17-year-old Sara knew two things: she wanted to do civil engineering and she wanted to do it in the UK because it’s the beacon of education obviously! But why she chose the University of Birmingham (UoB) is a completely different story.
It just seemed friendly. I remember going on the University website and reading “An international campus in the heart of Birmingham” and thinking “Yes, that’s the one for me!”. If you are looking for a university where everyone is genuinely nice; UoB is truly the place to be. The staff are very supportive and always available to help, the campus is GORGEOUS especially with the green heart now open and all the greenery everywhere and all the facilities are very high end. Birmingham really offers both academic excellence and beautiful memories to have of your university life, not to mention all the amazing people you will meet!
One of the major reasons why I chose UoB was also the City. Birmingham is a very diverse and large city with so much to see and do. You will never get bored. And if you’re not the one to make your own plans that’s fine, you can just join one of the 350+ societies at The Guild (student union but we just wanted to be special, so we call it The Guild)! CivSoc, Conservation, Student Action for Refugees and Engineers Without Borders are all examples of societies that I have had fun being part of!
As an international student, I also knew I needed International support (17-year-old Sara was very wise with amazing future insight). The international student team (IST) at UoB is very competent and this is something that was crucial for me. Various schemes are also available to make sure you feel welcome – for example “Global Buddies” which might help you cope with homesickness especially at the start.
Academically, I am sure that if you are reading this, you already know how good UoB is and you’re just looking for something more. You will come to realise that coming to university is a self-discovery journey and you just want the right place for that. With everything being offered; sports, societies, support and various events to help you really discover your potential and make meaningful use of these three+ years of your life.
I am very passionate, grateful and loyal to this University (as you might have inferred) and I don’t think any UoB student isn’t. I am approaching the end of my bachelor’s but it is in my plan to undertake my masters here next year, so if you are reading this and you do chose UoB, find me in the Engineering Building (I basically live there) and I’ll be your first friend at Uni!
Here are some photos of me and my friends on surveying week, Integrated design project 2 poster displays and integrated design project 3 presentation rehearsals!
