Chapter 4: Exams

Last Sunday, I was at the O2 Arena in Greenwich for the Atif Aslam show. He is a very popular artist in the Sub-Continent. This arena often hosts concerts and events for artists from all over the world. This was one of the best concerts I have been to in my life. It started off slow but then the crowd was going wild, out of their seats and dancing during the second half. It was quite an experience with the lighting and the songs. He was very interactive with the crowd which was awesome. I have added a video and photos for those who don’t know him.

This is currently a favorite by Atif Aslam, its called Ehsaas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0wFqog4H78&feature=related

For the prospective students, the making of the Destination Brunel happened yesterday.  This is a guide to the prospective students consisting of pre-arrival information and also a snippet from existing students about their time at Brunel or in London. A group of us went around to certain parts of the campus with a photographer to take photos for the new. It was fun no doubt, at times funny. I met some new people and also some old ones and we had a laugh over the photos we were taking. I was glad I did it but normally I don’t do these activities but since it’s nearing the end of my time at Brunel I am trying to contribute as much as I can. I had a conversation with Filiz who is the Manager at Brunel International that the course should be longer as this place really grows on you and you don’t feel like leaving the student life at Brunel.

EXAMS are just around the corner and it is that time of the year where all you can see is, people going from the library to the coffee shop and back to the library again. I am also one of them and the atmosphere in the library generally does help to focus. It’s been 5 years since I gave my last exam during my undergraduate days but there are several other people in the same boat as you. I have a class mate that I generally talk to about revising or any doubts I may have, she’s a really good friend but also my study buddy. We end up motivating each other during tough times especially through the grey weather in the UK. But in addition, I have found seminars that help in dealing with exam stress.  However, whenever I tend to study, I somehow end up with searching for part time and full time jobs, because I would really like to stay in the UK and to gain some work experience after I graduate.

Job search in the UK has been tough especially after the Post Study Work Visa being cancelled due to the rise in unemployment from 2011. This just means that I have to find a company who would sponsor my visa. This has been challenging but however I have just been adamant at it and just kept trying. In terms of part time jobs, Brunel’s Job Shop has been useful in terms of searching and applying for jobs. I found a job as a Brunel International Student Helper which is basically about helping out with events for Brunel International and the pay rate is also decent. But most importantly, it feels like your giving back to the University after all that it’s given you.

Anyways, till next time…

Be safe!

Chapter 3: Been A Minute…..

Sorry I have not blogged in a while there have been several things going on around me.

During Fresher Week, I met tons of people and engaged in several activities. It was the icebreaker for meeting new people and the surroundings. There were always something going on; sports, speed dating or even some wine in the evening to socialise with other students. I met some people during that week and now are really good friends till date. I have added some photos from the Freshers Week.

In October I had applied for the Presidential position for a society called the Six Degrees. It is society aimed at bridging the gap between the local and the international students. I got chosen and am now the President for the Six Degrees Society for 2011/12 which works with Brunel International. Its been quite an experience so far as I work with an awesome team who are from all over the World. Working with such a diverse group has taught me a lot about other cultures and the working style.

Organizing events was always challenging for me. I have done some in the past but was only a member taking orders and executing them. With Six Degrees bearing in mind the mission, we have constantly executed organized events to aim at the bigger numbers at Brunel. Our first event was a Movie night where we showed Invictus, it was a educational film on Apartheid in South Africa. Although we did not get a big turn out due to several reasons, I was a bit disappointed but learnt from it and understood how events should be executed. Bearing in mind the failure of the first event, we organized a bake sale in the Atrium and got a great response and got our name out to a massive audience. It was critical as we had to get our name out there for our future events.

Now academically, it was weird for me to be back in the classroom atmosphere after 4 years of employment but I met tons of people who are older or even had businesses. Well, honestly I didn’t know what to expect from other students in my class. I thought that there would be a lot of serious students who would always be within books but I met some really nice people. My lectures took place 2 times a week but they were 9-5 days. We had lectures and labs working with SAP and it was very practical. I really enjoyed working with SAP. Well I am glad its practical as my undergraduate was not as practical. Also, I learnt more on my first job than I did in my Undergraduate degree. But doing coursework all again has been challenging but once you get the flow it happens.  But I met some really good people on my course and have formed some friends for life.

