INCOMING

STUDENT GUIDE

A guide to help you settle in, adapt, and succeed during your time at the University of East Anglia.

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Table of Contents WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA! III

ADVICE FOR THE FIRST 24 HOURS V

SECTION ONE: SETTLING IN 1

Buses and Bus passes 1

Taxis and Numbers 1

Food Shopping in Norwich 2

General Shopping and Exploring 5

Chapelfield and Castle Mall 6

Getting a Phone or a SIM-Card 6

Banks and Cashpoints 7

SECTION TWO: UK AND UEA ACADEMICS 9

Academic Term 9

What can I expect from my modules? 9

What is the difference between a seminar, a lecture and a tutorial? 10

What is a HUB? 10

Where is mine? 10

Changing Modules/Seminars? 11 Important Note - Module Change Request Form 12

Erasmus + Students and Learning Agreements 12

SECTION THREE: CAMPUS LIFE 13

Health & Safety Information 13

Medical Centre and the Dentist 13

Student Services 13

Union of UEA Students: 13

Dean of Students: 14

CareerCentral: 14

On Campus Food 14

Events 15

The Sportspark 15

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Laundry 15

Library 16

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts 16

SECTION FOUR: TRAVELS 18

Norwich, Norfolk and East Anglia 18

London 18

UK 19

Europe 20

Travel Websites 21

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Welcome to the University of East Anglia!

My name is Patrick Bingham. I am the current North American Student Ambassador at the

University of East Anglia. On behalf of Study Abroad and the International Office, I would like

to extend the warmest of welcomes to you. Your journey, much like my own, will be one of

your greatest adventures and remain with you for the rest of your life. Hopefully, you will

remember the time you spent at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, Norfolk

fondly. Whether you are here for a semester or for a full academic year, this will be an

experience that will force you to step outside of your comfort zone and to embrace a new

culture.

To make your stay in the UK and at the UEA even better, we have put together this handbook

to assist you on your journey. Whilst this handbook is by no means a comprehensive ‘how to’

survival guide to the UK, it is designed to be a launching off point, shaped mainly by my own

experiences, to answer some of the questions you may have never thought to ask. The

information within is what I wish I had known upon arrival to the UK, but it is by no means a

spoiler to your own experiences. Rather, it will hopefully help you to jump right into British

culture with a higher level of awareness and make your time here much more significant.

There are three sections to this handbook followed by a glossary of useful terms, both in

terms of academia and in terms of the every day. Whether you are an anglophile or

completely new to British culture, there will be something useful to you, no doubt. As I am

from the USA and not a native Brit, it has been edited by local eyes to ensure accuracy about

the culture that I may have misread. The first section is all about settling in. It answers

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questions about: where you can do your food shopping, purchase a sim card or phone, catch

a taxi and general day-to-day stuff. Settling in is an ongoing process, but hopefully the tips

provided will speed up that process slightly!

In the second and third sections, the Campus, UK Academics and what it is to be a student at

UEA are covered. Here you will find links to valuable resources such as the Dean of Students,

but also how to book a ticket to the LCR on a Saturday night (this will become very important

to some of you as the semester progresses)! It provides information on what to expect from

your modules (classes) and where to hand in assignments. Finally, the fourth section covers

the most important part of your time here: travelling. Here I hopefully have given you some

valuable tips about the best time to book Ryanair flights to Ireland and how to get to Stansted

Airport from UEA or into central London to see that Westend Show you have to see (Wicked

anyone?).

With this in mind, I hope you find this handbook useful. At the end of your time at UEA, we

hope you can provide us with further elements to incorporate into the handbook so that

future visiting and exchange students can have the best experience possible. Enjoy your time

at the UEA, in England and should you travel there, around Europe.

With best wishes,

Patrick Bingham

North American Student Ambassador

studyabroad@uea.ac.uk

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Advice for the First 24 Hours

You’ve made it to England. Now it’s time to get to Norwich. Many of you will be flying from

all across the world, coming from as close as France or as far away as Australia. Some of you

will land at Heathrow, Stansted or Norwich Airports. And others will come via the train on the

Eurostar. If you came in through Norwich International Airport, you have a short taxi trip from

the airport to UEA, which takes about 10 minutes. If you do so, it is best to book a taxi after

you land and make it through immigration (see the numbers for taxis in the next section). For

those of you arriving from Stansted Airport, you can book a seat on a coach (or charter bus)

called National Express. Their website is www.nationalexpress.com. Book as early as possible

to ensure the cheapest ticket, but allow yourself time to get through customs! If you are flying

through Stansted, you also have the opportunity to book a ticket on the train the Stansted

express, which goes via Cambridge or London Liverpool Street train station. From Heathrow,

you can get here with National Express, which drops you off at UEA or you can be adventurous

and travel on the tube into central London; take the Piccadilly line (dark blue) to Holborn,

change to the Central Line (Red) and get off at London Liverpool Street. Then it’s a short 2

hour train journey from London to Norwich. If I were you, I would advise not taking the

Heathrow Express as it is expensive (20 quid/pounds!) and you have to make a couple

transfers on the underground (aka the Tube).

Now you are in Norwich and you’ve either taken a cab from the airport to UEA or you are

taking the 25/26/27 bus from the Norwich Train Station to campus (£2.50 for a single!). You

have checked in and gotten your keys to your accommodation and are settling in for the first

hour. Loads of stuff will naturally be going through your mind, as happened with me. When I

first arrived, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to sleep or explore my surroundings all at

once. This is completely natural because it’s all exciting and new. My best advice would be do

what suits you best.

