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Preparation for University of Strathclyde
1) Visa
If you are a Singapore citizen, congratulations! There’s no need for a Visa. If not, a Student Visitor Visa usually suffices. Check out http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/singapore/fees/?langname=null to confirm the type of Visa you need. It usually takes about 2 weeks to process your Visa application, and your passport will be kept by them, so do plan ahead to make sure you have ample time. Prepare all the documents you need (be kiasu!) so that there won’t be any hiccups. They would require both originals and photocopies, and the photocopy machine there charges quite a high rate, so make your own copies before heading down.
2) Accommodation
The university provides student accommodation within campus, and exchange students usually get allocated to Birkbeck Court (http://www.strath.ac.uk/accommodation/virtualtours/birkbeckcourt/). Each flat has 6 individual rooms with a shared living room, pantry, toilet and bathroom. The pantry has most things you would need, except a rice cooker! So if you can’t survive without rice, bring your own mini rice cooker.
3) Insurance
There are a number of insurances available, but we would recommend the AIG Student Assist Insurance (http://www.aig.com.sg/chartisint/internet/SG/en/files/student-assist-brochure-web_tcm1030-229012.pdf) as it covers both studies and travels.
4) Getting to Glasgow
There are currently no direct flights to Glasgow, but quite a few options with only one transfer i.e. Emirates, British Airways and Lufthansa. Before you set off, register at http://its-ewds1.ds.strath.ac.uk/iswelcome/AirportWelcome/tabid/1368/Default.aspx to inform them of your arrival details. There will be a booth at the airport arrival hall, jointly set up by all 3 universities in Glasgow. They will direct you to the shuttle bus that will bring you to the city centre.
At University of Strathclyde
1) Getting around Glasgow
The university is about a 15 minute walk from the city centre, so there usually isn’t any need for public transport. There is a subway line that would bring you out of the city centre, but the system is not as extensive as the ones in Singapore.
As long as it’s not raining, the weather should be pretty comfortable for walking up to half an hour or even more. When it is raining, do take care! As temperature dips, you might find frost in your shoes.
2) Grocery shopping
The closest and cheapest supermarket is Aldi, located along High Street, about five minutes’ walk from the Campus Village. There are also a few smaller ones like The Cooperative Food and Sainsbury’s Local along George Street. For a larger supermarket with more varieties, head down to Tesco Metro along Sauchiehall Street. Tesco Extra at Cobden Road is a 2-storey hypermarket, with products ranging from groceries to clothes to electronics, but it is also a half an hour walk away.
There are 2 Chinese supermarkets in Glasgow, selling groceries and food products from China and Southeast Asia. All your sauces, not only limited to Chinese product, can be found in these two stores. Chung Ying (中英行) is located along Dobbie’s Loan, and is about 20 minutes’ walk from the Campus Village. See Woo (泗和行) is further away, at Saracen Street, which is about half an hour’s walk away. There is a fresh fish market down in High Street, at the junction near Glasgow Green Park.
3) School facilities
They have an A1 plotter for plotting line drawings in DWG or PDF format, but you would need to bring your own A1 paper. Use the thinnest A1 paper to avoid jamming the machine. It’s relatively cheap, at only 50 pence per A1 paper. You can get the A1 papers from the Art Store (see below). The computer lab is pretty much equipped with the necessary software, but for more sophisticated programmes like Rhino, you would have to use your own laptops.
A gym membership allows you unlimited access to the exercising facilities in the school gym. The membership fee is relatively cheap compared to other universities, at 50 pounds for a semester. Facilities include a badminton court, a squash court, a basketball court and a swimming pool. There is no tennis court in the school.
For Starbucks addicts, there is one right at the Student Union building and another in the library building. You are allowed to bring coffee into the lecture halls and computer lab.
Laser engraving and laser printing is available in school, but the technician will do it for us. Submit your cad file with the layers properly labelled (to laser – in red; and to engrave – in blue). The laser machine can only take materials up to 3mm thick, including grey board and corrugated board. Beyond that thickness, you will have to outsource, which is much more expensive.
4) Eating out
There is a fish and chips store at the junction of High Street and Ingram Street, which serves really good (and huge) servings of fish and chips for less than 4 pounds. There is also a Chinese eatery called Lao You Ji (老友记茶餐厅) right outside the school compound, also along High Street.
If you are craving for Singapore / Malaysian food, check out Rumours Kopitiam at the junction of Bath Street and West Nile Street.
Most fish and chips store would offer the local Scottish delight of fried mars bars (or fried pizza or fried anything you can think of), even if it’s not on the menu. But most would only do it at the end of the week, right before they switch to a new batch of oil for the new week. There is one store called Laquila, located at Dundas Street, right next to Queen Street Railway Station. They have a wide range of fried things on their regular menu.
The Marks and Spencer department stores all come with a café and they are good and cheap.
