Busy times. Since my last post, I’ve…

…met a lot of fascinating classmates during two weeks of nightly pub crawls. The group is literally from all corners of the world (Singapore to Canada, Argentina to Russia and S Africa to Denmark) and has worked in every field imaginable. A lot of people seem to have chosen London Business School over other top schools to (1) spend the next two years in arguably the best and most connected city in the world and (2) to continue their highly international careers and lifestyles.

…finalized details of my flat-share with several second year students. Based on what I’ve heard from others, pairing up in an existing flat is much easier than getting a new place using an estate agent. Few students seemed to use loot/craigslist classifieds, which means they’re paying hefty estate agency commission fees. In general, 3+ bedroom flats are being found for £140-200 /week/person, they require 6 weeks deposit/person, and sometimes, have £500 in commission fees.

…registered with a GP (general/primary physician). It was an easy process, but I needed a letter from LBS to prove student status. The main thing to keep in mind if you need to do this is that you have to be less than a specified distance from the GP you register with (see NHS). Still haven’t dealt with dentists or optometrists.

…met with HSBC to set up my account and loan. Of course I needed another letter from LBS since I don’t have proof of UK address yet, but these are all form letters for the school to pump out. Next week I will try moving money from the US for the first time using xe.com.

…made an appointment with the French consul in London to apply for my first Schengen visa the 2nd week in September. I’m giving the process 10 weeks to ensure that everything’s taken care of for my desired travel date. The required documents are clearly spelled out on the website (passport, travel tickets, booked lodging, travel insurance and letter from school). The online appointment system posted a lot of appointments on August 24 for September… Also learned that Switzerland (and possibly Czech Republic...) allows UK multiple-entry student visa holders to travel there without another visa. Need to do more research on their consulate websites though…

…visited the town of Oxford. Wonderfully ornate and historic buildings and streets. The business school (Said) is near the train station, but that makes it from the main campus. There seems to be a lot hidden behind walls, but the group I was with was on a bit of a quick tour…. £17 without any discounts roundtrip from Paddington station.

...had my laptop fixed and its warranty extended for 1 year because it completely crashed after only 3 months. HP’s customer service was fantastic in that they sent a courier to pick up the laptop, didn’t give me a hard time about US/UK changes and fixed things (replaced both 1GB memory cards) in 4 business days, but a hassle nonetheless.

On Sunday I will likely checkout the Notting Hill Carnival after football (soccer) practice. I’ve heard it’s an absolute zoo so I’m expecting something along the lines of Mardis Gras in New Orleans; although, I haven’t noticed Londoners getting as belligerent when drinking, so hopefully not quite as chaotic.

On Monday I’ll find out who will be in my first year study group. Given that I’ve met roughly 1/6th of the 2008 LBS MBA’s, there’s a good chance that I have already met one of these people (6/7 people per group).

Finally, I have great motivation to work towards becoming fluent in Spanish. The school’s initial assessment did not automatically grant me the second language exit requirement. Instead of arguing that Farsi is my mother-tongue, I’m going to focus on re-learning Spanish. I’m going to do this on my own instead of using 1-2 of my very costly 12 electives.

My first week in…

...London has been great. The weather has been fantastic, which makes all the difference when you're exploring neighbourhoods and tourist sights by foot. Here's a small sampling of my new photos:
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LBS view from my hostel/dorm room

Typical neighbourhood street near school

Oxford Street on a sunny Wednesday afternoonLots of green spaces and a very picturesque skylineTourist mania

Parting Thoughts

Thinking through my “to-do” list, here are some of the less obvious things to consider…

Finances
* Notify bank and credit cards of upcoming foreign transactions to prevent fraud holds
* Understand foreign transaction charges for credit cards (Capital One 0%) , debit cards (Visa 1%, even for ATM), and bank transfers
* Set up an Electronic Fund Transfer process to move money to a UK based account. Fx.com appears to provide a good service, although I’ve yet to make a transaction.

Lodging
* If arriving in July/August and need temporary lodging, book a room at a local university. I’ve booked a single private room for two weeks through hostels.com at University of Westminster Halls – Marylebone for £15/night.
* Search LBS’ Portal accommodation listings two weeks prior to arriving to setup student flat/flat share viewings. Keep in mind that joining an existing student flat will eliminate the hassle of setting up utilities and exempting your flat from council tax (~£100/mo; exemption requires that all tenants be students).
* A reasonable weekly rent/utilities budget seems to be £175 for a flat share or £300 for a studio. Remember that there are ~4.3 weeks in a month if making a time period conversion (365.25 /7 /12 = 4.34821428571 to be precise).

Random
* Network early with co-workers and friends. An old manager put me in touch with his new company’s US recruiting coordinator who forwarded my resume to their London office.
* London Gatwick has lower passenger landing fees than Heathrow so flights may be $50 cheaper from US. However, you will likely pay more for transportation to get into the city (ie, Gatwick Express vs Tube).
* Leaving friends and loved ones behind is very difficult. Planning numerous communication channels (eg, blog, Skype, Hello UK phone card) and dates for visits can ease some of the strain.

I'm leaving for London in 6 hours...