Hellooooooooo~ It’s Denise, for the millionth time, and as promised in the email we sent out, we’ve got a list of questions that all of you have sent in to us, and now I am here with your answers. -Insert sparkly magic dust + twinkling here-
1. I’d like a packing list/visa guide/list of seniors or buddies or guides/info on buses in York.
We’ve already got all this information on the blog. Take your time to browse everything we’ve got here, because there’s a lot to take in! Here’s our recommended packing list, here’s our visa guide (including other visa/CAS guides here), here’s our list of friendly seniors, and here’s some information on buses in York.
2. How many Singaporeans are there in York?
There’s around 40 of us in total. You’ll realize after coming here that you shouldn’t limit yourself to just Singaporean friends. I’ve made many friends from all over the world, so you should try and mingle too 🙂
3. Preferred phone card?
Ehh… Most of the Singaporeans in York use giffgaff because it’s cheap and fairly reliable. It’s pay as you go, or you can buy monthly plans that top-up automatically. Plus, if you recommend giffgaff to your friends, you get free credit. So we will be giving out giffgaff SIM cards during the orientation events as did our seniors, and the seniors before us, and the… …
4. Travel guides around Europe?
Well… This really requires your own research because here’s the thing- Europe offers a ton of experiences and a travel guide is just not going to be helpful. Depending on what you want from your travel, you’ll need to do different kinds of research. If you’re travelling for food, you’ll definitely want to check for local recommendations. If you’re travelling for history, most countries in Europe offer free walking tours in the summer, where you walk around the city with a guide for free for about 2-3 hours. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, you’ll really need to look into niche sites to figure out exactly what you want.
So long story short. I can’t give you a travel guide. You’ll need to know what you want, and do the research on your own. Trip advisor is a good place to start. Another thing to note is to learn about a country’s mannerisms and culture before going there, otherwise you’ll stand out as a tourist and attract unwanted attention to yourself.
5. List of recommended cafes, restaurants, weekend spots.
There are SO MANY cafes in York, most businesses are small and very homely. I personally would suggest to you to take a weekend to just walk around York. I don’t just mean the City centre, I mean for you to go out and explore York beyond its walls. It can be a real change of scenery. I do think you’ll need to come here and see for yourself what you like. Your seniors will recommend many things to you when you come, myself included, but at the end of the day, it’s really about what you like. People have told me about how good the Blue Boar (a pub) is, but I think it’s pretty average. The pub quizzes are fun, but most pubs have them now so it’s not exactly worth the hype.
Here is my list, and you should take all these with a pinch of salt. Khao San is a great Thai place, £10 for 2 courses on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Happy Valley serves nice XO udon, which I personally love, not so much others. Black Bull has great, but slightly pricier pub food, one of your seniors swears by this place. The Charles is a really nice cheap pub right next to Derwent and is basically almost owned by the uni. Waffle On was absolutely delicious; great waffles, a nice lady, comfortable seats, only problem is it’s right next to York St Johns. Good luck walking there. Lucky Days is really nice. They have nice sandwiches, chicken, frittatas, etc. And if you have the loyalty card, whenever you eat there you get to roll a dice, and if you roll a 6, you pay £1! If you eat there enough you’ll get your own mug and they hang it on the wall and let you use it when you eat in.
Keep in mind though: Eating out is really expensive and tends to be a luxury when you’re on a budget.
6. I’m a vegetarian? How now brown cow?
Most places actually offer vegetarian options. There are many vegetarian options even in pubs, like salads, quorn, and sometimes even offer tofu alternatives. I tried going vegetarian and didn’t really have a problem finding vegetarian options at places I went to. I only failed because I love beef and can’t resist.
Most Indian places have even greater vegetarian options and offer loads of different curries so you can take the cheap route and order takeout as well.
7. Which Freshers page on Facebook is the best?
You’ll find MANY MANY pages, but they are all managed by private companies and the stuff posted on there are just for business. They may not be regulated and may not even be accurate. This is the official YUSU facebook page for Freshers Week and you should also look out for College Freshers Week. After all, your Colleges are the ones who will be planning your Freshers Week. YUSU plans the Freshers fair, which is a fair to get to see all the Clubs and Societies and Sports that the Uni has. The Singapore Society will be a part of this fair so be sure to come look for us!
8. How do lessons work?
If you’ve been to poly/JC, you’ll know exactly how it works. You get a schedule, you go for lessons. There are lectures and tutorials. It doesn’t get very complicated. In fact you’ll be wondering what to do during the weekends when you have so much free time. I say: join a society, join a sport, go crash on someone’s couch for a weekend. Or take a day trip somewhere. It’s fun!
