March 18, 2019, by International students

International Student Ambassadors: Wei from China

I’m Wei Li (Jennifer Lee) from China. I’m a postgraduate student studying Marketing.

Why did you choose to study your specific course and what are your favourite aspects of the course so far?

I became interested in business since working in the business-related industry, and I thought it could be helpful to learn more about business and become professional with both practical experience and academic knowledge. I chose Marketing for its practical, interactive and creative characteristics. Besides, MSc Marketing taught course in the University of Nottingham is designed for students who want to step into this field from the start and become a professional. Till now, I enjoy taking away lots of sound knowledge as well as fresh ideas from each class. Among them, I love the business simulation exercise in the Marketing Strategy module most. It is a virtual online game for groups of members running a business together and making all the strategic decisions after three times of board meeting each week. I found it quite motivated and practical to grow with the business.

How do you hope your course will impact on your future career?’

Through one year academic study, hands-on practice and substantial group work, I hope those knowledge and experience could make me more competent and confident in the working place. And give me more opportunities to get in touch with big companies, using the resources offered by the school career centre.

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

I have three main modules and some other supplementary classes (career program and business English support lectures) in the first semester. Each module has at least two teachers who will deliver lectures in turn. And sometimes we have guest lecturers in a workshop or seminar. Each teacher has his or her own expertise and style of direction. I think it is good to adapt to different ways of thinking and learning. I could get lots of academic knowledge in a theory-based lecture, stimulate new ideas generation in a discussion-based seminar and practice decision making and team work ability in a group coursework program. Especially, some teachers have many years of working experience in business or other industries, which will benefit students with real workplace knowledge.

What attracted you to the UK?

Apart from the reason that the UK is among the top countries with high quality education resources, I’m also attracted by its beautiful nature and the unique British culture. Although we could know something about it from television or websites, I still want to get close to it and explore more of it. And, the safety issue in the UK is relatively reassuring compared to other countries.

What was your experience of arriving in the UK/in Nottingham?

I arrived in Nottingham on 20 September 2018. The first thing was the weather, it was pretty good with lots of sunshine during September and October. And there were large areas of green land and plants everywhere. Which made me feel quite refreshing and comfortable when walking to the school or hanging around nearby parks. By the way, the Wollaton Park behind the main campus was extremely beautiful and eye-catching. It looked like a fantasy place in a fairy tale with adorable deer and magnificent architecture. However, it rained a lot recently, which was normal to the UK.

How do you manage your money as a student?

As an international student, daily expense could be higher than that in my home country due to the difference in price. But, there are some tips for us to well-manage our money. A local deposit card is more convenient and safer to manage money. And the procedure of application could be very easy during the welcome week when bank staff came to work in campus.  Some membership cards are very suitable for students who make multi-time consumption. Like the city transportation card, school fitness centre membership, 16-25 railway card and so on.  Besides, many of us like to travel around UK or Europe in our spare time. Group trips from the university travel society or other travel agents could be a good choice for saving budget. Also, we could ask for advice about our finance management from the student service centre.

How has your experience of finding accommodation?

I live in the Nottingham Two student accommodation. I chose it mainly due to its location and convenience. Just 15-minute walk to the jubilee campus and 5-minute walk to the supermarket. I didn’t know much about the accommodation before I came here. And I used to think about live in a house. But others suggested that student apartment could be safer with 24-hour monitor. I find the most satisfactory part in my accommodation is the private bathroom within the suite. Besides, it’s interesting to share kitchen with other roommates and sometimes cooking together to try different flavours.

Sports and societies

There are 3 fitness centres, over 70 sports clubs and lots of societies for us to enrich our university life and making friends with like-minded people. The David Ross sport village in the main campus is very spacious and well designed with professional swimming pool, climbing walls and many other indoor courts. I have tried the learning to climb class and it was a great experience with lots of fun and challenges. I was motivated by the personal instructor who kept convincing me that I could do it, just try a little bit more, then I could conquer the fear of height. It is always delighted to challenge myself and pour off sweat as well as pressures. Besides, I have taken part in some activities organised by different societies. Like making feedings and nests for birds by the conservation and nature society, networking party by the international society and the day trip by the travel society. I enjoyed those happy time making friends with people from different countries.

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