QUEEN MARY SINGAPORE

SOCIETY
PRE - DEPARTURE GUIDE
2016/17

TIPS FOR LIFE IN LONDON

WHAT TO BRING OVER:
These are some essentials to bring over either because its much more expensive or not very
available in the UK.
A. For your room and school
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Driving License and/or Singapore I/C

Stationery (Pens, Refills, Foolscap, Post--its, Stapler, Hole Puncher, Scissors, Tape)
Medication
Cash (very important in first few weeks before you get your debit card)
Two--pin/Multi--purpose plug
Some summer clothes (it actually gets warmer around March)
Slippers
Stuff relevant to CCA that you want to pursue
Umbrella

B. Household
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Rice Cooker
Chopsticks
Milo, Teh Tarik or any other drinks you are a fan of
Singaporean snacks e.g. Prima Taste packs of Chicken Rice/Laksa, instant noodles
Air--tight tupperware (if possible, expensive there)

WHAT NOT TO BRING OVER:

These are things available in the UK and either of the same price or cheaper. Argos is your best
bet!
A. For your room and school
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Winter clothing (A normal jacket is enough for first few weeks of school)
Printer
Textbooks
Table lamp (provided)
Base layers for sports
Toiletries (unless you have specific brands or requirements, more variety and cheaper
over there)
7. Pillows, bedsheets
8. Clothes airer/dryer (the big kinds which you will use to hang your wet laundry)
B. Household
1. Cutlery and crockery
2. Electrical appliances e.g. Kettle and Iron
3. Water filter (for hard water in London)

4. Condiments such as soya sauce (easily available in Chinatown and even British
supermarkets)

SETTLING DOWN
A. BANKING
Having a bank account and a debit card is absolutely essential for any activity in the UK. It is
only with your debit card can you register for a phone!
Creating a bank account in Singapore
It is possible to create a UK bank account in Singapore. However, HSBC is the only bank that we
know of that allows you to do so. You would have to open a Singapore HSBC account first before
a UK one can be opened for you. Funds can then be transferred from the Singapore HSBC
account to the UK one for a minimal charge. Do check with HSBC for further details. Remember
to call up your nearest HSBC branch to check with them if they can help you to open an
international acoount before going down as not all branches will be able to do so. If they are not
able to, the Collyer Quay branch is your safest bet. Also, it might take quite a few months to
process so start as soon as possible if you choose this option.
Creating a bank account in the UK
First and foremost, you receive a bank letter during enrolment, which is during the weekend
before school starts. This bank letter gives 1) proof of your enrolment 2) proof of your address.
TIPS:
1) Address the letter to the specific bank and branch, as the banks are quite particular and nit-
pick at general letters.
2) Make sure you have updated your address on the Queen Mary mysis portal.
3) Make an appointment in advance with the bank branch youve chosen as they tend to be
very packed during the first two weeks of university.
4) You will be offered your bank letter and internet access details during enrolment itself.
Please only leave the enrolment session after confirming you have these letters!
Banks near campus
1. Whitechapel and Mile End
Barclays

240 Whitechapel Road

London E1 1BS

Along street opposite Whitechapel tube

NatWest

131 Whitechapel High Street

London E1 7PT

Along the high street of Whitechapel

tube

or
154 Roman Road
London E2 0RY

In Globe Town

HSBC

75 Whitechapel Road
London E1 1DU

10 minutes walk from Whitechapel tube

towards Aldgate East

Lloyds

210 Commercial Road

London E1 2JR

Behind Blizard Building

Santander

Christopher France House,

Westfield Student Village,
QMUL Campus

On QMUL Mile End Campus

London E1 4NS

2. Dawson
Barclays

NatWest

89 Charterhouse Street
London EC1M 6PE

Turn left after TESCO Express outside

Barbican station, and walk along
Carthusian Street and Charterhouse
Street

134 Aldersgate St

Right outside Barbican station

London EC1A 4JA

HSBC

74 Goswell Road
London EC1V 7DA

Lloyds

69 Old Street
London EC1V 9JB

Walk down Goswell Road upon exiting

Barbican station; it is very obvious at
the junction of Goswell Road and Old
Street
Turn right at HSBC and walk along Old
Street

