What made me pick Huddersfield from 6000 miles away?

Choosing which university to go to is a very important decision for any 18-year-old. It has the potential to dictate the rest of our lives - where we end up career wise, which friends we make, the memories and experience we gain; basically it could shape us in to the person we want to be.

For an international student like me, the process of choosing a university to invest 4 years of our lives in is a very big decision. Months of research goes into the process. I am from Bangladesh, for me to pick a university, I had to first decide which country I wanted to get a degree from. I looked into Australia, Canada, USA and the UK. I decided the UK would be the best fit for me as I was already studying for my A levels in my home country, and other countries would require me to sit for SATs.

I remember revising for my Economics A levels exam, as I was flipping through the acknowledgements, the name of the university caught my eye. It turns out the author of the book was a lecturer in this University. It made me look into the University of Huddersfield. I was convinced of the high quality of teaching standard at Huddersfield, as the book was well written and complex concepts were very clear.

Upon doing some research, the placements piqued my interest even more as they had a complete detailed guide available online, which I had not come across while looking into other universities in the region. The idea of taking a year off to work full time in the industry, and gain practical, relevant skills sounded like too good of an opportunity to pass up.

For us international students, coming to an Open Day is not an option, as we come from all over the world. There are over 120 different nationalities on campus; it would not be possible for everyone to attend. I however did meet a representative from the University in my country. Since international applicants cannot attend Open Days or Applicant Visit Days, there are University representatives sent out to different countries to meet students like me, who would like to know more about the University.

The representative talked me through the course specification, campus, life in Huddersfield and the application process. I was convinced that this University was the place for me. I applied straight after the meeting through partner agents of the University.

I always knew I wanted to study Economics; I like how basic ideas and concepts make the world go round. There is Economics in our daily activities! What attracted me the most was the course size. It was limited to 40 students per class for core modules. This means students have a more personal connection with lecturers, making learning easier. There were a wide range of modules offered within the course and several optional modules to choose from, which meant I would get to mould the course into what I wanted from it. Therefore, the education I receive would be dictated by me and play on my strengths, develop my weaknesses, rather than just a standardised degree.

The content was said to be focused on history as well as current issues around us. It had the promise of being relevant, interesting and enable us to gain transferable skills. I could have picked to study the same course in a Russell Group University, but I picked University of Huddersfield as it connected to me on a personal level. I do not think I would have had all these amazing experiences I have had here, elsewhere.

Moving from a different country meant I had to do my research on the place I was choosing to spend 4 years of my life. The town looked perfect, with its historical buildings, beautiful parks and cafes filled with character. I also checked on Instagram with #explorehud and fell in love with the beauty of the town. It is just the right size with plenty of things to do during the day as well as night.

I was not interested in moving to a big city like London or Manchester, as getting around every day would have been difficult, where as in a town like Huddersfield, you can mostly walk to your destination. Amazing transport links meant travelling within the country would be easy.

For someone who had never experienced the nightlife before, Huddersfield certainly lived up to the expectation. Student bars, brewery and clubs are all very affordable and offer variety of music to suit to everyone’s taste. It’s a town for all, regardless of your interests. You can go for a quiet cup of coffee, lose yourself in the art gallery, walk along the canal, parks or go out to town at night.

The campus itself looked so beautiful, with excellent facilities for students to use. I was intrigued to see the huge library just in the middle of student central and all the computing equipment available to use.

Finding a part time job whilst studying was something I was very keen on, because I wanted to boost my CV up to get a good placement at the end of my second year. The Careers service looked very promising with all the different types of support that is listed on their website.

The range of different societies from International Office and Students Union meant I could make friends easily. I came across the Bangladeshi Student Society, got in touch and they gave me more advice on what to expect.

I had already made friends even before coming to the University!

I had been to London before on holiday, when I was 8 years old, but never in this region. Even after all my research and preparation, I did not know what to expect. The entire move was scary yet exciting, a new chapter in my life. Fast forward to 3 years, I have had the best time, made friends that will last me a lifetime, grown up as a person, learned so much.

If I were to go back to 2014, I would redo it all over again and not change a thing!

I enjoyed my time in Huddersfield so much that I am staying back to do a Master’s. I can’t get enough!