India, BA (Hons) Architecture
“I feel like the environment is really good and everyone is really welcoming which I feel wouldn’t be the case if you studied somewhere else in London for example. ”
Why did you want to study in the UK?
The Architecture degree is accredited by the RIBA, which would allow me to work nearly anywhere in the world. Moreover I got a really good scholarship over here as well called the India Undergraduate Scholarship which is for £6000 over three years. I got it for excellence in studies and co-curricular activities.
Why did you choose Oxford Brookes University?
I remember meeting a few representatives from Oxford Brookes in Dubai. They told me a lot about Oxford Brookes, this course and the modules in it. I compared this course with ones offered by a lot of other universities and I felt that this one was very unique. Moreover I think Architecture in Brookes is ranked amongst the top 20 in the UK, so I really liked that about Brookes. Also it’s in the city of Oxford which was also exciting.
What have you enjoyed the most about your course?
We get a lot of feedback that I didn’t really expect, because we are a batch of around 150 students. However even then our tutors find time to give us feedback at least twice a week, which really helps us with our design and progressing forward.
How does the teaching style here compare to India?
There’s less coursework over there compared to here as it’s more based on exams. That’s one difference that I’ve found. Every week we have different lecturers and professors coming to teach us, which is really nice because you get to study the subject from different perspectives. Every week we have a new tutor who comes in to give us a lecture.
Do you have any tips for international students coming to the UK?
Go out of your comfort zone. I’ve noticed a lot of people tend to make friends with the same nationality but don’t be afraid to go and make friends with the people from here and other countries. Oxford is a really safe city, so as long as you’re smart about everything I don’t think you’ll get into a lot of trouble.
What do you like most about living in Oxford?
I like the architecture quite a bit. Not just because I study Architecture, but I’m also really into photography, so I like to take pictures of buildings. Back in Dubai everything is really modern with all it’s skyscrapers, so when coming to Oxford it is really nice to see a lot of traditional gothic and contemporary architecture as well. It’s got a lot of greenery as well, for example South Park – I quite like it. Oxford is very diverse as well, you can see people from all different nationalities, it’s a very friendly place.