“ My experiences in the UK have been very good. I’ve learned a lot of things, especially how to adapt to a new culture. My life here is totally different from my life in Thailand because I have to do everything by myself. In Thailand , you can get whatever you want, but here you can’t – you have to adapt a lot. Anyway, studying in the UK has made me become more mature, both physically and mentally. Studying itself is not hard. In my opinion, it is much easier than at ABAC. The main problem is language. I would recommend other students who want to study in the UK to do the following:

You should study English first - dialects are sometimes very difficult to understand, but the people are very friendly, though!

For a student who gets IELTS 7.0, I still recommend that you study English courses here in the UK – I got IELTS band 7.0 from Thailand and 3.70 GPA from ABAC. Before I came to the UK , I thought that my English was OK; I thought that I would not have any problems about it. In fact, I STILL can’t understand many native English speakers!!! I can only understand English with an ASIAN English accent!!!”

Good luck and have fun as I do in the UK!
"Porn"
MBS {Master of Business Studies} student at Liverpool John Moores University

“ We enjoy living and studying in the UK so much! Studying here in the north is not the best for shopping, but it is much cheaper than other universities. I recommend the following to any prospective Thai students to the UK :

You should get ready in your English skills in every aspect, particularly listening and academic writing. Academic writing is extremely different from studying academic writing in Thai universities or wherever you have learned.

Writing is very formal and they are very strict about plagiarism – don’t copy other people’s work! This is OK, though, because you don’t learn anything if you copy!

Don’t worry too much about ranking of the university - you may not be able to graduate from a top university because studying there is so hard. You must understand your ability first and then make a consideration. Don’t waste money without getting something back – it is too expensive to make a mistake!

In general, studying a Diploma and Access to Master’s programme (or a Pre-Master’s) is good for students who are not so good at English. This course can help and improve your skills, although how much you will develop your skills depends on your background. Investment in your future now is very important for your future and for the future of Thailand .

I want more relaxation, more money, more sweets, in fact I want more of everything!"

"Nong"
FDME for Master's at the University of Salford

“Studying in England is good, but you have to prepare yourself in every aspect, not only for studying, but also for living. You have to make up your own mind because you have to stay alone far away from your home and you cannot trust anybody. There are a lot of problems waiting for you. However, if you can get through it you will be much stronger.”

"Wut"
MBS {Master of Business Studies} student at Liverpool John Moores University

“One thing that I have found from two and a half years of studying at the University of Bristol is that it is a warm and friendly place. The Thai community in Bristol is very close-knit, and I feel a sense of belonging and security. My Thai friends are the people I turn to when there are difficulties in my academic and personal life. My relationship with them has been a source of inspiration to me and the lessons which I have leaned from them have given me valuable skills for the future. I have never doubted that some of them will become my life-long friends.

 The course I have studied was extremely interesting. It covers all the major religions of the world, and for each religion it highlights its most important aspects, such as history, practice, texts and philosophy. In my second and third years, I was able to study many topics, which were the specialist areas of research of lecturers. Regular presentations and debates were assigned, for which I had to do a lot of research. This proved to be immensely satisfying. I have also had the pleasure of writing my own dissertation in the final year. Not only has the course given me great respect for world religions and many transferable skills, but from it I have also gained a much wider and more open perspective of the world than I had before. I believe that this openness is essential to living in the interconnected, diverse and pluralistic world of today.

"Potprecha"
Theology & Religious Studies 2000-2003 at the University of Bristol

"I'm very pleased to tell you about the university. Loughborough is a good university. Even though it is not so famous, its name is well recognised. In fact, the Business School is placed almost the same as other famous universities. There are about 10 Thai students here - half of them are doing PhDs. I like the town very much because it's small - the shopping isn't great, but it's cheap compared to others. It's easy to get to other places - London is less than 2 hours by train and Nottingham and Leicester are only 20 minutes away.

During the pre-sessional course, the University will arrange accommodation for you, but after that you have to change to the one you choose. Normally, we have 3 choices. David Collett Hall of Residence is on the campus and it's full catering. Other Halls on the campus, Falkner and Eggington Courts, are self-catering and you have to share facilities with 7 other people. The third choice is Forest Court, for postgraduate students only, where I live. It's about 20 minutes from the University in the town centre. I share a flat with 3 other girls - don't worry, it's not a mixed flat!! We have an excellent computer network. From my accommodation I can access the Internet or the University network at a speed of 100 MegaBit/Sec, ja.

It's quite hard to find a part-time job here because it's a small town, but I normally work at a Thai restaurant once a week. The people are so nice and it's just 10 minutes from where I live. It's good to have a part-time job, but I don't really recommend it because your course is quite hard.

