhibition 2014 | British Council
Leeds University is not represented on this occasion, but I think it's worth going along to pick up some prospectuses and have a chat, find out how/when to take the IELTS test (International English Language Testing System) exam and scholarships
Your written English seems absolutely fine, but students who don't have English as their native language need to take the IELTS test before applying to a UK college:
IELTS | British Council
You might want to tell your Dad about this
Thai-UK alumni network | British Council
More links:
Study in the UK | Education UK (Global)
Finding a British University Course:
University guide 2015: find your course | Education | theguardian.com
Australia:
Australian university rankings
https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/
Lowest Tuition Fees for International Students | University Reviews Australia
Hope this helps! My very best wishes to you
Oddly enough I've just been invited to go to a wedding in Phuket next March (and will need to fly to Bangkok so will spend a little time there too..... I love Thailand
)
There are many students from all over Asia attending various universities in the UK, Australia and New Zealand; in particular many Malaysian Chinese & Indians study overseas due to the 'Bumiputera' system in Malaysia (ie. ethnic Malays are favoured for university placements, job opportunities etc.) so you would not feel out of place.
I suggested Australian universities because Bangkok is much closer to Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne than British cities, yet the culture isn't too dissimilar to that of the UK. You would be able to get home easily in the university holidays and it would be much cheaper in travel costs. OTOH if you do go to uni in the UK you have Europe on your doorstep and you can travel cheaply and easily to France, Italy, Spain, Germany etc. etc. (if you have a desire to explore Paris, Rome, Venice, Madrid, Berlin
)The British Council has an office in Bangkok (it is a respectable organisation, supported by the British government) What we do | British Council and the good news is that next month they are going to be hosting representatives from British universities to give information to prospective students - (I used to live in Singapore and they would have a 'College Fair' at least once a year which was organised by the British Council)
British Council | Thailand
I've just discovered that there is going to be a 'Mini-Education Exhibition' in August (on my birthday lol!) - see link below but I think there is a mistake on their page, it's unclear whether or not it is at the Intercontinental Hotel or the Grande Sheraton...best to give them a call or send an e-mail enquiry:
Education UK Mini Exhibition 2014 | British Council
Leeds University is not represented on this occasion, but I think it's worth going along to pick up some prospectuses and have a chat, find out how/when to take the IELTS test (International English Language Testing System) exam and scholarships
Your written English seems absolutely fine, but students who don't have English as their native language need to take the IELTS test before applying to a UK college:
IELTS | British Council
You might want to tell your Dad about this
Thai-UK alumni network | British Council
More links:
Study in the UK | Education UK (Global)
Finding a British University Course:
University guide 2015: find your course | Education | theguardian.com
Australia:
Australian university rankings
https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/
Lowest Tuition Fees for International Students | University Reviews Australia
Hope this helps! My very best wishes to you
Oddly enough I've just been invited to go to a wedding in Phuket next March (and will need to fly to Bangkok so will spend a little time there too..... I love Thailand
)We didn’t consider Australia before yet reading people’s comments (especially experienced expats who have had more experience living overseas like yourself!) on here makes me think that we should, at least, consider it as an option – I will definitely look into it more (exchange rate AUD and THB -- is also something that I’ve learned matters
I love reading people’s comments and experiences here because I feel it’s more of a “real” education and how things are in certain countries overseas, and you learn so much more than you normally would
Thank you so so much for taking the time to reply to me and educate me with such informative links, I will definitely check them out all and see what could happen next (dad is open for a trip to the UK yet it might happen next year) though I do feel that some other options are worth exploring, as well
YOU sound like a wonderful mom (with lots of wisdom and life experience) and I hope you enjoy your time in Phuket if you decide to go – if I can help with anything Thai related, I will, and I hope you have a happy happy birthday on next month. Thank you so much again, I learned A LOT
!
Jul 21st 2014, 5:20 am
#17
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Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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Re: Your advice/thoughts on studying in England
I don't know anything about Australia - it just sounded like a good idea when Englishmum said it.