Pros and Cons

NatWest

Free Rail Card

No fees per month
Convenient from campuses

HSBC

Santander

Able to set up an account in

Singapore for ease of money
transfer
Right on Mile End campus

Poor service (apparently)

Barclays

Good mobile app

Relatively efficient
Premier league ties
(possible to win tickets)

Difficult to get an appointment

slot during freshers week
Very particular about bank
letter details

Relatively inefficient
Recommend to collect any debit
cards or cheque books at
branch itself
Cost of 8 per month to
maintain account

Internet banking is available and is probably the most convenient way of transferring funds. You
can find out more from your bank when you set up your account.

B. PHONE
There are many service providers in the UK, with the main players being O2, Vodafone, Three,
Orange and Virgin Mobile.
We strongly recommend giffgaff, which is a subsidiary network run by O2. It has flexible plans
whereby you pay a set amount per month for a certain number of call minutes, SMS and mobile
data, but you can stop the plan any time you want. You can also top up credit on your SIM for
other uses such as roaming.
You can find out more information on http://giffgaff.com. Some of us seniors have spare giffgaff
SIM cards if you want to have one as soon as you reach London.

C. TRANSPORT
Once you have enrolled, you can apply for a 18+ Student Oyster card at
https://photocard.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gotoApply.do?type=student&from=home.
You require:

Your university/college enrolment number

Your course dates
A digital photograph
A credit/debit card to pay the 10.00 application fee

Russell Square (Zone 1): University of London Halls

Barbican (Zone 1): Dawson Hall, Charterhouse Square Campus, St. Bartholomews Hospital,
Barts Medical Library
Whitechapel (Zone 2): Floyer House, Garrod Building, Blizard Building (Perrin Lecture
Theatre), The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Library, Barts and The London Student
Association
Mile End (Zone 2): Westfield Student Village, main Mile End Campus, Queen Mary Students
Union
Queen Mary students based at Mile End campus are usually housed in the Westfield Student
Village so you can get to campus in minutes or less
Barts students are housed usually at Dawson Hall or in Floyer House.
There are 3 modes of transport between the campuses. For more information, visit
http://www.tfl.gov.uk.
1) Tube
The Hammersmith & City (Pink) Line is relatively inefficient with trains coming every 10
minutes and has delays along the journey, but it remains the most direct way to commute.
A monthly travelcard with an 18+ Student Oyster Card from Zones 1 to 2 costs 81.50. This
travelcard also entitles you to free bus rides within Zones 1 to 6.
2) Bus
Bus 25 is slower and more inconvenient but cheaper. A monthly bus pass costs 52.70. It is
the best way of commuting between the Whitechapel and the Mile End campuses.

3) Walk
It takes about 40 minutes to walk from Dawson to Whitechapel, and while this might seem like a
terribly long time, many of the local and international students do walk to save money and get
some exercise!
It is a 15 minute walk from the Whitechapel to Mile End campuses.
4) Cycle
Cycling using your own bike or the Boris bikes
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx takes about 20 minutes or less from
Dawson to Whitechapel (depending on your speed). It is about a 7 minute cycle from
Whitechapel to Mile End.
We would not recommend cycling as you have to cycle along the vehicles and it can be quite
dangerous, although it definitely is cost-efficient.

D. HEALTHCARE
Full--time international students in the UK are covered by the National Health Service (NHS).
For access to NHS services, you must register with a nearby General Practitioner. You will
need proof of enrolment and address (use your bank letter!). Students staying in Whitechapel
and Mile End halls will be asked to register with the Occupational Health Service at the Mile
End Campus. Students staying in Dawson Hall will be informed accordingly upon arrival.
Consultation and hospitalization are paid for by the NHS but you need to pay for prescribed
medication at a standard rate of 7.00. There is no need to acquire additional health insurance
in the UK, but it would be good to have health insurance in case of any emergency.