First, I would suggest getting familiar with your accommodation. Make sure you know what

everything is and how it all works. Things we take for granted, such as light switches,

outlets/sockets, how to flush a toilet, how the shower works, how to use the grill on the

cooker (or if you are from the US/Canada, also known as the broiler, but used more often

here) and how to lock and unlock doors. These are all things that in our normal surroundings

seem like such silly things to think about, but actually can complicate your stay. For instance,

on outlets/sockets, there is a switch next to it that you must turn to give power to it:

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Then in the bathroom (loo, toilet, and my personal favourite: the bog), you may notice that

there aren’t any outlets/sockets at all, just this:

What do you do? What is a shaver? Is that the same as a razor? And if so, why can you only

charge a razor in the bathroom and not plug in a hair dryer or hair straightener? There is no

mirror in my bedroom, so what do I do? (Note: this is not the same as an EU plug, so do not

try to use it!!!).

These things are the kinds of things that can really put a damper on your initial 24 hours in a

foreign country. For some of you, this may be normal and everyday, but for some of you,

particularly those from the US and Canada, you may find this a bit strange. Fortunately, you

will learn to adapt, you just have to figure out what works for you.

Next, you probably want some food, but don’t know how to get anywhere, and chances are,

if you’ve arrived late, you may not have many options. If you live on or near campus, there is

a 24 hour petrol garage (gas station) right around the corner (see map under food shopping)

where you can get a meal deal (sandwich, bag of crisps and a drink for around £3) and some

essentials like toothpaste and toilet roll (or toilet paper).

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Once you have food in you, this would be the best time to explore your surroundings and

familiarise yourself with landmarks. If you came with friends, go out together. If not, it’s no

big deal, you could always take pictures with your camera to remember how to get to and

from where you are.

But, word of caution, figure out the correct way to look when crossing the street. This may

seem completely obvious, however, if you have only known that cars drive on the right side

of the road and not the left, your instincts will tell you to look left first and not right, which

could be extremely dangerous. My dad gave me the same advice the first time I travelled to

the UK and I laughed at him. When I got here and started walking around, I found myself

extremely confused and had some very close calls, because I did not look in the right direction.

Now when I go home I have the same problem because I’ve gotten so familiar with left-hand

driving.

Take advantage of your first 24 hours and make the most of it. If you need a power nap, take

one, but don’t let it last longer than 20 minutes. You need to get over jetlag as soon as

possible, because hey, why waste any amount of time whilst you are abroad!

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Section One: Settling in

Buses and Bus passes The buses are the easiest way to travel between the City centre and campus, there are two

bus stops situated on campus, one along Chancellor’s Drive and the other between the Sports

Park and Central Campus. Using the First Bus the number 25 or 26 will take you between UEA

and the city centre, with stops on St Stephen’s Street (in front Debenhams – going away from

campus – and in front of Barclays – going towards campus) and at Castle Meadow (in front of

the Castle):

A single trip to the centre of the City will cost £2.60 for an adult ticket and £1.60 for a

young person ticket (15-19 years old).

A return is £4.30 for an adult ticket and £3 for a young person ticket (15-19 years old).

A day pass is £4.80 for an adult ticket and £3.60 for a young person ticket (15-19 years

old).

It is also worth considering purchasing a bus pass, more information is available at

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/suffolk_norfolk/tickets/student_bus_travel/ticket.php.

The campus also has bus stops for National Express and Megabus which run throughout the

Country and directly to London.

There is a handy iPhone/Android app called Traveline GB (free) that gives you the schedule

for the buses at that particular stop. It shows you what time they are scheduled and their live

arrival times to the bus stops. The other handy thing about this app is you can use it anywhere

in the world. So if you are travelling to say Germany for a weekend, you can use this app to

find out when and from where buses will depart.

Taxis and Numbers Taxis are always useful and are a good option when you have lots of luggage, going food

shopping or are out late in the City. If you are travelling as a group of four, it is typically

cheaper than getting the bus. Here are a few taxi numbers that charge a controlled fare based

on distance (i.e., ABC is £6.50 from campus to the city centre).

ABC Taxis – 01603 666333

Beeline Taxis – 01603 767676

Courtesy Taxis – 01603 446644

1st Goldstar – 01603 700700

Green Frog Taxis – 01603 744747

If you are out and about in the city centre or coming back to Norwich from travels around

England, there is a taxi rank in the Market Square (just between the Market and Tesco Metro)

and one at the Train Station. These are black cabs, usually and charge a per kilometre rate.

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To make sure you get to the right place, whether booking a taxi via phone or hailing one at

the Train Station or Market Square, you will need to ensure that you know what your

accommodation is (or your address if you live off campus) and indicate specifically where you

would like to go. If you are returning from the city or the Train Station, you can specify your

accommodation as the place you wish to be dropped off, or if there are more of you and you

all live in separate areas, the LCR turnaround is a great central location to be dropped off.

From my experience, if you are trying to book a taxi on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, the

best option for you is to book it at least two hours before you want to leave or through their

Android/iPhone app, if they have one. A note on booking through their apps: if you have more

than four people with you, you must call and specify how many are in your party. They may

send a mini-bus, which cost about £10, or they may send two cabs to get everyone. If you

have a large party, book your taxis well in advance (at least 3 hours before you wish to leave

and specify that you need a mini-bus) on these days.

ABC Taxis also have an app for iPhone and Android, which can be more convenient for

booking. A word of caution, however, is that you can only book a taxi for up to 4 people. If

you have a large group, you will need to phone the taxi company and give them the total

number in the group.

