Questions

What do you hope to achieve during your postgraduate study at Birmingham?

I hope to meet students from different parts of the world and learn from their experiences and manner of thinking. I also want to work in the research lab and get an opportunity to use the lab equipment. Besides this, just the experience of learning and studying in a different environment, being an international student, is something that I am keen and aim to I make the most of in order to grow professionally as well as personally.

What are you looking forward to most on your course?

The experience of studying at the reputed university as well as joining the society at the guild and attending the various events hosted. I have been hesitant about conducting research since I feel that I lack the tools and knowledge for it. However with the quality of research conducted at the University, I am eager to polish my foundation and face the research with new skills and guidance, which the University if known for.

What have been your first impressions of Birmingham so far?

Huge, a mix of old and new architecture, colorful and multicultural. Even though it is a busy city there are still pockets of peace and calm within the city and the same goes for the campus.

What was your motivation for postgraduate study?

After completing my undergraduate, I knew that I wanted to study more and a postgraduate was definitely on my list. I know it sounds unusual but I enjoy studying and being a student. Some may say that it is a route to escape from entering the real world with all its responsibilities, but what they do not realize is that studying a postgraduate abroad is your first step to entering the real world. It comes with its challenges of being alone, looking after yourself, interacting with peers, self study to benefit from the course structure and building your CV. It was a challenge that I was looking forward to take and if I am being honest I had underestimated its intensity before starting. However we learn from our mistakes and I have realized that this course has helped me build my social skills, self confidence and exposed me to a different environment of teaching and learning, for which I am utterly grateful.

Tell us about yourself and your journey to postgraduate study.

I always find this question one which cannot really have a definitive answer because I believe that human beings keep evolving, as the law of nature states. I have found my personality develop each year, shaped by experiences, learnings, failures, success, interactions and new interests. However at my core, I am someone who loves to help people out of goodwill and I enjoy listening to people’s stories and experience. I am a hard worker and I am working on improving my attention span. I enjoy creativity and most of my hobbies involve this. My journey to my postgraduate study has not been smooth sailing but I would say I was quite organized throughout the process and this again reflects on one of my traits. It involved interacting with students that who were studying my course as well as talking to my counsellor to identify if my goals align with the Masters degree I would join. Being an international student, one of the biggest challenges, besides uprooting your entire life and routine to start afresh, was the assessment system and grading which was unfamiliar territory. However with support and feedback from staff, mentors and university resources I feel that I have started to understand this grading system and expectations. When I reflect back I am 100% certain that my Masters degree was a perfect fit for what I wanted to gain and I would not change a single thing besides my approach to the process.