I think it has to be about what YOU want though - Leeds worked for your Dad, something else might be just right for you. If you want to go locally, research that as well and present a good case to him.
I think it has to be about what YOU want though - Leeds worked for your Dad, something else might be just right for you. If you want to go locally, research that as well and present a good case to him.
Thank you for considering my situation and for giving me advice – I’m hoping that some sort of a win-win future scenario is possible
I don’t know much about Leeds (city or uni) other than it was difficult for my dad – advice to experience the UK first (short trip) definitely make a lot of sense!
Jul 21st 2014, 5:51 am
#18
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Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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Re: Your advice/thoughts on studying in England
Australia is just closer to Thailand is all.
This.
Not to put you off or anything but my parents have a lot of pressure on me at the moment to go to uni here in Canada (this would be in 3 years time once I graduate high school) - the problem? I don't want to go at all
Don't do something just because you have respect for your parents and they want you to do it. Only do it if YOU 100% truly want to do it. Don't care what anyone else says/thinks. I've made that mistake too many times in my life and I won't make it with committing 4 years of my life to somewhere I may not necessarily want to be, in a country I don't want to be in.
Do what will make YOU happy, and only that. Elders may shake heads and disapprove at first, but hopefully once they see you are happy they'll be happy for you, even if it wasn't the path they had set out for you.
This.
Not to put you off or anything but my parents have a lot of pressure on me at the moment to go to uni here in Canada (this would be in 3 years time once I graduate high school) - the problem? I don't want to go at all
Don't do something just because you have respect for your parents and they want you to do it. Only do it if YOU 100% truly want to do it. Don't care what anyone else says/thinks. I've made that mistake too many times in my life and I won't make it with committing 4 years of my life to somewhere I may not necessarily want to be, in a country I don't want to be in.
Do what will make YOU happy, and only that. Elders may shake heads and disapprove at first, but hopefully once they see you are happy they'll be happy for you, even if it wasn't the path they had set out for you.
Perhaps this pressure is linked with my own fear of a country/culture I haven’t yet experienced in person (and how things are much more expensive compared to where I live) --- there’s no (thankfully!) pressure to study something that doesn’t fit my personality (like maths, haha
Do you, perhaps, have a subject in mind that you’d like to pursue in the future?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it’s good to hear (read) different people’s point of view and thoughts
Last edited by carolina212; Jul 21st 2014 at 5:53 am.
Jul 21st 2014, 1:29 pm
#19
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Re: Your advice/thoughts on studying in England
Hi Gozit,
Perhaps this pressure is linked with my own fear of a country/culture I haven’t yet experienced in person (and how things are much more expensive compared to where I live) --- there’s no (thankfully!) pressure to study something that doesn’t fit my personality (like maths, haha
Do you, perhaps, have a subject in mind that you’d like to pursue in the future?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it’s good to hear (read) different people’s point of view and thoughts
Perhaps this pressure is linked with my own fear of a country/culture I haven’t yet experienced in person (and how things are much more expensive compared to where I live) --- there’s no (thankfully!) pressure to study something that doesn’t fit my personality (like maths, haha
Do you, perhaps, have a subject in mind that you’d like to pursue in the future?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it’s good to hear (read) different people’s point of view and thoughts
If I absolutely HAD to go i'd study something IT related. And in fact I may go after I've done some mucking about traveling and such, but probably only if something doesn't work out and i'm in dire need of some sort of career.
Jul 21st 2014, 2:20 pm
#20
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Your advice/thoughts on studying in England
Hi Sally,
Thank you for considering my situation and for giving me advice – I’m hoping that some sort of a win-win future scenario is possible
I don’t know much about Leeds (city or uni) other than it was difficult for my dad – advice to experience the UK first (short trip) definitely make a lot of sense!
Thank you for considering my situation and for giving me advice – I’m hoping that some sort of a win-win future scenario is possible
I don’t know much about Leeds (city or uni) other than it was difficult for my dad – advice to experience the UK first (short trip) definitely make a lot of sense!