9. The building codes confuse me. Where is P/X/001?
The building codes confuse everyone. Even the Porters. XD
Okay. So the first letter, ‘P’, is the department, or the building. P stands for Physics, not to be confused with PS, which is Psychology (I THINK).
The ‘X’ represents the ‘wing’ or the ‘subsection’ of the building. The letters are assigned arbitrarily and have no relevance to the building whatsoever. For example, Physics has several wings, one being ‘L’, and the other being ‘X’. The ‘L’ wing is the side of Physics closer to Central Hall. The ‘X’ wing is the side closer to YUSU and James, and it is also the site of the Exhibition Hall, which is converted into classrooms/study areas during term time.
The first number you see, being ‘0’, represents the floor number. ‘0’ is the ground floor, which means it’s the one ON THE GROUND. Here’s where it gets confusing. A room number like ‘107’ means that this room is one the FIRST FLOOR, which means the first floor up from the ground floor, i.e. Second storey in Singapore. So a room number beginning with ‘2’ indicates second floor, or third storey in Singapore.
The last number, in this case, refers to the actual room number. If you’re looking for ‘001’, you’re looking for a room ’01’ on the GROUND FLOOR.
P/X/001 is one of the largest lecture theatres in the whole Uni and you’ll probably have your lectures there at some point. It’s also really cold for some reason, so bring an extra jacket in the winter. So now you know how to find P/X/001.
Now for some really confusing building codes:
Anything that has building code ATB (you’re probably looking for ATB/056 or ATB/057) is Alcuin Teaching Block. THERE IS NO ALCUIN TEACHING BLOCK. This building is the Seebohm Rowntree Building that is right across the bridge from the Library. 056 and 057 are lecture theatres that can be joined together to create one big lecture theatre.
AEW stands for Alcuin East Wing. This building is right next to the Seebohm Rowntree Building.
SB stands for Sally Baldwin. This is the site of the Philosophy department and it is right next to the Concert Hall. There are 3 SB buildings so take note of which one you need to get to.
V/X is not actually remotely near the rest of Vanbrugh. V/X is Grimston House, which is also next to Market Square. I think the department of Gender & Women Studies is here.
9. Where to buy Groceries?
See my Where to get what post.
10. How’s the culture in York?
It’s pretty laid back. There are lots of old people because many choose to retire here in York. There are several horse ranches around the Uni, so you might see some owners let their horses loose on the big fields next to the Uni.
The night life is pretty buzzing. There are apparently 365 clubs and bars in York. So… Yeah…
People here are generally very nice and very polite. Taxi drivers will strike up a convo with you, bus drivers are really nice, people in general are very sweet. Although the occasional grandma auntie will bump into you here and there but it’s all good. They’re old, they might not have seen you.
Just remember one thing: If you treat people nice, they’ll treat you the same. Just smile and be polite. If you think maybe you should get something from someone, be calm and tell them your problem. Just because you’re polite doesn’t mean you have to back down. Be firm and assert that this is what you deserve/what you paid for, but do it nicely.
11. How many Singaporeans are doing _____ course?
We’d love to tell you, but we’d also like for you to get to know it for yourself. Trust me, things are a lot better when you make friends in an organic manner. Keep guessing, skippy.
12. How do we check and plan our timetable and exam schedule?
Uhh… Here’s the thing: Timetables are not like in NUS or NTU. There is no bidding and fighting or chionging of any kind.
The University plans everything for you. This does mean that you can get 5pm lectures, but not all the time. As a Fresher/Incoming student, you will only get your confirmed schedule in mid-September. You can access this timetable using your e:Vision account. If there are clashes (which there really shouldn’t be because the Uni’s timetabling robot is AMAZING), you should inform the Timetabling office immediately. However, don’t do so before mid-September because even though you’ll have your schedule, it’s not confirmed and your classes will appear and disappear within the next few days. Wait till you have a confirmed schedule before doing anything.
Exam timetables will be released in the Holiday before the actual exam. If you have exams in Spring, which usually occur in Week 1, you will get the exam schedule, during Christmas break. Summer exams start in Week 4/5, and you’ll get the schedule during Easter break. The exam schedule will be added onto your e:Vision timetable, so keep an eye on your timetable. On the bright side, everything is on one schedule, so you can just download it to your phone and be completely happy wheeeee~
So that’s it… Hopefully I’ve answered your questions, and we’ll see you in York! ~:Denise
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