STUDENT LIFE
A. ORIENTATION
Orientation in the UK is very different from that in Singapore. There are no OGs and its more
clubbing-oriented. The first 2 weeks of university will be filled with introductory lectures in the
morning on administrative things like how Barts functions and seeking help from the
appropriate authorities, and the events will be held at night.
You dont have to go for every event simply because its too tiring and you have a few actual
lectures on Cell Biology in the 2nd week of university. Some of the events which will be held are
the BLSA Boat Ball (boat cruise on the River Thames), Toga Party (wrap 3m of cloth around
yourself), Griff Inn Pub Quiz and the Fresher Curries. Do make sure to bring your BRP/driving
license along for any events you attend as you may get turned away if you dont! Keep an eye out
for the orientation events once they are released by the Barts Students Association. You might
need to get extra tickets for some of the events, so remember to get them before they run out!
The first 2 weeks will be the best time to settle whatever you might need for your room such as
electrical appliances, and appropriate clothing for the coming colder months.

B. EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES/STUDENT UNION

Year 1 is the best year to pursue whatever youve been meaning to do! Dont spend all of your
time studying although its vital to be consistent. Participating in a society is a good way to know
the local students from your year and the years above, and gain more insight into their way of
life and culture. The full list of societies you can join is available at http://www.qmsu.org/.
The Student Union refers to the body of students which runs it but also refers usually to the bar;
Drapers at Mile End and The Griff Inn at Whitechapel. Many university events are held at these
two places.
SPORTS
Some sports have separate Queen Mary and Barts teams. Trainings are usually on Wednesdays
as that is the day set aside by all London universities for activities, and school ends by 12pm
usually.
Sports teams compete in leagues against other universities and if there are many people in a
sport, they are divided into different teams such as firsts, seconds, thirds and fourths based on
competence.
Most training takes place in the Mile End area, or for sports such as Rowing, you will have to
travel out of main London (in Chiswick). Be prepared to spend time and money on travel for
league games! It does get very cold in winter so be prepared to invest in proper base layers and
tights.
Every Wednesday, the sports teams gather at the Union for Tables which is typically rounds of
drinking games.

PERFORMING ARTS

Barts holds concerts from time to time, from dance to theatre and the students are very
enthusiastic in participating and attending these events to support their friends.

Barts Dance holds 3 sessions each week: salsa, hiphop and lyrical, with the latter two having classes
for beginners and intermediates, so anyone who is interested is welcome to join!
As mentioned below, Barts has a strong tradition in RAG (Raise and Give), and Barts Dance is a huge
part of it by putting up a RAG show every year. Dancers channel their passion for dance towards a
charitable cause, raising money for many different beneficiaries through a dance cum fashion show.
If you do decide to join the RAG show in March, trainings may take up to a few days each week,
depending on the number of items youve been allocated to. It may seem a little challenging, trying
to juggle work, trainings and other commitments once the day of the performance draws closer, but
as your seniors would assure you, it is a wonderful opportunity to make new friends, and itll all be
worthwhile when you look back!
VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering at Queen Mary and Barts (BL) is not difficult. You can be on regular placements,
student projects or even go for one--off opportunities known as community action days (CADs).
You can volunteer regularly at the Royal National Institute of Blind people, for those sports fans out
there, you can volunteer for their The Big Issue Night Walk or Nike Run To The Beat and those
who wants to cook for the homeless at Whitechapel are also welcome!
RAG (Raise and Give) is a BL niche because we are always the university to raise the most funds
for charities. There is a RAG week where students go out RAGging in London before and after
lectures and there are days where they organised trips to Brighton and Oxford to RAG.
There are healthcare--related opportunities such as with BL Lifesavers, a society which teaches
students CPR and First Aid,. They also provide attachments for pre--hospital care and courses
like Advanced Life Support and AED. Others are BL Friends of MSF Society, Kenyan Orphan
Project (KOP), MEDSIN, Students for Kids International Projects (SKIP) and Teddy Bear
Hospital.
Perks include a totally different experience from Singapore, getting to know more friends from
BL and QM, transport will be 100% reimbursed, leadership opportunities and awards and
certificates will be given.
Please register at this website to get regular updates on volunteering opportunities
www.providevolunteering.org/home.aspx and www.qmsu.org/volunteering/volunteers/
You can contact Anne Chua, our welfare officer for more details too!