Food Shopping in Norwich There are many places to do your food shopping. If you live on campus, you have the option

of utilising the Shop, which is located across from the Union Pub and next to Café Direct. The

Shop is open from:

Term Time Hours:

Mon - Fri: 7.30am - 11pm - night hatch: 11pm-2am

Sat: 9am - 11pm and night hatch 11pm - 3am

Sun: 10.30am - 8.30pm and night hatch 8pm – midnight

Out of Term Hours:

Mon - Fri: 7.30am – 7pm

Sat - Sun: 9am-6pm

Night Hatch: 6pm-11pm

Night Hatch:

The night hatch is a window service attached to the Shop and is open late hours. You can

order hot food and other items from the shop after the store has closed.

Supermarkets:

Additionally, there is a 24 hour Tesco Petrol Garage/Supermarket a short 5 minute walk away

from campus located at the ‘Fiveways’ roundabout. From the main entrance to campus on

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Bluebell Road, you turn left and walk until you get to the roundabout. Just beyond the Tesco

on Bluebell Road is also a Co-op, another supermarket.

Campus to Tesco and CO-OP Map

If you plan on doing a larger food shop and need more of a selection, there is a large

Sainsbury’s opposite the Bus Station on Queens Road. See map below for directions from

Chapelfield.

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Chapelfield to Sainsbury’s Map

Opposite the train station and behind Riverside, there is a large Morrisons. There is also a bus

stop right outside the supermarket (or as we say in the US the grocery store) that the 25, 26

and 27 buses stop at.

A note on shopping at larger supermarkets:

It is common practice in the UK to charge a pound deposit to use a shopping trolley/cart.

There is also the option for home delivery from the major supermarkets: Tesco, Morrisons,

Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, ASDA and Iceland.

While Marks and Spencer and Waitrose are generally more expensive to shop in than Tesco

or Sainsbury’s, they often have amazing deals on amazingly delicious, pre-prepared meals

that you can heat up in the microwave. There is an M&S (to which it is referred in colloquial

terms) located in the city centre, just next to Chapelfield Shopping Centre and across from a

BHS. The Waitrose is a little closer to campus, however there is not a direct bus that goes to

this area from campus. If you wish to walk, you simply turn right onto Bluebell Road and walk

straight along the pavement (or the sidewalk) until you arrive. It is 1.3 miles or 2.1 km away

from campus, and according to google maps, takes 23 minutes to walk there.

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Takeaways:

Finally, we all have times where we don’t want to cook and simply want a takeaway (or get

takeout as we say in the US). www.justeat.co.uk is a great resource to find takeaways near

you. You can even order online. One note, if you choose to pay for it online with a credit or

debit card, there may be restrictions from your home bank if you do not have a UK bank

account. There is always, of course, the option to pay with cash. The UEA’s postcode is NR4

7TJ (in the US, that would be the zipcode) and when you choose to order the food, you can

indicate where you would like it to be delivered (if you want it delivered to your halls, simply

put the name of your residence and the driver will call you when he/she has arrived; or you

can get it delivered to outside the LCR, which is the central part of campus accessible via car).

General Shopping and Exploring Norwich is renowned as one of the key shopping cities in East Anglia. We have a wonderful

variety of mainstream shops, which are found in the major shopping centre (or mall)

Chapelfield, and interesting and unique, independent boutiques dotted about the Lanes (one

of the oldest areas of Norwich!). There is something for everyone here in Norwich and a whole

host of shops to help you get the essentials for your stay in the UK.

The normal shopping hours in the UK vary from city to city, but in most places, the typical

hours of operation for businesses, especially retail ones are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

9AM to 5PM (0900-1700). Thursdays are late night shopping, typically, with hours from 9AM

to 8PM (09:00-20:00). Fridays and Saturday hours are typically 9AM to 7PM (09:00-19:00),

with Sundays having reduced hours to 11AM to 5PM (11:00-17:00). Please note that these

are generalised hours, and some stores may open or close earlier or later than the indicated

times.

Smaller supermarkets typically stay open until 10/11PM (22:00/23:00) and the larger

versions, such as ASDAs and big Tescos are open 24 hours a day from Monday starting at 6AM

(06:00) until 12:00AM (00:00) Saturday Night. On Sundays the smaller supermarkets tend to

close an hour earlier, whereas the larger supermarkets are open 10AM to 4PM (10:00-16:00).

Shopping for Essentials (i.e., Bedding, Cleaning Supplies, Food Storage Containers or

Tupperware, Bathroom supplies):

Here is a list of possible stores to find these essentials:

Boots: This is a pharmacy (like a CVS or Walgreens, if you are from the US). There is a

Boots next to the medical centre on campus and there is a large one in Chapelfield

Shopping Centre. You can get Paracetamol (Acetaminophen/Tylenol) and Ibuprofen

for extremely cheap (usually about £0.50 a pack). In the UK, pharmacies typically sell

more than just medicine and health care items. They also have great selections for

makeup, chocolate, and the one in Chapelfield also has a meal deal (comprised of a

sandwich, bag of crisps (or chips) and a drink for around £3.20). This is also a great

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place to get travel size products, if you plan on going abroad whilst you are at UEA.

Make sure you get a Boots card! You can save a lot of money with one!

Wilkinsons: This is a fantastic store that has everything you could need for the home.

They have a hardware department, a kitchen department, bedding department,

cleaning supplies and a seasonal/toy department. It is a fairly inexpensive store that

has loads of deals/offers every week and is connected to Chapelfield Shopping Centre.

