Journey of a Muslim

-Heriot Watt University is one of the top universities in Scotland.
-30 mins away from the city centre but very suitable environment to study. (peace and tranquillity)
-Each students will be assigned a mentor, and your mentor will help you throughout your academic year, and they will assist you by tracking progress of your academic achievement. They will be all ears to listen to your non-academic matters as well.
- Very friendly community, everyone is equally treated.




Facilities

-Library (opens 24 hours during exam period)
-Sports Centre (Gym, Squash, Football and Futsal etc)
-Prayer room
-Dining hall, and few cafes
-Student Union
-Student shop




Course

- Actuarial Science (top in the UK) , roughly around 15-20 per batch
- Petroleum Engineering (Masters) , roughly around 2-3 per batch




Accommodation

- Halls are only available for 1st year student, all halls are very near to lecture theatres and classrooms. There are a few types of halls (ensuite, flat, shared bathroom, but flat is more preferable because you will have more privacy, and you will not share the kitchen with the opposite gender.)
- For returning students, we live nearby campus, and the rent is relatively cheaper compared to those who stayed in the city centre.



Life as a Muslim

-Very small community of Muslim in Heriot Watt University, but there are various activities organised by Heriot Watt Muslim Society. But roughly around 5000 muslim in the whole of Edinburgh, and there is a central mosque in the city centre.

-There is a prayer room in the university itself, and they perform jamaah prayers everyday. Male students can also perform Friday prayers in the university.



Halal Food

-The cafe in the university provides halal chicken only for cold serving (panini, sandwiches, baguette ) . However, there is no problem in finding halal food in the city centre because there is a variety of halal restaurants and halal food stores. Most stores are located in Nicholson Street in the city centre. The nearest halal chicken supply is in Asda, which is only 15 minutes away from the university. There are also some Malaysian food provided in the halal store like maggi, chilli sauce from Malaysia etc. Malaysian food can also be found in the chinese supermarket.



Malaysian Community

In Heriot-Watt
Female: Small get-together on a weekly basis, to share problems and advices.
Male: (not sure about male, sorry)

In Edinburgh:
Annual Eid celebration, Solat Hajat. Sports tournament for male (football).




What to prepare

- Firstly, cooking skills! :)
- Herbs and spices can easily be found here (but a bit pricey) , but it would be preferable to bring some from Malaysia (a month of supply of Brahim's, for example) to settle down before you start your new life as a student here.
- Books can be bought here, but actuarial science students rely fully on lecture notes, we rarely buy books (but we sometimes borrow books from the library)
- Stationeries, please buy in Malaysia because it's too expensive here.
- Don't forget to bring your Quran :)