There’s a Jamie Italian down at George Square and a Thai food restaurant in Buchannan Street. And for a cheap quick bite, you can try Gregs for a quick breakfast bite. They sell sandwiches, pies and muffins for a very affordable price – from 2 pounds to 3 pounds.
5) Architecture and art in Glasgow
Glasgow has a wide range of interesting architecture. For a taste of its Victorian architecture, visit the University of Glasgow or the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The Glasgow Cathedral is also a must-see.
The most famous architect in modern Glasgow is none other than Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Check out the website http://www.crmsociety.com/ for a list of buildings designed by him. Some of these places provide guided tours for free, but would require booking in advance.
The Glasgow School of Art is magnificent gem of architecture. Sign up for the tour at the school to see Mackintosh’s famous library and the inspiring studio spaces. A new extension to the school, designed by Steven Holl, is being built.
For a vantage view of the city, check out The Lighthouse. From the Mackintosh Interpretation Centre, climb up the spiral staircase to the top of the tower. Admission is free!
Take a walk down River Clyde to see a cluster of modern and postmodern buildings, by starchitects like Sir Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid.
For those of you who love art and history, there are a number of museums scattered around the city. Other than the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Musem, you should also not miss the Hunterian Musem and Hunterian Art Gallery. Both are located within the University of Glasgow. The Gallery of Modern Art is also worth a visit. There, you will also see the iconic Wellington Statue with the cone on his head.
6) Shopping and other cheap deals
Glasgow has a network of pedestrian shopping streets such as Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyle Street. Most international brands can be found there. There are also two shopping malls (Buchanan Galleries and St Enoch Square). But remember that shops there generally don’t open beyond 7pm.
The Glasgow version of Art Friend is known as Art Store, but the prices there are pretty steep, and some of the materials that we are familiar with (such as Bristol board, art card and plastic sheets) are not available there. Check with your studio mates on where to get cheaper (or even free) alternative materials. Also, bring extra blades for your penknives as they are seldom used there.
The City of Glasgow College provides haircut services by their students, at a very affordable rate of just one pound! Just go up to their hairdressing department for more information.
7) Recreation
For movie lovers, there is a cinema complex called Cineworld near our school. Each ticket costs 10 pounds, with free seating, and you are allowed to bring your own food in.
Theatre in Glasgow is pretty vibrant as well. The King’s Theatre often hosts various international musicals. They hosted Wicked and Jersey Boys. It is around 20 minutes’ walk from school. Tickets range from 20 pounds. New venues like the O2 arena also hosted musical, such as Jesus Christ Superstar and many concert. There was a Jammie Cullum UK tour when we were there 😀
Glasgow is known as the student city, simply because they have a vibrant student night life in the city centre. Many clubs and pubs are located around Sauchiehall Street. If you do want to try these pubs, go with international student society for pub hopping weekly and enjoy some company.
During our year, there was a céilidh organised after the “red-pen day” (the last studio session before final crit. It’s a fun-filled event whereby your peers will come dressing in kilts and dancing to Scottish music. It only cost 5 pounds, and was followed with a clubbing session in a nearby club (some of the local students might have free passes to share).
Both the Kelvingrove Park and Glasgow Green are huge public parks where you can picnic or simply take a stroll through. Stay away from them after dark, though.
The Necropolis is also a gem within the city, and is just a short walk away from the campus.
8) Travelling out of Glasgow
There are 2 main railway stations in Glasgow (Glasgow Queen Street Station and Glasgow Central Station) that connect to most cities around UK. Virgin Train, among other train services, is a good option to travel with. The Glasgow International Airport is a 30 minute bus ride from the Buchanan Bus Station. Tickets for the airport shuttle cost 6 pounds for single ride, or 8.50 pounds for a return ticket. The city is also connected to the Edinburgh Airport via its own airport shuttle, giving you more options when flying out of Scotland.
For a cheaper journey out of Glasgow, you can go to the Buchanan Bus Station to check out their bus routes out of the city. But do bear in mind that a bus journey from Glasgow to London will take 7 hours. Not for the faint-hearted. And such long-distance bus rides will stop at various points, so keep a lookout of your belongings in case they get removed from the buses at these stops..
Check your emails regularly when you are there, as there will be updates on the latest tours conducted by Student Tours Scotland. The organiser and guide, Gary, is a really awesome guide who always has lots of interesting stories to share. He organises tours within Glasgow and to major attractions around Scotland at very affordable prices. But places are limited so book early!
Coming Back
1) The exam period over there will overlap with the first week of your semester 2 back in Singapore, but for most architecture modules there, there won’t be any exams. However, the final crit might be uncomfortably close to the start of the new semester, so do talk to your tutor and the level coordinator to check if you could push your final crit forward, preferably before the Christmas break.
The following map shows most of the locations that were mentioned above: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zJbOAUe3VZos.k2ioIYKj7F48
Article contributed by Yeo Zheng Hang and David Octavianus
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