Clas Ohlson: This is another great store that provides you with cheap essentials. The

most comparable store of its kind is IKEA.

Argos: This is very similar to Clas Ohlson. This is a catalogue store that holds their

wares in the storeroom. They typically have a larger range of goods than either Clas

Ohlson or Wilkinsons, but you may only view the items in the catalogue.

Chapelfield and Castle Mall There are two malls or shopping centres in Norwich. The newer of the two is Chapelfield. It

opened in 2005 and has major brands such as Apple, Hollister and H&M. There are also British

stores, such as River Island, House of Fraser, Clinton’s Cards and more. Naturally, there is a

food court on the third floor of the mall with a Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC.

Castle Mall is our other shopping centre in Norwich. This mall has 5 levels with Vue Cinema at

the top. Whilst there are major stores in this shopping centre, it has loads of local shops to

visit with some unique English and Norwich paraphernalia to peruse. There is a great store

with pop culture memorabilia called Gifted and a unique hobby/toy shop on the bottom floor.

There is also a TK MAXX (TJ MAXX, if you are from the US), which has excellent deals on

bedding, kitchen and home goods. Also, if you love IKEA style shops, please visit Tiger. It is a

Danish chain of stores that is super cheap and super brilliant. I always find myself there getting

Stroopwaffels, liquorice, and gifts for friends’ birthdays (and for myself).

Getting a Phone or a SIM-Card You have several options for getting a pay as you go sim-card for your phone; however, before

you can put in a new sim, you must ensure that your phone is unlocked and free to use on

any network. If you come to the UK with a locked phone, you will have to buy a new phone

whilst you are here (assuming you want to have a phone here). The major mobile network

providers here cannot assist you in unlocking your phone, so please make sure that you have

this sorted out with your provider in your home country.

The major networks in the UK are EE (includes T-Mobile and Orange), O2, Vodafone,

Virgin, and Three. Each company is known for something different, with EE focusing

on 4G capabilities, O2 and Vodafone having the best coverage, and Three with its

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unlimited data plans. Additionally, there are lower cost networks, such as Giff-Gaff

and Lebara that have great offers. You can purchase all of these sims from the

networks’ stores or you can purchase a sim in most corner shops (convenience stores)

or grocery stores. Most pay-as-you-go sim cards are available at The Shop on campus

and you can get top-up vouchers there, as well.

If you require a phone, you should go into one of the networks’ stores and ask for pay

as you go phones. If you purchase a pay as you go phone, they will be basic phones

and the sim and phone will cost around £10-£15 pounds. SMS (text messaging) and

voice calling are always included.

A note about the major companies. I have used Three since I arrived in Norwich. They

do not have the best signal out of the major mobile providers; however, I have stuck

with them for two very important reasons: 1) they have the best amount of data for

both pay-as-you-go and monthly contracts (typically unlimited), and 2) they have a

programme called Feel At Home that works with both contract and pay-as-you-go

plans. Feel At Home is designed to let you use your mobile phone from the UK as

normal whilst travelling to other countries. Not every country in Europe is included,

but key places like France, Italy, Spain, and Ireland are included in this scheme. This

means that you can call UK numbers for free without incurring roaming charges (thus

depleting your Pay-As-You-Go allotment or charging you outlandish fees for making

those calls); and the best part is you can use your data as normal. If you are staying

for a year and are from Australia and the US, and decide to go home for Christmas,

you can also use Feel at Home in these countries as well. You can visit Three’s website

here: http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home.

Banks and Cashpoints There are several different banks in the UK. The most frequent ones are Barclays, HSBC,

Lloyds, Santander and NatWest. These will be the ones you see in the south of England, more

commonly. In the city centre, the banks are scattered around, as are the cashpoints (ATMs).

Most of these allow free money withdrawals (which will be exciting for you Americans – no

$2 fee for taking out money from a competitor bank!), though some of the independent

cashpoints in corner shops or at bars/night clubs may incur a small charge (roughly £1.80). On

UEA’s campus, we have a Barclays Bank with two Barclays cashpoints and two general

cashpoints. As mentioned previously, either one is free to use with a UK account.

If you are here long enough to open a bank account, then do so immediately. I would

recommend opening one with Barclays as they are on campus and are used to

international students. The branches in town may or may not be as familiar with

international needs. If you are not able to open a UK bank account, then I would highly

recommend drawing out large amounts of cash in one go, as your bank will charge you

an exchange fee.

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One thing you may notice while you are here is that debit and credit cards have chips

in them. If your country does not use chip and pin, you may have problems with paying

at retail shops and supermarkets, as swipe only cards (US bank cards) have not been

used here for some time now. I know when I first got here, I tried to top up my oyster

card for the underground in London, and it kept rejecting my card because it was not

Chip and Pin enabled. The same rule will apply for most European countries, should

you travel abroad. Finally, if you do use a swipe only card, they are required by law to

verify your signature on the back of the card with an ID that shows your signature

(such as your passport).

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Section Two: UK and UEA Academics

Academic Term The typical Academic term is divided into two terms (or semesters): Autumn and Spring. Each

term runs for 12 weeks, with a reading week usually occurring during week 6 (though not all

schools have them – LAW for example does not). Autumn Term time begins roughly the last

week of September, dependent upon the year, and finishes early- to mid-December. The

Spring Term begins roughly the second week of January and finishes late April/early May;

there is a long break for the Easter holidays between end of March and mid-April. Exams for

both the Autumn and the Spring commence the Monday after week 12 of the Spring Term.