I hope this is useful for you. If you have more questions, I will try my best to answer them. I'm very proud to make other Thais recognise this university"

"P'Ake"
MSc in Banking and Finance at Loughborough University

"Aside from being proud of studying at the University of Sheffield, there is no doubt that I am happy living in Sheffield. I have been here since January 2001 and have enjoyed being with foreign and Thai friends. The social activities among students are aplenty, for instance, sports, shopping and cooking. I usually play my favourite sport, tennis, with a small group of friends and we sometimes join a larger group playing badminton and squash. Twice a year, sports teams comprising of Thai students in the UK participate in the Samaggi Samagom's Sport Games and the Four University Sport Games.

In England, it is common to hang out with friends at a pub, bar or restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights. Therefore, they are good opportunities to gain new experiences and practice my English. My friends and I sometimes group together to try different types of cuisine at good eating places. The traditional famous dish of this region is the "Yorkshire Pudding", which I was fond of after my first try!

Sheffield is a nice place to live. The city size is neither too big nor too small. Shops are all in easy walking distance and thus it is just nice for people like me who enjoy walking. However, there is an option of taking the bus around the city. Wonderfully, the Sheffield bus fare is just 20 pence! (that's about 12 baht!). There is a good variety of shops ranging from food stalls in the open-air market in the city to the retail stores in the shopping malls. Thus, there is a huge variety of shopping places. Additionally, the national park - The Peak District" is fairly close to Sheffield. It takes less than an hour's drive to get there. It is nice to be able to visit such a nice place in less than one hour from my flat.

In short, this is my experience of studying and living in Sheffield. Clearly, the University of Sheffield provides a great opportunity for me to learn and complete my goal. I really enjoy studying and living here"

"Yingsawad Chaiyakul"
PhD in Architecture at the University of Sheffield

“I did an MA in Landscape Archaeology at Bristol and now I’m doing my PhD. I decided to come to Bristol firstly because it has been a leading UK university for a long time, secondly because the structure of the course met my anticipation and, thirdly, because it is a nice, attractive and convenient place to live.

My department is located in an 18th Century building (that’s about 350 years old!) – it was a Baptist Church before we started sharing it with the History of Arts Department. I started my MA in October 2000. It was not easy; in fact it was really tough. I had a lot to catch up with European methodology (let alone British archaeology!) and learn to deal with materials that were not familiar to me. Fortunately, with great friendliness, support and encouragement from my supervisors, lecturers and colleagues, I seemed to cope really well. In fact, as I enjoyed the lectures and the field trips very much, my deep interest in this subject began to grow more and more. I then considered furthering my education in this field for the sake of my future career. I applied for a university scholarship in May 2000 with the hope of studying a PhD at Bristol. I achieved an MA with a commendation, to which I gave all the credit to my supervisors and colleagues who had helped me throughout the year. Good news came to me in September 2001 – I had been awarded a university scholarship to study for a PhD in Archaeology! My joy was overwhelming and I felt really honoured as an overseas student to have been given this opportunity by the University of Bristol.

I started my PhD in January 2002; my research topic is on Thailand. I have two supervisors; one used to be involved in archaeological research in Thailand and the other has carried out research on Southern Asia. With the enthusiasm and wide-ranged interests of these two scholars, I have improved my research skills. They are also keeping me on track. My department runs several projects in the local area where I can have real experience of archaeology such as in excavations. Moreover, we have an Archaeology Society which organises seminars every fortnight during term and guest lecturers from various disciplines talk about their own research areas.

Life in Bristol is enjoyable. The city itself has a lot to offer, especially for those who are keen on urban life, but not a fast life. The University buildings are scattered in the city like many other traditional universities in the UK. Bristol city attracted me in the sense that it seems to have a feature of combination between old and new. Historical churches and buildings as well as traditional markets can be seen near to modern shopping areas. What I enjoy most in Bristol is the variety of coffee shops on the High Street where I can meet up with my friends. Besides this, I have found that theatres (where actors perform plays live on a stage, NOT movie theatres!!) are another source for learning British culture, and Bristol has excellent theatres with several exceptionally good productions.


I live in postgraduate accommodation near to the University and shopping areas. The place is nice and clean because it is run professionally. The University has excellent sports facilities, including a brand new sports centre and a large swimming pool which I often use. Near to where I live there is also a park on a little hill where I can have a walk and enjoy the view of Bristol city.

On the whole, my experience in Bristol has served my academic and cultural purposes of living abroad.

"Podjanok"
PhD in Archaeology at the University of Bristol