I've learnt so many things, met wonderful people and grown to be someone my younger self would have looked up to

What made you decide to study at the University of Sheffield?

As an international student who hadn't lived away from home (or even visited the UK!) prior to university, deciding where to study was very difficult. I considered both the city itself and the structure of my degree.

When I looked at the course structure, I really liked the modules that I would be able to study. Besides this, Sheffield is the best in the UK for physics research, which is something I knew I wanted to pursue after graduating. 

One of the reasons I picked Sheffield was that I came to know that it has a large international community (for me specifically, a large Malaysian community both within and outside of university). This eased my worries of standing out or homesickness. As someone who hadn't lived independently before university, I think Sheffield was a very safe environment to learn how to be an adult. People here are extremely friendly and things are accessible.

What have you enjoyed most about your course so far?

So many things! The modules that we have taken have been very fun! The thing I have enjoyed most was the astronomy project in third year that included a field trip to La Palma in the Canary Islands. It was my first time doing an astronomy project where I could choose the direction of it. We were able to use the pt5m telescope on La Palma to take data for our project, which I found very enjoyable. It was an amazing trip, I feel like I got to know my peers on the trip well. Also, we were able to tour other professional observatories and enjoy the beautiful views La Palma had to offer. 

What skills have you developed during your course?

I've developed many skills (thankfully!). Programming is one that I have had the largest improvements in - I had never coded before university and now I would say I am proficient in Python. I also know how to operate telescopes (wow)!

What would you say to a student thinking about studying your course at Sheffield?

It's an amazing course that I've really really enjoyed. I've learnt so many things, met wonderful people and grown to be someone my younger self would have looked up to. I have absolutely no regrets. If you have looked at all the information about it and think you might enjoy it, go for it!