Last minute moving jitters

Hi,
 In a week I'm moving to the UK to start my PhD course in Literature at the University of York and, feeling very unprepared for it all, I thought this might be a good place to, well, wig out a bit.  So, sorry in advance for the rambling rant.  My first issue is a practical one about finances.  I understand that it can take a few weeks to open a bank account (and hopefully I'll have one before tuition and housing fees are due).  Does it take a long time for the banks to process student loan checks?  Would I be better off sending the checks back to the US and having them wire the money back to me?  Also, does anyone know about the ease of getting an overseas research grant to cut down on tuition cost?  My stafford loan and a private loan will cover my first year, but after that I'm going to need some help.  Also, I've been told to bring cash and travellers cheques with me but I was wondering whether I should find a place Stateside to get British currency or should I hope to find an ATM at the airport?

Another concern is health insurrance.  I've read that because I'm in a PhD course, I'll be eligible for NHS.  But I've also read that the NHS isn't very good about procedures outside of normal check-ups.  I'm supposed to have some tests run now that it seems both of my parents have cancer and I was hoping to wait until I got some medical coverage.  Is it difficult to find health insurrance in the UK?

Last question.  I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to be doing in York.  It seems to be the policy that you are registered for the MPhil and then transfer to the PhD course.  Does this mean I'll be taking classes, completing the MPhil, or do I just work on my research topic and once it gets to a suitable quality/length, I'll be admitted to the PhD course?  I know I should have found this out by now, but it's been a hectic summer, and my only real concern in this regard is the length of my stay (since the MPhil takes 2 years and the PhD 3, does that mean it'll be 5 years total...or does the 3 year limit include the initial MPhil stage).

Any help on these issues would be greatly appreciated!  I've been running about like a chicken with her head cut off and it seems all I've managed so far is buying luggage.   

A few things I can help with...

Would I be better off sending the checks back to the US and having them wire the money back to me?

In a word, YES!  If your uni doesn't process the checks internally (giving you a refund check in pounds), I would certainly send the US dollar checks back to the States to be deposited there.  That's exactly what I did last week- it was painless (used FedEx to send them back- slightly expensive but worth it), and I had the money in my American bank account within 2 days of receiving the actual physical checks and paid my initial tuition online with my Visa debit card.  I actually met another American on my course who deposited her Stafford loan checks into her UK bank account and is having problems with enrolling because her checks are still waiting to clear (if you put USD into a Sterling bank account, the check takes a while to clear) and she can't pay her tuition deposit.  It'll work out in the end, but she's going through a lot of stress right now that could have been avoided if she had sent the checks back home.  As for getting the money over here...my dad just wired a load of cash to my Natwest account since he's named on my checking account (a holdover from when I was 17 and needed a parent to sign for the account), or you can transfer the money using services like XE trade or whatever.  It'll cost a little bit, but for the convenience and no-stress about tuition (and since it's thousands of $$$ we're dealing with here) it was
worth it.

As for opening a UK bank account, it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought.  Just get a letter from your uni with all your particulars on it (I had to get two though because Natwest is *really* picky and thought my first letter wasn't good enough!)  My experience with Natwest has been great though...after you sign up it only takes 4 business days to receive the account no & sort code (in case you need to receive cheques or transfers from overseas, or set up direct debits), and then you get the actual debit cards for the bank account (and savings account that comes with it) a week later.  They also offered me an actual credit card, which surprised the heck out of me.  It's only a £250 limit for international students, but it's a Mastercard which means it's more widely accepted than my Solo debit card will be in stores.  I haven't applied for it yet, but I'm considering getting it.

Good luck with everything...I know how the last minute jitters and worries are, but I've been here two weeks and I'm glad I made it over here

What Andrea said.  And just *breathe*.  I know it's jitters, but also remember that you're moving to another country for a few years and ENJOY yourself .

(FYI, my uni handled the checks internally - as in, I just endorsed them over and they are taking care of the conversion & depositing.  From what I can tell, this isn't the most common thing, but really convenient, so see if your uni does this!  I just asked the Finance office when I first came over, and they gave me all the details before my loan was even disbursed.)

Hi,
 In a week I'm moving to the UK to start my PhD course in Literature at the University of York and, feeling very unprepared for it all, I thought this might be a good place to, well, wig out a bit.......

 Also, does anyone know about the ease of getting an overseas research grant to cut down on tuition cost?  My stafford loan and a private loan will cover my first year, but after that I'm going to need some help. 

Also, I've been told to bring cash and travellers cheques with me but I was wondering whether I should find a place Stateside to get British currency or should I hope to find an ATM at the airport?

Another concern is health insurrance.  I've read that because I'm in a PhD course, I'll be eligible for NHS.  But I've also read that the NHS isn't very good about procedures outside of normal check-ups.  I'm supposed to have some tests run now that it seems both of my parents have cancer and I was hoping to wait until I got some medical coverage.  Is it difficult to find health insurrance in the UK?

Last question.  I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to be doing in York.  It seems to be the policy that you are registered for the MPhil and then transfer to the PhD course.  Does this mean I'll be taking classes, completing the MPhil, or do I just work on my research topic and once it gets to a suitable quality/length, I'll be admitted to the PhD course?  I know I should have found this out by now, but it's been a hectic summer, and my only real concern in this regard is the length of my stay (since the MPhil takes 2 years and the PhD 3, does that mean it'll be 5 years total...or does the 3 year limit include the initial MPhil stage).

I understand your freaking out- I was in the same situation two years ago- I am doing a PhD at King's College London.

getting funded, especially after starting out as a self-funded student is VERY difficult , as the ORS is a very competitive scholarship, and there are very few opps outside of that for Americans...Still, you may be able to take advantage of small grants within your department and part-time work on the side (If you go thru the process of getting a national insurance number) if that helps...Talk to your dept , plus the finance/loan dept at your school.

As to the MPhil/PhD issue, you will , most likely have to "upgrade" within two years from your start date - from MPhil to PhD status, and you will prob have a submission date 3 years from the start date, usually followed by one year (or so, depending on circumstances/progress, etc) in "writing up" status. The writing status usually does not require full tuition- there is sometimes a much smaller fee instead.  In short, 3 years tuition, one year write up. As to the the visa- I believe that you prob got a 3 year one? If so, you simply work with your scholl some time after upgrading and the end of the 3rd year to get additional time on the visa.  This is how things are at KCL, and I believe that your situation might be similar.

regarding cash-trav checks should work- i'venever used them.... if you have a normal debit card- you should be able to draw pounds on your US ($) acct over here - check with your bank first though!

re health ins/NHS- yeah, you should be able to register with your school's NHS clinic- if it is an inhouse clinic- the service quality will be a zillion times better than the regular population's (which is pretty crappy, and varies by postcode).  since i go to my school's clinic, and not a regular ol one in the east london slums (where i live), i can get a dr apt within a week, easily- as opposed to , well, barely ever...
i am not sure if you will be able to get a battery of tests under the NHS, though.  You will get a consultation, and then various things are covered or not, depending on what it is...
oh yeah- re dental care- find a private dentist.  It is literally impossible to get a dentist appt on teh NHS- mayeb if your mouth is bleeding, and you go to an ER (A& E , in UK parlance)

good luck with it- and make sure you have fun.