Alina Ishkayeva, BA Business and Management
I have chosen the University of Exeter mainly because of its high rating. When I reached Exeter, I was amazed by the university's big and beautiful campus, learning facilities and nice city too. Studying here is so much different from what we have back home. At first it was a bit tough and challenging for me, especially as I am a direct entry student. Luckily here we have all sorts of support, for example, essay writing sessions or personal tutors who are more than happy to help you throughout the year. What I like here is that apart from studying I can always get involved with different societies or volunteer work. I have participated in Global Chums volunteer programme, helping new international students to settle down in Exeter or with any questions and issues they had. Also, I've been involvued with a couple of socities. There is a big choice of them and you can always find what interests and suits you best! In case you didn't manage to do so, you can create your own society, which I did in my 2nd year. Apart from having an active social life, I also took the opportunity to participate in the programme called the Exeter Award, where you attend various trainings and develop different skills, like communication, negotiation, interview and others. It helped me to understand how to improve my employability skills. So basically, there is a pretty balanced amount of theoretical knowledge at lectures and practical skills out of classes. Without those societies, employability skills sessions, and part-time work my student life wouldn't be complete and as enjoyable!
Another reason I chose Exeter was location. It is situated not far from the coast and London is about 2.5 hours by train. I'd say overall it was quite easy for me to settle down, get used to things and meet new friends. In my view, the University of Exeter provides the right amount of academic and social support for students, which helped me to get through some difficulties. On the whole, my experience here is an adventure for me which I will never forget!
