March 6, 2019, by International students

International Student Ambassadors: Ibrahim from Pakistan

Why did you choose University of Nottingham?

I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Nottingham’s Malaysia Campus, the reason I chose the University of Nottingham for my postgraduate study as well was based on the course that I wanted to study. A limited number of universities offer a postgraduate taught degree in the field of additive manufacturing popularly known as 3D printing and the University of Nottingham is the only top-ranked university among them. In addition to this, the university has one of world’s largest research groups working on additive manufacturing in a dedicated Advanced Manufacturing building on Jubilee Campus.

Describe your experience of the teaching on your course at the University of Nottingham?

It is the first time that the university is offering this course at postgraduate level, the course is very well structured with a balance between both classroom teaching and hands on experience using different additive manufacturing techniques. The group projects are designed to explore and learn new concepts combined with the objective to polish our innovative and team-working skills. In order to help students from different backgrounds other than engineering or other sciences, the course is designed to initially provide an introduction and then an in-depth emphasis on the different additive manufacturing concepts.

If you were awarded a scholarship, please give details of the scholarship.

I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Malaysia Campus. I was applicable to apply for the UNMC and UNNC Alumni Scholarship. This scholarship is guaranteed for the alumni of both the Malaysia and China campuses and a tuition fee discount of 15% is given.

If you have used the Careers and Employability Service, describe your experience of this service

The Careers and Employability Service offers a wide range of services, I have consulted the careers service through appointments for help with my CV and cover letter. They provide valuable advice and tips for job searching, networking, interviews and assessment centres. The department conducts several careers fairs for specific faculties and courses throughout the year, where I have personally met people from different companies and got information regarding graduate schemes. The website of the careers service offers further options through Passport Career where you can apply for jobs all over the world and even in your home country.

How has your experience of finding accommodation – why did you choose to live where you live and what are the best aspects of it?

Currently, I live in student accommodation that is not owned by but is affiliated with the university, called Raleigh Park.  My flat kitchen has two fridges, a hob, an oven, a small dining table and two sofas, our flat consists of five single bedrooms and two bathrooms. Many undergraduate students live off campus during their second and third year with friends and, having visited some of the flats, I can say that there are a variety of nice options and it can be quite affordable. The best aspect of living in Raleigh Park is that the location is very ideal, it is less than 10 minutes’ walk to Jubilee campus and if I have classes on University Park campus then I usually take the free Hopper Bus service. Raleigh Park is situated close to other student accommodation, so we have a large student community living in that area. Lidl, Subway, Dominoes and other restaurants are only 2 minutes’ walk away. The city centre is very near as well around 10 minutes by bus and 25 minutes walking distance.

Do you work part time? Tell us about where you work and your experience of working in the UK

I am doing a part time job in Subway as a sandwich artist, I can work 20 hours per week on my student visa as an international student. There are many part time job opportunities for students on and off campus. I enjoy working as a part time employee as I can work flexibly based on my work and class schedule, my other colleagues are also students who work part time as well, we have a very co-operative manager and have a supportive environment to work as a team.

Tell us about your experiences of food in Nottingham. Have you been able to find food from your home country/region?

The food scene in Nottingham surprised me, before I landed in Nottingham, I was worried that I would have to struggle with food here as, being a Muslim, I can only eat from halal restaurants. But I was surprised that there are so many halal restaurants and even fast food options like halal KFC and Subway are also available. Most of the restaurants in Nottingham serve Pakistani cuisine, so whenever I am craving a traditional dish, I have plenty of options to satisfy my taste buds.

If you have any questions about studying at the University of Nottingham as an international student, you can get in touch with our International Ambassadors via email.

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Google+
• Share on LinkedIn