Hi there! I am Mein Yeak, President of the 38th ICSS Executive Committee! Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on your admission to Imperial College London!
Imperial is among the most reputable universities in the world and boasts one of the most international university communities. The Singaporean community here in Imperial is large and close-knit, and we can’t wait to make you feel right at home!
At ICSS, we aim to always be your home away from home. Throughout your time in London, we will always be here to be a pillar of support whenever you miss that fried carrot cake and nasi lemak from back home!
To help you a little, we have created an ICSS Freshers’ Welcome Package just for you! This package consists of a wide range of events that are held both in Singapore and London, to facilitate your transition and get to know other students studying at Imperial! It also consists of our Ultimate Sotong Guide, which is an extremely detailed guide that helps you with all the nitty-gritty details before departing for and upon landing in London!
You’ll find the Welcome Package down below! Do reserve the dates and we look forward to welcoming you to the ICSS family!
1. Registering with Us
To start off, we will need you to provide some basic details about yourself! This will help us understand the demographics of the 20/21 Freshers that are coming to Imperial and allow us to plan suitable activities! You can fill in your details through this form. In it, you can also indicate your interest in attending our Pre-Departure Talk (more on that later)!
Also, do join our
www.facebook.com/groups/icssfreshers2021/! This group will serve as an important channel in disseminating the necessary information for our exciting events! Meanwhile, do also check out our Facebook and Instagram pages.
2. Pre-Departure Talk
Our annual Pre-Departure Talk this year will be held online using Microsoft Teams. Online invitations (via email) will be sent out to join the chat room and the 38th Executive Committee will be there to answer any and all of your doubts, queries and worries about your upcoming and exciting life at Imperial College London!
The Pre-Departure Talk is a talk-and-mingle session that provides the opportunity for Freshers to find out more about preparations and life in London, inquire about the respective courses of study and meeting your fellow course-mates.
We have dedicated Academic Representatives from each course that will assist in answering any queries you may have! Don’t hesitate to ask them anything about your course or settling into London; they’ll be more than happy to share their experiences and give you some tips!
Date: Saturday, 25 July 2020
Venue: Microsoft Teams (Online Platform)
Time: 2pm – 5pm
Both parents and freshers are warmly invited to attend our online event on the day itself! If you’re interested, do sign up using the same link above, together with your personal details. We look forward to seeing you at the talk!
3. Sojourn
Sojourn 2020 will also be held online this year and we are already in full gear to give you a never before seen online immersive experience that you would never have seen before. Get your thinking caps ready cause you’re gonna be in for a wild ride time sleuth!
Sojourn is our annual orientation camp where you will find friends who will spend the next 3-4 years with you in London! Filled with fun activities and joy, we are sure that you will forge lasting memories and fellow freshers and seniors! It is the highlight event for freshers and should not be missed!
Date: Friday – Sunday, 28 – 30 August 2020
Venue: Online Event
Cost: ~S$TBD
More details will be released during Pre-Departure Talk.
4. Warwick Summer Games & Play@ICSS
This is an annual sporting event organised by Warwick Singapore Society that brings every Singaporean society across the UK for a whole day of sporting competition! Simply have fun by joining one of the sports and support Team ICSS against other universities!
However, in lieu of Covid-19, Warwick Summer Games will be cancelled to ensure all the freshers and seniors are well and healthy in order to begin the new school year off with a bang!
Date: –
Venue: –
Sports & Games: –
Do join our Sports & Games Channel, Play@ICSS; there are many sports interest groups that you can join: Frisbee, Basketball and Captain’s Ball, just to name a few! We will be updating everyone as soon as possible once social distancing restrictions are eased to allow larger groups of people to compete against each other.
You can join our Play@ICSS Facebook group or ask our Sports Officer, Richard (sportsofficer@ic-singsoc.net) for more details!
5. UKBound
UKBound is the flagship event of ICSS, where we gather all Singaporean societies across the UK to have a day of fun activities! Meet new friends who study in the UK and we are sure that it will be a blast for everyone! Stay tuned for more announcements about it later in the year!
Date: 7 September 2020 (TBC)
6. AIG Student Assist Plan
Don’t forget to get yourself insured when you’re overseas! ICSS is partnering with AIG to offer you the AIG Student Assist Plan, where you can get 10% off when you apply through us!
