About United Kingdom - UK
United Kingdom in Brief
The United Kingdom has a rich history. The Industrial Revolution was started by the British and they founded the largest empire in the history. Some of the world's greatest scientists, explorers, artists, and political leaders were from the United Kingdom. The UK offers splendid sights for traveling and provides a fantastic base for exploring places that are rich in culture, history and it's a global hub. There are a number of magnificent old castles, historic sites, beautiful gardens, parks, modern nuclear laboratories, amazing cities, and ancient universities, small villages, and sophisticated industries. The important aspects of British culture include literature, art, cinema, media, music, television, education, philosophy, and architecture. The World's top museums and art galleries are located in Britain. The British Museum in London is known for its archaeology collections. The world's greatest paintings are found in the national gallery and the Tate Britain Gallery. The art councils pay for the theatrical, musical and artistic activities in the country. The United Kingdom is one of the world's major centers for the theatre.
The United Kingdom is a manufacturing and trading nation. It is a major world producer of natural gas and the petroleum. The natural resources are few and it needs many raw materials for manufacturing goods. It's a leading industrial nation and ranks as a steel producing country. The UK is one of the world's major centers of printing and publishing. It publishes books that are exported to other countries throughout the world. Britain is one of the largest clothing industries and processed foods and beverages rank as major industries of UK Mixed farming is followed by many British and the farming methods vary from farm to farm. The crops grown in Britain are barley, sugar beets, wheat, and potatoes. The main chief livestock is the sheep, which is raised for its meat and wool. Fishing is one of the major occupations of Britain. The main fishing ports are on the east coast and the southwestern part of Britain.
ClimateThe weather in the UK is unpredictable and changeable throughout the year. It has a warm moderate summer and cools to cold winters. The sea winds bring the rain. Rainfalls occur all through the year. From time to time mild fogs hang over the parts of the country.
PoliticsThe head of the state is the queen who is a constitutional heredity monarchy. The monarchy is traced back about 1200 years. All the bills passed by the parliament must be approved by the queen. The government is led by the Prime Minister who governs the country and takes policy decisions. The parliament consists of three parts the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the queen. The laws are made in the parliament. The UK military is the most advanced in the world along with USA and France. Economy wise UK is the sixth largest in the developed country.
LiteratureEnglish literature is rich in culture and eight people from the UK have received the Nobel Prize in literature. William Shakespeare the playwright, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, H.G Wells, JRR Tolkien, J. K Rowling, and Aldous Huxley belong to the United Kingdom. Arthur Conan Doyle was from Scotland who wrote detective novels of Sherlock Homes. J.K Rowling wrote children's fantasy Harry Potter Series. Shakespeare wrote the world famous Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Othello.
TransportThere is a good transport system in the UK and the places can be reached easily by bus, train, coach/plane. The United Kingdom has the oldest railway network in the world, built during the Victorian era. Five long distances main lines radiate from London to major cities. The largest airport is the London-Heathrow is one of the most international hubs in the world. Domestic air travel is between London and the major cities in Scotland and the north of England. In the United Kingdom road traffic drives on the left-hand side of the road. The freeway network- the high-speed motorway was constructed in the 1060's and 1070's.
Why study in United Kingdom
The United Kingdom attracts thousands of international students every year for their study. It's one of the most popular study hubs in the world and it has world-class acclaimed universities. Top universities in the world Cambridge, Oxford, London School of Economics are located in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom education system is flexible and offers an excellent education. The degrees awarded are world renowned as World class and of high quality. Less time is taken to complete the programs than in other countries which help the students to save money. It offers short duration master's degree program (post graduation) for one/two years. The UK provides the world renowned scholarships for students to study. The U.K education is affordable, and the international students can manage financial funds. There are different types of scholarship and loans available for students to study in the United Kingdom. A careful preparation for budgets and handwork is required for applying for scholarships. The Europe destination is easier to approach for studying. Britain is a multicultural society, students from different countries from different parts of the world study to obtain degrees. The United Kingdom is open for all traditions and cultures which is comfortable for all students to build a rapport with others. The popular courses the Indian students study in the UK are computer science, business management, communication, law, Social studies sociology.
The Universities of Britain
The oldest and the most honored universities are; 1. The University of Cambridge It was established in the 1200s. The Cambridge University is the second oldest university in the English speaking world. The university includes 31 constituent colleges and over 100 departments which are organized into six schools. The Cambridge University Press is the world's oldest publishing house. 2. The University of Oxford It was founded in the 1100s. The Oxford University is ranked the world's number 1 university by the world university ranking. It's the best university in the world. Oxford has produced a number of Nobel laureates, prime ministers of United Kingdom and government across the world. The Rhodes scholarship is one of the world's oldest international scholarships. These universities have very good reputation due to their tradition, age and the high standards of the scholarship. The UK provides a high quality of education to students as its home of the English. Renowned London Universities are The University of London, The London School of Economics and Political Science, Kings College London and the
Imperial College London. These Universities are called Golden Triangle of United Kingdom Universities and Russell group includes twenty Universities.
Quick Facts
Facts of United Kingdom
United Kingdom is located off the Northwestern coast of mainland Europe.