 

Till next time..

Vish

Chapter 2 : The Orientation Approach

The year kicked off with a 3-day Orientation from the 15^th to the 17^th of September, with all the international students. Prior to the Orientation, Brunel does organize an airport pickup which was very handy to some students coming in from different parts of the world. The Orientation was free for international students. As we are completely new to the area, culture and the people, this programme was perfect for just that. The 3 days consisted of a welcoming seminar at first but followed by activities for the first two days. A trip to either Brighton or Oxford was scheduled for Day 3. During the 3 days, one would get familiar with the Campus, the surroundings i.e. Uxbridge and meet heaps of new people with diverse backgrounds. It was starting to feel like home.

The activities scheduled for the first two days were exciting. Initially we were divided in groups so we could get to know a few people as a start but then later I met more people when I participated in events such as speed dating, cat & mouse and some sports. There are student mentors who assist the new students during the 3 days which makes the new surroundings a lot easier. I met some good people during those 3 days which I am still in touch and do hang out almost regularly.

There was one activity in particular where each group had to take a ‘good’ photo with the Isambard Kingdom Brunel Statue to win a prize. Every group was doing funny faces with the statue but we decided to go with a pyramid. It was painful no doubt but fun! I have added some pictures to give you an idea.

The first photo on the left is our group posing at the Isambard Kingdom Brunel Statue, the one in the middle is another pyramid near the HSBC and the last one is a photo of the student mentors assisting us during the Orientation.

On the 16^th, we were allowed to enroll on to our course in advance before the Home students came on the 18^th to avoid the rush.  This made the registration process easier and hassle free.

On the 17^th we were given a choice to go to either Brighton or Oxford, but I was keen on Oxford as I had heard lots about the University there. The weather during orientation was not at its best so it would not have been a good idea to go to Brighton. Brighton is a town by the coast where there is a beach and a pier with some fun rides. I wanted to save Brighton for the summer. The trip to Oxford was fun and I did make new friends on the trip. The town was scattered with Colleges which together are renowned as Oxford University. I remember a science museum that I went to with a few friends and there were ancient astronomical measuring tools from China, “Persia”, India and many other parts of the world. It was fascinating to see my country’s contribution to the world. We spent the day there and were back by evening for some other events later that evening at the Academy and The Hub. Academy is a club on campus who prefer clubbing scene and The Hub which is a lounge for people who prefer to have a drink and chat.

These 3 days were awesome but there was more to come as Fresher’s week was just around the corner. More about that in my next blog until then be safe!!

Chapter 1: The Pathway

Coming to London a year earlier in December 2010 to do a research on universities is what I did. I was very fortunate enough to have this opportunity. My aim was to do my Masters in ERP systems and Project Management. Everything was going for me in London except the weather at the time. But I have moved every three years in my life that it was just something I would have to get used to. So anyways, I searched around for my interests and the end result was University College London, Brunel University and City University. All three universities had something different to offer. I went ahead and applied for all.

Within two weeks from applying, I received conditional offers from Brunel University and City University but an interview invitation from University College London. I decided to exclude UCL, as the modules were not strongly in my interests. I was then confused between my decision between City University and Brunel University. I then spoke to people and researched on the two universities. I checked the ranks of both, read about them on Google and posted questions about them on TheStudentRoom.co.uk. This site is dedicated to students trying to find out more about the universities in the UK. I was always getting mixed answers and I still felt that I was standing at square one. It was competitive matching the pros and cons. I still couldn’t decide. So I took two days out and decided to make a trip to each.

The first photo represents City University’s campus while the second one represents Brunel University’s campus.

The feedback I got from both was mixed but I realized that Brunel’s campus would represent a proper university life and warmth as compared to City’s campus which was buildings scattered in Central London; though the thought of being in Central London did have its advantage. The Student Union at City was not as strong as Brunel’s Student Union. I was amazed with Brunel’s facilities and that influenced my decision further. I was also lucky to get in touch with Andi Minnarto, who was doing the same course in the 2010/11 batch and he gave me positive feedback about the course and the lecturers. So at that moment I knew that Brunel is the way to go! Don’t get me wrong City University is also a very good university, but I felt Brunel was for me even though I have to now commute 3 to 4 hours to get to and fro Brunel, but its well worth it!