What can I expect from my modules? No module is the same. They each run dependent upon the Associate Tutor/Lecturer/Senior

Lecturer/Reader/Professor. Some modules will meet once a week for three hours, whereas

some will be comprised of different components that require multiple meetings during a

week. One may expect to have a range of assessments throughout the duration of their

modules. These assessments will vary and include both formative and summative

assessments.

Formative assessments are unmarked work that prepare you for the summative

assessments. These assessments are designed to give both the student and the

lecturer an idea of where that individual and/or the group stand in terms of the

material covered. It also allows the student to receive feedback on their writing and

critical thinking abilities in order to improve and succeed well on the summative

assessments. Formative assessments can include blog entries, pop quizzes, proposals,

reading responses, presentations, and class participation.

Summative assessments are the marked (or graded) assignments for the module.

These assessments test the student’s abilities both critically and in terms of the

material covered. Each summative assessment will be handed in to the student’s

respective HUB and will be double marked by the Lecturer and another member of

staff within that department. The Lecturer will indicate when and where these

assessments are to be turned in or attended by the student and the assessments will

count towards the student’s overall marks. Typical summative assessments include

essays, exams, course tests, presentations (both individual and group), lab work,

course work.

The philosophy of UK higher education places an emphasis on independent learning.

This means that, in addition to the regularly scheduled meeting times for the module,

the student is expected to spend a certain number of hours per week per module.

During this time, the student is expected to complete required readings, formative

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and summative assessments, and any secondary reading (or suggested, additional

readings). This is on the onus of the student and is expected.

What is the difference between a seminar, a lecture and a tutorial?

Many modules have different elements of teaching. Each academic system will have a

different method or way to teach the material relevant to the module/class and in the UK

system, but more specifically in the UEA system these modules are typically divided into

Lectures, Seminars, Labs and Tutorials.

Lectures traditionally provide information for students with little participation. The

student is typically a receiver of information rather than a participator. Seminars on

the other hand revolve largely around participation and discussion. These are great

places to test out ideas and to work through the things that you didn’t understand

from the readings or the lectures. Always come well-prepared for both lectures and

seminars!

Tutorials are typically one-on-one instruction with your lecturer/tutor and are

generally there to help with group projects and essay plans. These typically occur

during reading week. They can also be arranged with your lecturer during their

scheduled office hours. Generally speaking, there is a sign-up sheet posted outside

your lecturer’s office and are usually 10 minutes in duration.

Labs, whilst not solely for the sciences, generally accompany lectures. They serve to

provide a hands on demonstration of the material covered. You can have labs on a

variety of different courses, but will most likely have them in BIO, ENV, CHE, CMP, to

name a few.

What is a HUB? The HUB is the main point of contact for students. They are there to assist with extensions on assessments, help with student records, timetabling/class schedule, handing in assessments, etc… To read more about the additional support they provide, please visit: www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/hubs.

Where is mine?

There are four HUBs that serve all schools of study, but only three serve undergraduate and

study abroad students:

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ARTS 1 HUB AMA, DEV, ECO, HIS, LAW, LDC, PPL arts1_ug.hub@uea.ac.uk

Elizabeth Fry HUB BIO, CHE, CMP, ENV,

HSC, MED, MTH, NBS, PHA,

SCI, SWK,

efb_hub@uea.ac.uk

Zuckerman Institute

Building (ZICER) HUB

EDU, PSY zicer_hub@uea.ac.uk

Changing Modules/Seminars?

Changing modules is a straightforward process, but must be done by handing in a ‘module

change request form’ (Form LTS008). You can pick up one of these forms at the Study Abroad

desk or from your HUB.

To change your module, you must fill out the form with the following information:

Student Number

Name

UEA E-Mail

School of Study (i.e. AMA, which includes American Studies, Film/Media and Art)

Module you wish to change:

o Module Code

o Module Title

o Free Choice

Modules in which you wish to enrol:

o Module

o Module Title

o Free Choice

Once this form has been completed, you must return it to the Study Abroad desk in the Arts

HUB if you are in AMA, DEV, HIS, LAW, LDC and PPL. If you are in EDU or PSY, you must submit

your ‘module change request form’ to the ZICER HUB. Everyone else must return their module

change forms to the Elizabeth Fry HUB located in the Elizabeth Fry Building.

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Important Note - Module Change Request Form

The final date to hand in Module Change Request Forms is by 5:00PM Wednesday 30

September 2015 (Autumn) and 5:00PM Wednesday 20 January 2016, so that we can

process your request by the end of the second week.

We process all Module Change Request Forms in the order in which we receive them. Once

you hand these forms in, we will e-mail you when these are complete or there are any

conflicts with the selected modules. Additionally, we cannot ensure that all module change

requests will be possible.

Erasmus + Students and Learning Agreements If you have a learning agreement with your home institution (Erasmus + students), you will

need to check with your home institution when their final date for submission is. Please note

that it takes two working days to receive these back from us stamped and signed. You should

hand your learning agreement in fully completed with all relevant details to the Study Abroad

Reception Desk in the Arts Hub. We are not able to scan these for you once you are here.

However, you can do this from the Library.