To apply with the discount:
- Print out the application form,
- Fill it in, and
- Submit to president@ic-singsoc.net by Friday, 30 August 2020. You will receive an acknowledgement email after you have sent the application.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT submit the application form through the AIG website as you would not qualify for the discount.
Note: The premiums quoted on the form are before the 10% discount. The net premium will be deducted from your credit card when the policy is issued.
In your email, do indicate the following:
- Email Subject: AIG Student Assist Plan 2020-21 <Full Name>
- Year of study for 2020-21
- Attachment of completed application form
Please note that AIG would not contact students regarding personal financial planning.
On behalf of AIG, we would like to emphasise that:
- The Core Plan only covers Accident Medical Expenses. However, there are optional benefits (Options A, B & C) on top of the Core Plan, at an additional cost, that will cover both Accident Medical Expenses and Sickness Medical Expenses.
- The Two-Way Hospital Visit covers the expenses for, an immediate family member to stay with you if you are hospitalised, or for you to fly back to Singapore to visit a hospitalised family member, provided the affected is hospitalised for more than 5 days.
More information can be found on the brochure and infographic above.
Check out this link to find out more about the Student Assist Plan. Click here to view its policy wording.
If you have any queries with regards to the Plan, you can contact Mdm Ng Lay Hoon at layhoon@aia.com.sg.
7. Arrivals Weekend
Arrivals Weekend this year is still being planned by the relevant teams at Imperial College London. We will update everyone about the final details once Imperial has confirmed them. We anticipate a staggered arrival schedule depending on the geographic location of various countries.
If you ARE planning to fly to London for your 1st year at university, we would advise freshers to be prepared for a 14 day quarantine upon arrival. University halls accommodation will not be ready until the actual arrivals weekend so freshers would have to find your own type of accommodation in the case of a 14 day quarantine by the UK Immigration Authorities.
Do not worry about making rushed plans right now as we will be updating everyone on the fresher’s Facebook group with up-to-date details as and when they are confirmed by the relevant authorities.
Duvet orders and Airport pick-up Services might also be cancelled mainly due to a strict allowance of “essential services” which these sadly do not fall under. However, if Covid-19 guidelines are relaxed, we will try our best to implement the following services for freshers!
Duvet Orders
A duvet is a thick blanket/quilt that will keep you extremely comfortable during the erratic winter days in London. To help you have the peace of mind and avoid the long queues in stores, we will be taking bulk orders during our Pre-Departure Talk and you will be able to collect it when you move into halls. We will release more details at a later date. Each duvet will cost around £10/S$18 (based on 2019 prices).
Freshers’ Airport Pick-up Service, Moving into Halls & Hall Walkabouts
Flying into London on 3 October and heading directly to halls? Worried about how to get there? Fret not, we will be providing a dedicated Freshers’ Airport Pick-up Service just for you! We are chartering bus services that will bring you straight from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to your various halls to check in! If you would like to hop on to this service, make sure that your flights arrive before 8am on 3 Oct!
Many airlines have cancelled and/or postponed routes to and from London. As a result Imperial College Singapore Society has decided NOT to provide a list of flights heading towards London for fear of providing misinformation to our freshers. Much closer to Arrivals weekend, ICSS will shortlist a handful of flights and airlines for freshers to choose from, should they choose to fly to the UK for their 1st year at Imperial College London.
The pick-up Service will cost around £10-15 per person. We will release more details when the date draws closer!
Hopefully, if there aren’t any 14-day quarantines in place by the Immigration Authorities, we will have Hall Walkabouts on the same day of your arrival! Your caring seniors who once lived in halls will guide you around the vicinity of your new homes! They will tell you where to get your groceries, the best shopping deals, eateries and most importantly, how to not get lost…
There will be many more events when you come to London, such as celebrations, an exciting Ski Trip and our original musical production, Major Event! For now, enjoy your break, and you will hear from me a lot more often from June! If you have any queries, you can contact us at admin@ic-singsoc.net or on our Facebook pages and website!
Best wishes,
Siow Mein Yeak
President, 38th Executive Committee
Imperial College Singapore Society