C. CURRICULUM
In Barts, you go through each system (of the body) 3 times. Once in Year 1 to learn the normal
anatomy and physiology, another time in Year 2 to learn the abnormal (pathology) and the third
time in your clinical years.
The curriculum for Year 1 is as follows:
1

Fundamentals of Medicine
(FunMed)

First 9 weeks

Covers A Level Biology briefly for

the first few weeks, followed by
Anatomy, Cancer, Pharmacology,
Immunology, Microbiology and
Physiology basics

Cardiorespiratory (CR),
Metabolism (Met), Locomotor
(Loco)

Subsequent 9
weeks

CR: Circulatory and the Respiratory

Systems
Met: Alimentary System,
Biochemistry
Loco: Musculoskeletal System

Brain & Behaviour (B&B),

Human Development (HD)

Subsequent 6
weeks

B&B: Nervous System

HD: Reproductive System,
Pregnancy, Development of
Children, Embryology

D. ELEMENTS OF SCHOOL
Apart from lectures at the Perrin, you will also have:
1. PROBLEM--BASED LEARNING (PBL)
Problem-based learning is a major part of learning at Barts. In FunMed, you will have PBL once a
week (Tuesdays). After FunMed, you will have PBL twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays).
The PBL is a written case relevant to the weeks lectures, and together with your group you will
have to identify keywords in the scenario, and formulate your learning objectives. Most of the
time, you will also have to figure out what disease the patient has.
You will be guided by a facilitator who is a member of staff of Barts but might not necessarily be
a doctor or have prior knowledge on the scenario. They will have the tutors notes so you will
not go off track.
As we dont have tutorials in Barts, PBL is a good time to voice out any doubts you might have,
and discuss it with your peers. PBL trains your research and presentation skills.

PBL is graded through your attendance and a PBL Write--Up that you do at the end of each main
module, but the most important thing about PBL is that there is a whole examination paper on it
for finals!
It is very important to be consistent, especially when PBLs are twice a week. Try your best to
find the information required instead of relying on friends or the leaked tutors notes. This
makes PBL more beneficial to your learning.
It is also through PBL that you can really talk and get to know the locals.
2. ANATOMY LAB
The batch is divided into 4 groups (A,B,C,D). A and B are usually together, as with C and D.
Anatomy lab sessions are usually held every Monday or Thursday at the Turnbull Centre (Mile
End campus).
In FunMed, the whole of the group attends the same session (so it gets a little crowded), but
after FunMed the groups are further split into half.
You will be given a booklet to fill in during the session (its ok if you cant complete it) and you
can ask the demonstrators, who are usually surgeons in training, for help. Anatomy sessions
utilises prosections which you can touch and open up (if required, such as the mesentery of the
intestines).
A prosection is a body part which has already been dissected nicely and preserved by
formaldehyde, and it is a good way of seeing the anatomy in 3D and how the structures actually
lie in the body, which you cant usually get in books.
Recommended Anatomy books: Essential Clinical Anatomy (Baby Moore) & Rohens Colour
Atlas of Anatomy.
3. PHYSIOLOGY LAB
Physiology lab sessions are held either before or after anatomy sessions and can be quite a
dread, but they are actually very important (they come up in exams because everyone skips
them and the professors want to punish us!) Example of things you do in Physiology lab: testing
the nervous system e.g. electromyography, checking the peak expiratory flow rate of your peers.
4. MICROANATOMY
Microanatomy encompasses histology (study of the tissues) and cytology (study of the cells).
You look at tissues and identify their microscopic characteristics. It is held usually on Monday at
the computer lab at Garrod Building. The lecturer might be a bit of a bore but hes very
knowledgable and youre better off doing the microanatomy programme at the session rather
than at home. It would be good to borrow Wheaters Functional Histology as most pictures
com from there.
Anatomy and microanatomy will be tested in a paper called the spotter, which is an MCQ test
asking you to identify structures from pictures.
5. CLINICAL SKILLS

