My journey as an international student in the UK
Hi! My name is Henna, and I want to share my experience of being an International Student at Leeds Beckett University.
I vividly remember the day when my student visa arrived in India. It was 3 days before the induction week would begin and I was ecstatic and paranoid at the same time. Ecstatic because I was raring to do my Masters in Strategic and Digital Marketing at Leeds Beckett University and hoped to learn so much from it. I was on cloud nine as I was going to live my dream, finally! And I was a little paranoid because soon I would be travelling from India to the UK and finding myself in a land that was alien to me. I soon realised that my paranoia was unfounded because this student-friendly city welcomed me with open arms.
The next three days flew by and in a blink of an eye I was landing at Leeds Bradford Airport. To my surprise I was greeted at the airport by Beckett's 'Meet and Greet' team. What a warm welcome I got! I made some new friends straight away, and I was dropped off at my accommodation safely. I never once felt that I was in a new country among strangers. I took to the city like a fish takes to water.
The next week was the most beautiful time I had as an International student. I got a chance to meet my course mates and professors and got to know more about the course I was so excited about. The university had umpteen activities lined up for us: freshers- fairs, Karaoke Nights, Freshers Parties and trips to places like York and Kirkstall Abbey. I got exposed to many societies. I made most of the time throughout this week to explore both City and Headingley Campuses, the City Centre and I also used it to settle in my accommodation.
As I settled in, my course picked up pace. I got to learn more about Marketing Strategies and Digital Marketing. All my modules were interesting and gave me a fresh new perspective as a Marketer. I was blessed with brilliant, encouraging and helpful professors. All of them had so much of experience in the industry that they made our classes full of real time experiences and scenarios.
I spent most of my time in the City Campus as all my classes were held there but I loved studying at the Headingley Library because of the peace, quiet and beauty of the campus. I also spent some fruitful and refreshing time in the world class, state-of-the-art sports facilities at the Headingley Campus.
Other than my course I also applied to various part time work positions available at the University. I got the wonderful opportunity to work as an International Marketing Ambassador and an International Student Ambassador. I am also a part of the Welcome and Induction team. This university not only gave me knowledge, but also gave me a chance to grow professionally and add lots of experience to my CV.
I am pretty much towards the end of finishing my Masters. I am working on my dissertation at the moment. I have thoroughly enjoyed the course, as it broadened my horizons and filled up all the gaps I had as a marketer. The course is challenging and as an international student it can be very daunting at times, but i sailed through those times easily because my professors have always extended their unwavering support. I feel very lucky to have been associated with very helpful professors and course mates. At times I would lose sight of what I was doing, but then, they were like my Northern Star... motivating me, guiding me and leading me on in the right direction. I can never thank them enough for this!!