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Section Three: Campus Life

Health & Safety Information UEA Security Lodge is open 24 hours a day. In case of a campus Emergency, ring 01603 592222 or if life is in danger, call 999. https://portal.uea.ac.uk/estates/security

Medical Centre and the Dentist On campus, there is a medical centre and a dentist’s office. They are in the same building and

located right next to the main entrance to campus (Bluebell Road entrance). Whether you

have access to the NHS (Tier 4 Visa holders and EU students with an EHIC card) or you are

here with personal health insurance from your home country, please ensure to register with

the Medical Centre. Do this immediately, as it may take some time to register and you don’t

want to be without medical attention should you need it. For more information, please visit:

http://www.umsuea.co.uk/.

You can also register for the Dentist (an NHS service) as well, which is located upstairs from

the Medical Centre. A check-up for the dentist to those with NHS coverage costs roughly

about £17 and fillings will cost about £40. For more information, please visit:

https://portal.uea.ac.uk/dos/wellbeing/uea-medical-and-dental-practice.

Important numbers to remember:

999 – This is for medical emergencies! Please call this if you feel you have a medical

emergency (very similar to 911 in the US)

111 – This is for medical issues, but not necessarily emergencies. It is a 24 hour service run by

the NHS (National Healthcare System) to give you advice.

Student Services There are tonnes of on campus services available to students. The three main services are the

Union of UEA Students, the Dean of Students and CareerCentral.

Union of UEA Students:

This is a student advocacy group, run by students for students. This is very similar to a student

government, which most US campuses have. They offer advice on academics, welfare and

housing, manage the 200 plus sports clubs and student societies, run the LCR and the

Waterfront (two venues for gigs and club nights) and the Union retail shops and pubs. They

are a great resource, and everyone who is a student at UEA is automatically a member. For

more information on their offerings, please visit: http://www.ueastudent.com/.

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Dean of Students:

The Dean of Students or DOS is the most comprehensive student service available to you as a

UEA student. They offer financial counselling (inclusive of interest-free, short-term loans,

should you find yourself without money), a learning enhancement team that is there to assist

you with your academics, general advice about the UK and the UEA, a free mental health

service and most importantly for you: international services.

The international services they provide vary from visa and immigration advice to

organising international student trips, run and coordinated by the International

Student Advisory Team (ISAT). They will send out regular emails offering spaces on

trips to popular destinations throughout the UK. Last year they had trips to Edinburgh,

Liverpool and even the Harry Potter Studios!

Whatever issue or advice you need, please go visit them. They are located next to the

Library and across from Waterstones bookshop on the Upper Street (above the Shop

and the Barclays). Please visit their website for more information:

https://portal.uea.ac.uk/dos.

CareerCentral:

Located on the Street in the centre of campus, CareerCentral is a one-stop shop for anything

careers related. Here, you can walk in and gain advice on CV (resume) building, finding

internships, part-time work, graduate level jobs (both here and abroad), and attend events

catered towards finding employment around the globe. They can even help you start your own

business! This service is available to any UEA student and alumni. Take advantage of it!

https://www.uea.ac.uk/careers.

On Campus Food At UEA there are loads of options for your palate. There are two cafes in the centre of campus:

Unio, which is the student union café located in the student union building; and Ziggy’s

Espresso & Sandwich bar, which is an independent café next to The Shop. You can easily

indulge in a cafe latte and a fresh Panini from either place. If you fancy something a bit more

filling, there is the option of eating at the Campus Kitchen, the UEA’s on campus canteen (or

dining hall). Meals at Campus Kitchen cost £4.95 and are served all day long. They offer a Full

English Breakfast service 7:30am-11am (this is traditional British breakfast consisting of

sausage, bacon, hash browns, sautéed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and baked beans). If

you desire to view some of the exhibits at the UEA’s Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, there is

also the Life Café, serving as both a restaurant and café. Alternatively, you can grab a delicious

burger from the Sports Park Café. In my experience, this is the best burger I’ve had in the UK,

apart from American chain restaurant TGI Fridays.

For more information and to see menu options, hours and prices, please visit:

https://portal.uea.ac.uk/campus-kitchen/cafes-and-restaurants.

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Events Every day of the week there is something to do on campus, whether it is with a club or society,

a gig at the Nick Rayns LCR (or Lower Common Room in the Student Union Building) or at the

Waterfront in town. There are guest lectures that regularly occur throughout the academic

year hosted by different Faculties, schools, organisations, etc… In the autumn, for example,

UEA holds a literary festival, inviting world renowned authors to discuss their crafts and

oeuvre. Stephen Fry (a local to Norfolk) has regularly featured as a guest speaker on campus.

Of course, sometimes you want something a bit less formal, an event that will help

you to let your hair down. UEA on Tuesdays and Saturdays holds a student union club

night at the Nick Rayns LCR. Tuesdays are typically fancy dress (this means going in

costume, not suits and ties, as I thought when I first got here!), whereas Saturdays

they play the hottest songs out. Tickets for these events go quickly and can be

purchased at the UEA Box Office located next to the reception of the Student Union

Building. If you buy the tickets in advance, they are £4 from the box office or £4.50 if

bought online (http://www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk/venues/lcr-student-

nights1.aspx).

You can purchase tickets online to most events from

http://www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk/.

One tip, if you miss tickets for any event at the Nick Rayns LCR, you can join The LCR

Ticket Exchange on Facebook. You can generally get tickets for most of the club nights

and even buy tickets to sold-out gigs! Here is the link for that group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/316131405105115/.

The Sportspark UEA is fortunate to have the largest sports facility in all of England! It is right next to the main

car park on UEA’s campus, and you get entry to it for free with your campus card. They offer

reduced rates for their facilities to all UEA students and have a range of options available to

you. Visit their website for more details about costs and memberships:

http://www.sportspark.co.uk/.

