Hear from Muhammed as he talks to us about studying BSc Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Aston University as an international student...
As an international student, one of the more important things for me was the university’s
accreditation and ranking on various student-led surveys. Aston seemed a natural choice
with it being constantly ranked higher up on the list. The university’s location and its
proximity to the city centre was also quite attractive to me personally as someone who was looking to move into a new country. I was also given the opportunity to apply for various scholarships and was awarded one as well. All this led me to choose Aston to study BSc Electrical and electronics engineering.
What do you enjoy most about living in Birmingham?
Honestly, it’s accessibility to locations all across the UK. Birmingham is located right in the
middle of the UK and as someone who enjoys taking short weekend trips often, this makes
travelling to different parts of the UK very easy as most places across the country have
excellent train links. Birmingham is a very diverse city with experiences that caters to people from almost any background. As the youngest major city in Europe, Birmingham city centre is filled with entertainment and dining experiences that specifically attracts students. A personal recommendation would be the F1 Arcade located within just a 15 minutes walk from campus and the Bullring Shopping centre.
How safe do you feel living in Birmingham as a student?
As an international student, safety has always been a concern while looking out for
universities. Aston has been very safe with the campus security staffed 24/7 with additional support from the West Midlands Police force. This is not to say that incidents do not take place, but there support systems in place to respond to situations as well as awareness campaigns run throughout the academic year.
How have you found the quality of the teaching and the resources available for your course?
The overall quality of teaching has been very good. I did have concerns with some teaching
approaches and module content. But the university does have a very robust feedback
system in place in order for students to be able to voice these concerns. This was very
impressive to me as the department seemed to be ready to constantly evolve in order to
meet industry standards and student feedback.
What kind of support do you receive from your professors and the university staff?
In terms of support across the university - we have development centres located within the
university that have full-time tutors that are able to help students with academic writing and even given one on one tutoring sessions if needed for certain subjects. I was also
encouraged to speak to and engage with my personal tutor: these are academics that are
assigned to students to take care of their individual needs. Overall, as an international
student, I have always been able to access academic or personal support when needed.
How did you find your accommodation, and do you have any tips for new students looking for a place to stay?
I found my accommodation through the university website. My only tip for students looking to
book a student accommodation would be to secure one as soon as possible to get the best
possible price and pick of rooms. If you are an international student, it would be worth
looking for on-campus options as this would help you move in without any hassle and greatlyhelp your university transition process.
On campus accommodation provides excellent access to supermarkets, restaurants and the university itself. You are also only a 10 min walk away from the train station, a 15 min walk to the biggest shopping centre in the city and 2 min walk from the Main Building on campus.