United Kingdom as a whole is referred as Britain.The official language of Britain is English, and the main religion is ChristianityThe Currency of United Kingdom is pound sterling.The National Anthem of United Kingdom is “God Save the Queen" for the king." It is inhabited by 65.5 million people.The world's earliest railways were invented by the British It is the first industrialized country in the world.75% of the land in United Kingdom is used for farming.It has 28 world heritage sites and 4 in London. Windsor Castle is the largest Royal Home. The Thames River has over 200 bridges and tunnels along its courseThe queen owns officially the mute swans. The largest library in the nation is the British Library. The Edinburgh International Festival is the most famous British Arts Festival. The Island of Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel. This channel has protected the Britain from invasion and has provided the security for the people. The national flag for the UK is known as ‘The Union Jack'Admission Process in United Kingdom - UK
Admission Process
Know the U.K. Admission cycle for preparing the financial funds. Request for the standardized test and attempt for the test - August Prepare application process and know your test scores – September. Start applying for admission –September-OctoberApplication closes – October- November. College sessions start –January-FebruaryFind out scholarship, prepare finances and apply for educational loans. Apply for students visa – May-June. Make departure preparation September.Sessions begin September-October1. Prefer September for applying as it provides adequate time for applying for the visa and manage funds before the sessions begin. The admission deadlines vary depending on the departments and the university chose.
2. Once the offer letter is obtained from the University of your Choice, you need to apply for a visa to study in the United Kingdom. A student visa can be applied only three months before the course starts.
3. Get the confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) and then apply for the visa. You have to provide sources to prove you have enough find to pursue your course in U.K.
Student Visa Application Process
can be applied three months in advance of the last date of the course. Based on the point system
U.K. students visas are awarded. The application of the visa processing takes about three weeks
. For applying for student visa tier 4 you are to be 16 and over. you are offered a place and a course. you have a good command of the English language, you can read, write, speak and understand. You should have passed the English Language test. (SELT) you are able to support yourself and have adequate money to pay for the course. you belong to a country that is not in an European Economic area Documents required for Visa
.
1. Recent photographs
2. Passport details
3. Licensed tier 4 sponsor for the place of the course.
5. Acceptance of students CAS form from the course provider.
6. Proof for financial support for study and stay in the UK
7. Proof of adequate language skills in English
8. Academic qualification documents to attend test and interviews.
9. Undertake tuberculosis test and medical vaccination.
10.16 years or old, consent letter from parents/ guardian
Lifestyle
British Life Style
The British love being outdoors, they spend their time in the gardens. Gardening is a favourite pastime of British. Most people own gardens and are proud of them. They like to visit different places, and they prefer mountain climbing, walking, bicycle trips through the country and some enjoy automobiles. Sports play an important role in the life of British culture. They are sports lovers; the most popular spectacular sport is the football. Cricket has been played for hundreds of years which have been very popular. Cricket teams are a part of every school and university. One of the popular spectator sports is the horse racing in the United Kingdom. The government provides infrastructure facilities such as tennis court, swimming pools, and golf courses for leisure activities. Going to the pub is one of the popular leisure activities for the British.
British follow a simple cooking; their diet includes high fat, salt, sugar and low in fibre. Meat, Fish, flour, eggs, potatoes, and butter forms the staple foods of Britain. They have three main meals a day. The most popular dishes for breakfast include fish and chips which is the traditional Lot of attention is paid to good table manner. The children are taught to eat properly with a fork and knife. Variety of health issues arise due to these eating habits and lead to heart problems. The most popular hot beverage is tea with milk and sugar. Britain is fond of tea drinking. Thousands of tons of tea are imported. Tea and biscuits are served during tea breaks. The favourite alcohol is beer. There are worlds' top restaurants and eating out is enjoyable. British people are reserved and expect politeness and self-discipline. It's appreciated to take a gift for the host and the hostess when being invited.
Britain has a diverse population; one can find people from around the world belonging to different countries. It is tolerant society does not discriminate people based on their gender, race, disability or sexuality. International students feel at home in the United Kingdom, but certain things need to be taken care of to avoid hurting the local people. Avoid littering, spitting on the roads and other places. Do not jump queues. Do not create a scene/nuisance in the public places. Cover your mouth when coughing/yawing.
Cost of Living for Students
Cost of Living
Britain has a diverse population; one can find people from around the world belonging to different countries. It is tolerant society does not discriminate people based on their gender, race, disability or sexuality. International students can choose to stay with a family, homestay or in a residence. Living with a British family helps students to learn about the British culture quickly and to become fluent in English. Homestay provides hands-on experience of eating home prepared food and about the lifestyle of the local people. Living on the campus is a good option to reduce expenses. Students can also choose to stay in a residence sharing with students from other countries. It can be expensive to stay in a city and works out cheaper if lived outside London. Cost of living varies for different courses between the institutions and the part of UK where they stay. Many institutions provide special offers during certain times of the year. Students can choose the courses using the course providers which give detailed information on varied courses. The fee costs for applying for the visa from India is £ 348. Along with this all financial aspects of other things include accommodation rent, food, groceries, utilities which includes internet, gas, laundry, electrical and phone bills, study books, travelling costs and dinging out.
Documents for University Admissions in United Kingdom - UK
Documents required for application
1. Photocopies of class 10, class 12 and degree courses,
2. Two reference letters from the professors, who have taught you,
3. Work experience form the employer,
4. An essay about your life stating the goals,
5. Your career option, a resume stating your academic qualification, achievements and your skills.
6. Photocopies of Score reports of GMAT/IELTS/TOEFL
7. A report of your academic qualification, experience, achievements, your portfolio
8. Proof of financial funds. Apply before the deadlines and prepare for a Skype interview for the admission.
Application deadlines
1. Oxford University
October 15th of every year for undergraduate courses and November 15th and 20th of January for postgraduate courses
2. Cambridge University
15th of October for previous years for undergraduate programs and 7th December of previous for postgraduate courses.
3. University College of London
15th Jan and 30th June for the undergraduate for the September intake.
4. London School of Economics
15th January of session year for the September intake.
The deadline for U.K. admissions in universities in October of the previous year. Application procedure needs to be started a year earlier before the course begins and get into the chosen university. Some of the universities offer admission on a rolling basis. Hence, it is recommended to conduct thorough research about the related department in the university you are applying.