Clinical skills sessions are conducted by Dr Nigel Yeatman along with others, who are brilliant.
They are held at the West Smithfield Campus Robin Brooks Centre (Barts Hospital near
Dawson Hall). It may be difficult to grasp the amount of things you have to learn in one session,
but itd be good to run through it after youve learnt it with your friends. The Singaporean
seniors will conduct OSCE practices for you guys towards the finals so dont worry

6. MEDICINE IN SOCIETY (MEDSOC)

MedSoc is your GP posting every fortnight on Thursday. Some of you might get Essex
placements, some you might get nearby ones in Bow. Each day you go has a theme, related to
the current module youre studying. Youll get the opportunity to interview patients and find out
more about how disease affects them, and also get to know the primary healthcare landscape in
UK better.

D. HALL LIFE
We have gathered some reviews from people staying in Dawson, Floyer and the UOL Halls.
Floyer House
The biggest perk of living at Floyer House is that it is on campus and a mere 5-minute walk
from Perrin Lecture Theatre and the Garrod Building- the 2 main places first-year MBBS
students will be spending their school hours at. If convenience is a priority and youd like to
sleep in half an hour more each morning compared to your peers living at Dawson
Hall, Floyer House would be most ideal.
The proximity of Floyer to Perrin also meant that I had more incentive to attend lectures
compared to friends at Dawson who had to put up with travelling on the notoriously
slow/infrequent Hammersmith & City line to school. There are about 6 to 7 people per flat,
sharing a kitchen, 2 toilets and 2 bathrooms.
Another plus point about staying at Floyer is the huge Sainsbury supermarket just across
Whitechapel road where Floyer residents normally get their groceries. As the closest
supermarket to Dawson is a much smaller Tesco supermarket, I found a fair number of my peers
choosing to shop at Sainsbury even though they were living at Dawson. The Whitechapel
Library is directly across Floyer too and is opened till as late as 12am should you prefer to study
there.
When I first arrived in London, I was under the impression that Whitechapel was very unsafe.
However, after 9 months of living at Floyer, I have since changed my mind. Ive returned home
past midnight a number of times without incident and found that the Whitechapel road itself
isnt as deserted as I thought itd be. There are also paramedics on night-shift duties outside the
A&E department of the Royal London along the route back to Floyer from Whitechapel tube
station, which was rather reassuring to me. On the other hand, my experiences are limited to
walking directly from the tube station to Floyer at night. Unless you plan to explore other parts
of the Whitechapel area at night on your own, which I strongly advise against, you should do
fine. As with anywhere else, be aware of your surroundings nevertheless.
In terms of security at Floyer itself, there is no manager on site at night but the entrance consists of
2 consecutive doors, both of which require a card-key to open. Dawson however, has a security
guard stationed at the entrance at night in addition to requiring a card-key from what I
understand.
In my opinion, Dawson also offers a wider range of facilities compared to Floyer. It has a garden
and a small gym, both of which Floyer lacks. It looks nicer externally too. In terms of basic
facilities however, I think Floyer is very much on par with Dawson. The
bathrooms at Floyer were a lot more spacious than I imagined them to be and the kitchen
facilities were in good condition.

Compared to Dawson, Floyer has fewer residents. In that sense, you would have a larger
community of medical students to socialize with at Dawson. Dawson is also located closer to
central London, ideal if you plan to go out often.

All in all, if I had to pick again, Id still choose Floyer but it really is a matter of personal
preference.
Anthony Tan
PS. If you want to live in Floyer, you may stand a greater chance of getting a place there if you
apply for a large room like I did. Some of the other Singaporean students applied for a medium
or small room at Floyer and did not get it. Cheers!

