Hello after  a long hiatus! The last couple of months have been a busy busy time for most of us haven´t they? Except for those of you making last minute university applications, accommodation bookings and visa applications must be well underway? Just another month to go! I hope I´ve been able to answer some of the questions you´ve had about studying and living in the UK and I hope my posts and my e-book have made things a little easier and comfortable for you. I wish all those of you flying to the UK next month, a very happy countdown to departure!

This post, by the way, is not for you! It´s for those of you who haven´t been able to make it to the universities of your choice, and are looking for a second chance.

Read on…

We’re well into May, and those of you with offers are probably looking into accommodation options now? Read the Uni vs Private Accommodation post to figure out which one is for you! If you’ve decided on uni accomm, life becomes much simpler because you simply have to study the brochure and the website, shortlist a couple of places you’re keen on and make an application! But if you’ve decided to go down the private accommodation road, things become a little confusing. How do you look for a place sitting seven seas away? What does bedsit mean? And what do bills include? And what’s a detached house? And also, where do you search for rooms and flatmates?

I’m going to try and tackle these worries one step at a time. How about we begin by figuring out where to look first? Read on…

Just back from a lovely afternoon get-together, happy on tiramisu and carrot cake and rasberry meringue and all kinds of salads! I’m one of those folks who can’t enjoy a party unless there’s good food (no matter how fabulous the music is or how brilliant the company is or how much alcohol is flowing!), and so am feeling very content because there was a bit of it all! I made my two penny bit of contribution to the snack bar as well (and hope it made some stomachs happy!), and that brings me to party food recipe no 2! Read recipe 1 here.

Roasted vegetable and pesto salad

Read on…

What is a summer internship?

A summer internship is an opportunity to work in an organisation as a member of the team for a certain period of time in the holidays so as to gain valuable work experience in an industry of your choice!

Am I eligible to apply for an internship?

Summer internships are usually for penultimate year students (students in their second last year of university) and graduates. However each organisation has it’s own criteria, so it’s best to get in touch with them to enquire if you are eligible (incase the information on the website is not clear)

How long does it last?

Summer internships usually last for about 4-10 weeks. Some could be slightly shorter or longer.

Do you get paid?

Read on…

And we complete 3 months of MTG!

I’ve added a few new features to the website:

- There’s a twitter widget in the right-hand sidebar with my latest tweets – so if you aren’t already following MTG on twitter, that widget will keep you informed of most student-news updates. The widget doesn’t display retweets, however, so you could follow MTG for the whole deal!

- There’s an Amazon widget in the right-hand sidebar that you can use to shop for books, cds, dvds, gadgets, and anything else you fancy on Amazon

- What all you prospective students would find most useful is the Student Talk feature recently introduced. It’s a collection of interviews with alumni and current students from various universities across UK.  The project is still in its infancy, and you can help it grow by contributing! Click here

- There’s a new testimonials page. I’m so glad MTG is being appreciated! Click here

-  There’s a Flickr widget in the right-hand sidebar that streams photos of interesting places I’ve been to and have blogged about in the UK!

Some other updates:

- MTG now has over a 100 Facebook fans! Hurrah! Become one too – click here!

- The Orkut community has over a 180 members! Join in!

Thanks everyone for all the support and appreciation! A special thank you to everyone who helped with the Student Talk section – thanks for taking the time out

Here’s a little something I learned the hard way: don’t buy books and electronics and other similar bulky items from home and carry them along with you to UK! There’s always Amazon.

I made the mistake of utilizing almost 10 precious kilos of my measly baggage allowance to bring with me books and pots and pans and a laptop. This in itself was the result of many many trips to book shops to find the books that were on the reading list provided to me, and much time and effort spent squeezing all of them along with the pans and laptop into my suitcase. And when I reached UK, I realise that not only had I (and some other equally paranoid international students like me) different editions of the books from those my classmates had, and pans that didn’t sit too well on the hob,  but that I’d actually spent way more than was necessary! Quite a shame!

Read on…

This is something that actually took me quite by surprise too.

The simple three round-pin plug that many of us use back at home requires an adaptor (because in the UK, plugs have flat pins) that is impossible to find anywhere in the UK! I’m surprised because when I was a student at university, they were available everywhere. Unfortunately, the shops now sell only an adaptor that is suitable for the smaller version of the three round-pin plug! I’ve looked in every supermarket and every hardware and electrical store.

Read on…

Poundland – almost everything under the sun for £1 ! Sounds too good to be true?

Read on…

I remember when I first came to the UK, shopping was a frightening experience! Simply because I wanted everything on the shelves and being on a student budget, I couldn’t exactly afford it! And believe you me, that’s a tough state to be in. Especially if, like me, you’re the kind of person for whom shopping is therapeutic!!

Read on…

I just discovered this website that I wish I’d known of earlier! It’s called My Voucher Codes, and as the name suggests it’s stuffed to the brim with some fabulous discount vouchers and codes.

And it’s very easy to use. You simply search for what you’re looking for, and you get a list of offers. You then find an offer that interests you, get the voucher code for it, and use that code when you shop. The only thing that needs to be remembered is that most vouchers are only valid for ONLINE shopping.

Apart from voucher codes, the website has also put together a list of deals available at various retailers. Read on…

A pack of sandwiches, a bag of crisps, and a bottle of water – all for just £2 ! Not bad, I say!

Carry a one pound coin with you at all times! Very useful. Especially when you’re in the supermarket with a shopping list a mile long, and you realise that you can’t have a trolley because you don’t have the pound coin to unlock one.

If you find something else (I found a tiny McDonalds token) that’s the same size, it’ll work too!