A friendly bit of advice: if you plan to go to the gym between 8:30pm and 10:00pm,

be prepared to wait! This is the most popular time for people to go as it is the cheapest

for students! Alternatively, find time in the late morning/early afternoon as it is

generally less crowded and still considered off-peak!

Laundry There are three launderettes on campus: in the Village, next to the medical centre, and next

to the Shop. It costs roughly £4.20 for a load of laundry (inclusive of washing and drying). A

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little tip, the dryers are large enough to fit a lot of clothes in them. Take advantage of this to

save some money!

Library Naturally, the most important part of your journey to UEA are your studies. UEA’s library is

one of the best in Norwich and holds over 800,000 books! They are ever expanding and try to

suit everyone’s research needs.

The library is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. To access the library,

you will need to enter with your campus card. This will let you in at all times. During

hours where permanent library staff are not working, security are stationed at the

entrance for extra precaution (even though Norwich is one of the safest cities in the

country!). When security are there, the doors to the library are locked, and you will

need to swipe your campus card against the card reader to enter the library. This

happens after midnight during term-time and all day during holidays, when the

campus is officially closed.

There is a large computer suite (computer lab) on floor 0 of the library with more than

100 computers available. If those are taken up, there are additional computers on

each floor of the library.

Floors 1-3 and 01 are silent study, meaning you cannot talk and must be mindful of

your personal noise. Also, food and drink are not permitted anywhere in the library

except on floor 0. This is to maintain the life of the books. I know I don’t want to

research with a book that has ketchup stains in it! Also, the UK has a floor numbering

system that begins on floor 0. So when you walk into a building, you will be on floor 0,

not floor 1. Floor 1 would be one floor above floor 0, while floor 01 would be one floor

below floor 0. You will get the hang of it!

To see what all the library has to offer, please visit https://portal.uea.ac.uk/library.

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts Home to UEA is the Sainsbury Centre. This world class museum holds an extensive permanent

art collection that covers ancient and indigenous to contemporary art. The permanent

collection is free to wander around and contemplate your existence in our crazy, beautiful

world. If you enrol onto any art modules, you may also be fortunate enough to have

instruction here! The teaching facilities in the SCVA are top-notch, plus you can say that you

took a module in an art museum.

Entry into the permanent collection is free for students, although temporary exhibits

incur a cost. They are open Tuesday-Friday (10-6) and Saturday and Sunday (10-5).

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There are always different events and exhibits at the SCVA. For more information, visit

their website http://scva.ac.uk/.

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Section Four: Travels

Norwich, Norfolk and East Anglia Norfolk and East Anglia are filled with amazing cities, seaside towns and history. We are the

greenest and driest region of the country and host some of the most beautiful beaches in

the UK. People in this region of the country are generally very proud of their picturesque

countryside, historic sites and sprawling, sandy beaches. Many of the places are easy to visit

and are extremely cheap to travel to. You can spend a day at the seaside town of Great

Yarmouth and experience a traditional English seaside, or you can head up to Sheringham or

Cromer to see a more tranquil environment that is less touristy and a bit cosier. Getting to

these places via train is relatively inexpensive, and if you go in a group of 3-4 will cost

roughly £5 return (round trip).

Don’t forget to have days out in your new, albeit temporary, home. There is an amazing

smartphone and tablet app called Discover Norwich. This is free from the iTunes App Store

and the Google Play Store. Keep an eye out for upcoming festivals, fun fairs and other

awesome events!

If the seaside is not your thing, then head off to Cambridge to visit the historic

colleges at Cambridge University. It is only 1 hour and 15 minute train journey; and

the same rule applies for group tickets (3-4 people and it will cost around £8-£10). To

get a group ticket, you need to go to the train station on the day and head to the

ticket counter. Tell them where you want to go, or ask where you could go for the

day with a group of 3-4 and they will be able to get you to other destinations.

Alternatively, you can book group tickets online at www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk.

It is highly recommended that you get a railcard from the train station. This is a

discount card that costs £30, but will save you ample pounds (££) in the long run. A

normal train to London one way costs about £12, whereas with the railcard, you can

typically get them for about £6-£9 if you book them far enough in advance.

London The capital city is a mere 2 hours away by train. There is so much to do in London that no

matter who you are, you will find something worthwhile. Getting there can be relatively

cheap, but I would suggest booking your tickets in advance (say 1-2 weeks before is

sufficient for a cheaper ticket). The best time to go is during the week, as weekends tend to

be overcrowded. But if you do not mind large crowds, then have at.

If you purchase a railcard, you can also get a discount on a zones 1-6 travelcard,

which is good for the day. With the railcard, these cost £5.90 and without are £8.90.

This is cheaper than buying a travelcard for zones 1-2, which is £9 (you can’t get a

discount with a railcard on zones 1-2). When in London, you can see Big Ben (aka

Elizabeth Tower – seriously – Big Ben is actually the bell itself inside Elizabeth

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Tower), Buckingham Palace (pronounced Buckingum, for all you Americans), the

London Eye, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus (great

for shopping – though insanely crowded, especially around the holidays) and many

more traditional landmarks. If you want to head off the beaten path, Camden

Market is a great place to venture to. This is one of the largest open air markets I

have been to in England, and should you find it, there is a really crazy/cool rave store

called Cyber Dog that’s worth visiting:

You can also go to Stratford (on the Central line), which is where the London

Olympics were held. You can explore the Olympic Park for a while and then head

over to Westfield’s Shopping Centre, which is the fourth largest mall in Western

Europe!

