How to select a University in The UK ? 

WHY am I writing this guide ?

Because I have been there, and done that. After hesitating for a long time, I finally managed to make up my mind and come to the UK for studies. There are many guides, on the Internet and books to tell you about the UK culture and all other things. The problem with that is if you are coming from a country which was earlier ruled by the British, then you are very much used to the culture and systems. What you read in this guide is my experience as an international student in the UK and the imporant and practical things I wish I knew before coming here.

Why study in the UK ? 

Maybe you want to study in the UK or in any other country (abroad) away from home, because of many reasons. Perhaps you want to be rich, educated or maybe you just want to get away from your parents !. There are lots of advantages to this (I mean studying away from your country !), like getting exposed to new technology, culture, as they build your exposure , confidence and contacts. Initially it can seem like a lot of money, specially if you are from an Asian country (because of the currency conversion rates). It's always worth investing in your education. Anyway with some hard work you can earn back what ever you spend on your course.

How to select a University in UK ? 

Check University league tables  before you select a University, in the UK there are more than 100 universities competing for your business !. Just click on the link, select the subject you want to study and see the rankings.  

How to select a University in UK ? 

How you find money to pay for your education abroad is very important. See below for the 2 types of student categories depending on how you pay for your education.

Funding your studies

What is Self funding ?
This is where you are paying your course fees and all other expenses like accommodation etc.. You can very easily get into any University even a top ranked one, if you belong to this category.

What are fee waivers and scholarships ?
Best thing is to try and get a scholarship, but this is very difficult unless you are a very good student. A fee waiver is where you don't have to pay for the course, or in other words it covers your tuition fees. In this case you have to bring or earn money for living expenses and accommodation

Entry requirements

Vary depending on the university. Requirements are much stricter for top ranked Universities in the league table. Again, if you are a self funded student, it makes a difference, any University will be happy to take you (and your money)

Courses

The course you select depends on you current level of education and industry experience. For example if you haven’t got many educational qualifications, still you might be able to study at  Universitye (even do a MSc) if you have some industry experience. There are many courses to choose, starting from certificate courses, BSc programmes and MSc or PhD programmes.

Lecturers

How to find whether the lecturers are qualified and experienced enough ?

In many developed countries University education is big business. Especially in the UK there is a huge demand for international students as they bring in more money to universities.
Why you have to be careful about selecting the right course, taught by right lecturers. It’s very important that once you finish your course you will be able to make a contribution to the industry by using your knowledge (you should be able to get a job :). What ever you have studied should be current and relevant to the industry.

Finding the Right Lecturers is very important !

Best way to check this, is to have an email conversation with them or just a phone call. Ask a lot of questions about what they are teaching currently, about the modules they will be teaching, and their view of the industry. Just make sure they know what they teach is relevant to the current industry !. If you look hard enough there are some good courses taught by well qualified and experienced lecturers. This is true even at lower league universities. If you are not satisfied with the one you are currently looking at select some other one !.  For example one of the lecturers I had for my MSc insisted on using Notepad for building commercial web sites (when the industry loved using Dreamweaver). Just check and make sure that they have worked in the Industry. This is not an easy thing to do and definitely don't take there word for it. This way you can get a rough idea before you invest in that particular course :).

Come bearing gifts !
Bring some gifts like tea.  I took some nicely packed tea and a few other things. They were very handy to make friends :). Anyway even if you don't give them away it's there for your use !