Dawson Hall
Initially, when I first got Dawson Hall, I was upset at having to commute to school and spend
money on transport. I also thought my room would be very small but most rooms in Dawson are
very big! I stayed on the 7th floor and the rooms were all relatively smaller, but still of a good
size. I had huge windows, nice to stare out of
Dawson is really nice as majority of medics and dentists live here and there really is a sense of
community among the floors. Everyone usually catches the same tube from Barbican, and its
just nice being able to mingle with different people every morning. Come exam time, everyone is
in it together and we revise and panic and practice clinical skills together and usually there are a
few finalists (Year 5s) on each floor to help us out too!
For my floor, 13 of us girls shared a huge kitchen, 2 bathrooms, and 3 toilets. I didnt really find
it too little because its rare that everyone uses the toilet all at the same time. Most other floors
have about 6 or 7 people to a smaller kitchen. Most floors of Dawson have 3 wings, and each
wing has 1 or 2 kitchens. One wing is called the prison block because it faces the nearby
laboratory.
Theres a TESCO express right outside Barbican station, so its very convenient to get things
such as milk and bread, but there isnt much variety so majority of us go to Sainsburys at
Whitechapel after school to shop.
Dawson has a beautiful lawn right outside, and its lovely to hang there come spring time and
have BBQs with the other students! Barbican is also a very peaceful and safe area. Theres
practically no one walking around at night.
Dawson is close to St Bartholomews Hospital and Robin Brook Centre for clinical skills, as well
as the Barts Medical Library. Theres also FABRIC, a famous club just a 3 minute walk away, and
the West Smithfield Market which apparently sells good meat for cheap at unearthly hours (4,5
am) but Ive never actually tried buying!
Being in Barbican also means youre near St Pauls Cathedral (beautiful) and close by to the
Thames River, so anytime you need some time off just go take a walk, its absolutely therapeutic!
Barbican is in Zone 1 and 2 stops away from Kings Cross if youre taking the rail anywhere, and
is relatively close to popular places like Holborn and Oxford Street.
I would love to stay in Dawson again, so do treasure your time there if you get a place there !
Subhasheenee Ganesan

UOL Halls (International Hall)

International Hall became my home for the 9 months that I stayed in London. Most of the friends
that I made were from different universities doing various courses, I also met a lot of international
students and it was really cool to get to know not only other Singaporeans but other international
students as well. You also get to meet postgraduate students and a lot of families choose to stay
here as well, its a really big hall!
Albeit its more expensive than school halls, its catered (you dont have to cook!!) and youre also
paying for the location. International hall situated in Russell Square is just 10 minutes away by tube
to places like Oxford street and Chinatown and youre pretty much living in Central London. I really
loved the location and being in close proximity to good shopping and food! Also, everything you
might need is just a 2 minute walk away: theres Brunswick where there are shops and lot of places
to eat as well as a big Waitrose where you can buy your groceries. Russell square station is also just a
2 minute walk away and theres a small Tesco opposite the station. The hall provides breakfast and
dinner in the weekdays and brunch and dinner on the weekends, its not 5 star food but the
breakfast is pretty good and sometimes the dinners pretty decent as well.
The hall also has a committee which regularly organises parties in the hall for residents to
socialise and events for the residents to explore London. For e.g., last year they organised a couple
of trips to some musicals (Wicked, Les Miserables, Phantom Of The Opera, Singing In The Rain) at a
cheaper price.
However, travelling to school could be really annoying on days because of
the inefficient Hammersmith line, it takes me usually around half an hour to 40 minutes to reach the
Whitechapel campus. Furthermore, transport in London is really expensive so I recommend you
make a monthly student pass for zone 1 and 2 that is around 81 pounds. Also, although you get
to make friends from other universities, most of your Barts friends will be staying in the Queen
Mary halls, so you lose out on the experience of having hall mates from Barts. I was the only one
studying medicine in Queen Mary staying at international hall.
No matter whether you choose to stay in the Queen Mary halls or in the intercollegiate halls, you get
a different sort of but a good experience either ways! I definitely enjoyed staying in International
Hall
Geetika Verma