If you want to stay overnight in London, you can stay in hostels or in hotels, but the

key is to always book in advance! Premier Inns are great, because you can often get

deals for £29/night.

UK There are a number of great places to visit apart from London. You could see the majestic

Cliffs of Dover in Kent, scurry down to the West Country and visit Cornwall and Devon, or

you could travel outside of England and head up to Glasgow or Edinburgh in Scotland.

Perhaps you may want venture across the Irish Sea and head up to Northern Ireland and

visit the Giant’s Causeway. Or you can spend a weekend shopping in Manchester then head

across and down to Alton Towers for an exciting spin on Nemisis.

In essence, there are tonnes of things to do in this country and the United Kingdom.

Most major places are accessible via coach or train. Booking both in advance, which

will be reiterated thoroughly throughout this section, is key. Megabus, which has a

departure point at the UEA campus (in front of the main UEA car park at Bus Stop B),

can take you to most corners of the UK. If you leave on a Wednesday, you can often

get extremely cheap tickets to London for about £2-£3 pounds return (round trip);

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you can obviously go further than that, to say Cardiff, which I have seen for £7

pounds return as well! Alternatively you can take the train to most places, but you

will most likely have to go via London and then beyond or if you are heading North,

via Peterborough (both of which are two hour train journeys).

There is the option of flying, which you can get tickets through Flybe (leaving from

Norwich Airport), Ryanair (leaving from Stansted) or EasyJet (leaving from

Heathrow). I would advise against this, unless you can get a spectacular deal from

Flybe, because by the time you travel down to Stansted or Heathrow, you will a)

have spent £15-£20 on a train or coach that takes about 2-3 hours and b) the time

waiting at the airport for a 30 minute flight could easily be spent travelling via coach

or on the train. One note on Norwich Airport, there is a tax of £10 to be paid at the

airport and before you go through to the departure area. The first time I flew home

via Norwich, I had no idea that this would be the case and was caught off guard.

When I flew it only took cash and the cashpoint was out of order, but luckily I had a

£10 note at hand.

Europe Unless you hail from the continent, the UK was most likely a very appealing hub to access

the rest of Europe (which I cannot lie, was a major selling point for me). Flights to Europe

from the UK, and particularly from Stansted, are majorly inexpensive. I would even argue it’s

cheaper to travel throughout Europe than it is to travel throughout the US or Canada.

There are a number of ways you can get to Europe and around once you are there.

The cheapest option is surprisingly not Ryanair or EasyJet. The cheapest way to get

to Europe is to go via Megabus. From UEA you can get to Paris or Barcelona with

Megabus for around £15-£20 (one-way). If you factor in the travel to the airports,

the time you wait around for the flight and on the transportation to the airport, you

will probably have spent around £45 one-way for a flight with Ryanair. A trip from

UEA to Paris with Megabus takes roughly 12 hours and they leave once a day. You

will have to make a couple changes, but that’s still worth it. You can leave in the

morning and get there in the evening or you can leave at night and arrive back to the

UK in the early morning. Of course, you will have to have a passport and the proper

visas (if required).

Another option to get to the continent is to take the Eurostar or Rail & Sail. Eurostar

is probably the most commonly known form of travel from London-Paris. It is a two

hour train journey that leaves from St. Pancras (across from Kings Cross Station,

where Platform 9 ¾ is, all you Harry Potter fans!). There are several options with

Eurostar, but again, book far enough in advance. A return costs around £69

depending on the time of year and how late you leave it. If Paris or Brussels (another

Eurostar destination) are not your cup of tea, then you could Rail & Sail from

Norwich to Amsterdam. This is a combi-fare that includes a train journey to Harwich

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and then a Ferry across to the Netherlands, where you change at Rotterdam and

take a train up to Amsterdam. You can also do this over to Ireland as well, leaving

from Norwich to Hollyhead or Liverpool and then onto Dublin.

At last we come to Ryanair and EasyJet. These, mind you, are not the only low-cost

airlines in Europe. You also have GermanWings, Wizz Air, Pegasus Airlines,

Norwegian, with many more to name. I subscribe to Ryanair’s twitter feed for

frequent fare updates. Ryanair probably have the best deals at the most

inconvenient times. The cheapest fares usually depart between 7:00 and 7:30 in the

morning, meaning you will have to get to the airport the night before. The National

Express has a coach that leaves four times a day that goes to all the major London

airports (Stansted, Heathrow and then onto Gatwick). It is advisable to get a coach

leaving around midnight or 1am and getting to the airport at 3 for these early flights.

EasyJet have a few more convenient flights and fly to major international airports,

which makes the travelling a bit easier; however, again, you have to be willing to put

up with some inconvenient times. I don’t think I can reiterate this enough, though,

with all of the low-cost carriers, it is essential to book far enough in advance.

Whenever I book mine, I book them months at a time because I can get return

tickets to Gothenburg, Sweden for about £20 return. They are that cheap.

Once on the continent, you can participate in either Eurrail or Interrail programmes,

depending on the length of your visa. If you are here on a short-term visa, you can

get a Eurrail pass and travel from country to country. Alternatively, if you are here

for the year, you may qualify for the Interrail pass, which is significantly cheaper than

Eurrail.

Travel Websites Here are key travel websites for you to use whilst you are here:

www.megabus.com

www.nationalexpress.com

www.ryanair.com

www.easyjet.com

www.eurail.com

www.interrail.eu

www.eurostar.com

www.kayak.co.uk

www.statravel.co.uk

www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk

www.thetrainline.com

www.stenaline.co.uk