Journey of a Muslim

Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine or IC for short, has campuses located all around London. The main campus where most undergraduates go to bears the postcode SW7, possibly the most expensive neighbourhood in the Europe, South Kensington. Thus, all the embassies crowd the place - Malaysian High Commission is just two stops away. OK, enough with the Wiki-like tone. IC just have lots to offer and I can assure you that the experience you will get here and in the UK is definitely one of a kind.


Facilities

IC seems to have everything that you need! Libraries, gyms, sports centre, you name it. Prayer room is also available. One thing that I don't think any other universities have is Royal Albert Hall! Our graduations are held here. You just have to be here to see them all. =D

Course

The courses that IC offers range from Engineering, Medicine and Natural Sciences. Now, that we have our own Business School, Business-based subjects are also available but only for post-graduates and joint-degree programmes. In each of the departments, I can confidently say that you will find at least one Malaysian. For my course, Biochemistry, we have 10 Malaysians out of 120 and 3 of us are muslims!

Accommodation

First years usually opt for the halls of residence and IC has lots of them. Some of them are on campus - expensive but you won't have to spend for travelling daily. Some may also be in walking distances and cheaper while others will require you to travel by bus or tube. But, you can always choose to walk. After all, 30 to 40 minutes walk is not that bad. =)

For the others ie, non-fresher, private housings are probably the best option. Bear in mind that any houses in the vicinity will cost you a fortune! So, we Malaysians usually rent houses out of Zone 1; partly because Zone 2 and 3 are cheaper and they have mosques as well! To name a few, North and East London both got their own mosques in Zone 2.

When I was in the first year, I always found my room to be a bit too boring and depressing. So, I spent most of my time pestering abang-abang at their homes. =p

Life as a Muslim

The muslim community here is huge! We actually have a Muslim Medics Society besides the IC Islamic Society (ISoc) - that's how big it is. We used to share the prayer room among brothers and sisters. But Alhamdulillah, now the ISoc can afford to rent another room for the sisters. The brothers here are all nice and friendly.

In terms of living as a muslim, I would say that with all of the temptations around, I'm glad that I have good muslim brothers who are always there to support me. InshAllah, everyone is here for you. =)

Halal Food

When it comes to halal food on campus, we have a variety of choices here. The Junior Common Room(JCR), Main Dining Hall and more! Each department also have their own cafes. By default, all chicken (not the processed ones) served by Imperial is halal. So, you don't have to worry about being a vegetarian here. The best spot to dine is most probably the Prayer Room. =D The brothers here sell different kinds of food - nasi lemak, nasi goreng, chicken with rice. Yummy! And they are affordable too!

If you're into something different, South Kensington does not have a lot to offer. However, there's a halal Subway and the epic kebab shop named Bosphorus within walking distance from campus. But, don't fear as London is generous with its numerous halal restaurants. With super efficient transportation, you can get to any of these restaurants in a jiffy. Try Paddington for a wide range of Malaysian restaurants. ;)

And for those who'd like to cook, halal butcher is also accessible. Just ask the abang-abang or kakak-kakak around. ^.^

Malaysian Community

London as a whole has a huge Malaysian community and IC pretty much portrays that on its own. If I were to count only the Malays here, it's already like a kampung melayu. Quoting a friend, "Pandang sana, pandang sini, semua muka makan belacan". Sometimes, I don't feel like I'm in London at all.


What to Prepare

First, prepare yourself for a breath-taking experience in London, Imperial especially.

Second, get my contact details.

Third, contact me and bombard me with questions. I don't bite. =p


I'm a bit all too excited to meet the new faces next year. I'm sure you are as well! =)

Hope to see you this October! InshAllah.



Contact Person

Izzat Syazwan bin Md Yusoff (Za'ba)
BSc Biochemistry
+447564107292 (UK)
+60176423310 (Malaysia)
my.izzat.syzwn@gmail.com
ism09@ic.ac.uk

Muhammad Hamidi bin Yusoff (Midi)
BSc Biology
+447707237090 (UK)
+60134513704 (Malaysia)
hamidiyusoff@gmail.com
mhy09@ic.ac.uk

Akmal Hayat bin Jusoh (Akmal)
MEng Mechanical Engineering
+447411630169 (UK)
+60194561232 (Malaysia)
ev_12mv2@yahoo.com
ahj110@ic.ac.uk