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Hullo,

I'm planning a campus visit to Oxbridge before the schools close for Christmas.
Is anyone else from India planning something similar, or has anyone already done so? Please give me a buzz...

Also, any pointers and opinions on dates and logistics is highly welcome!

Cheers!

Though they are not that difficult to reach as trains are available from central london.

You can have a look at tour packages like this https://goo.gl/FeVKh if you are in your own company.

Enjoy

Hi Itheenigma,

I have visited Said before and will be visiting again in the summer before I apply for the class of 2013. If you have any queries, I can try and answer them. I live in the UK btw.

thanks,
Snath

Snath,

Any specific reason why you didn't visit Judge?

Cheers!

Phew! Making arrangements for a campus visit isn't as cozy as I had thought! A call to beatthegmatters to help me out on these desperate queries!
>> I'm looking for super quick processing of my UK visa from India. Is hiring an agent (Thomas Cook maybe?) a good idea?
>> Is travel insurance a must in the UK? How to go about it?
>> what's the best way to carry local currency? Get myself some Thomas Cook/AMEX travelers cheques or do I purchase some GBP forex from India itself? Any other ideas?
>> Both schools (Ox/bridge) are taking time to respond to my request for campus visit. I'm guessing it's because of the peak application season. If I send them a gentle reminder to take a look at my case, how will it be perceived by the school? [I'm really hoping for an answer from them soon, because I can't process my visa without a letter of invitation from them ]

Cheers!

Hi itheenigma,

1.UK visas are processed by VFS, so I thought they would be quick. Both my wife and I have been through VFS and we got it in a week (not visitor visas though)
2.I think you will need a travel insurance for applying for a visa. If not (check UK visa website) dont bother taking it.
3. I took travellers cheques when I came to UK for the first time. Its not necessary but it gives that sense of comfort knowing that its safe. You could also use a credit card as most establishments here take them. Check with you bank if you have one on charges.
4. IMO the best way to experience the school would be on one of the open days. Schools would be better prepared to recieve you. The next oxbridge one is on 18th Nov and i dont see any other open days on their website. No problem in reminding them IMO. Hey, you are making the trip all the way from India just to visit them, so they should be happy to see you .

These are just my opinions dude. not gospel

sunil_snath wrote:Hi itheenigma,

1.UK visas are processed by VFS, so I thought they would be quick. Both my wife and I have been through VFS and we got it in a week (not visitor visas though)
2.I think you will need a travel insurance for applying for a visa. If not (check UK visa website) dont bother taking it.
3. I took travellers cheques when I came to UK for the first time. Its not necessary but it gives that sense of comfort knowing that its safe. You could also use a credit card as most establishments here take them. Check with you bank if you have one on charges.
4. IMO the best way to experience the school would be on one of the open days. Schools would be better prepared to recieve you. The next oxbridge one is on 18th Nov and i dont see any other open days on their website. No problem in reminding them IMO. Hey, you are making the trip all the way from India just to visit them, so they should be happy to see you .

These are just my opinions dude. not gospel

Thanks Sunil!
It's a damn shame I won't be able to make it to the Oxford open day.
Btw, good news is that both Ox+bridge responded positively to my request! Guess I'll be making that pilgrimage to the visa office after all!

In case someone else is thinking of making a similar sojourn, I'd ask you to keep loads of buffer time. I'm completely swamped with tiny (but important) things to do before my visa interview.

Just a quick update...I got my visa! Arrived yesterday along with my documents by courier.
I'll be quickly updating the admission committee about this development, will humbly request them to arrange for a meeting with some current students with a similar background.I might even push the envelope and ask them if they can arrange for me to be part of an ongoing class (do you think i can do this on a non open day?)...
I'm thinking a visit to the career services is also in order (thanks chendawg for your experiences), do a bit of snooping around for the loans services, finances etc and maybe take a look at the colleges, the residential quarters and the city (life) around the university.

Meanwhile, I definitely want to put my best foot forward and give the adcom a good impression, sort of self marketing. So I was thinking of carrying copies of my resume, my GMAT score, transcripts and my story. Do you think I need to go over the top by preparing some video resumes or powerpoint presentations about myself?
Any other tips and pointers?

Cheers!