I remember the day when first arrived in Brunel from India about 3 years ago.
I was thrilled and paranoid at the same time. I was thrilled because I was eager to do my Bachelor’s degree in Law at Brunel University London and to learn from it. I was a little paranoid because soon I found myself in a land that was alien to me and my culture and very far away from home. I quickly realised that my paranoia was unfounded because this student-friendly university welcomed me with open arms.
Through my years at Brunel University London, I have been involved with loads of opportunities which I would like to share:
Brunel Indian Society
This is a student union society made for students alike to join. As an Indian national, I took part in Indian festive events held on campus like Holi and Diwali which made me feel very close to home. I also got a chance to visit the High Commission of India in London. The Brunel Indian Society also host events such as Bollywood nights, movie nights, street food nights, and my favourite socials through which I met great people from different states of India who are now my friends. There are other cultural societies which I joined too like Brunel Hindi Society, Brunel Desi Society, Krishna Conscience Society and much more.
One Brunel Fashion Show
This is one of the biggest and diverse events of the year at Brunel, where students can portray their culture and history through fashion. There were more than 20 different costumes, each representing the history and the rich culture worn proudly by students. I represented India, wearing a traditional saree which turned out to be the best experience representing Indian culture. The night was followed by music and dance. This shows how culturally diverse Brunel is.
English Language Support and Modern Languages
Brunel offers support and English Language classes to improve your English if required. Brunel also offers languages courses in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish for free. Once the course teaching has finished and you have completed your assessments, you will be invited to a graduation ceremony where all students who have completed their language course will be awarded an official certificate. In my second year, I took Spanish classes level 1 to learn a new language which was an interesting journey. In my final year, I took French level 2 to improve my language skills in French. Getting involved in these modern languages has been a great opportunity that has helped me in many ways, and it shaped my overall student experience.
Part-time work experience and Placement opportunities
Brunel Job Shop helps students with finding part-time jobs on campus or off campus, whichever is desired. I have worked part-time at Brunel as a Student Ambassador for over two years now, it has great pay which is average to London hourly pay and I get to meet a lot of students and prospective students from different walks of life. The Brunel placement service and graduate support and employment rates are incredibly good. It is renowned for supporting its students every step of the way, from finding your placement, carrying it out, what to do after you graduate, and even help after you have graduated. Brunel Professional Development Centre helps students with making applications, making an effective CV and cover letter, interview preparation, and much more. Through this service, I have been able to gain loads of work experience and my overall skillset has increased.
Being an international student in a new country can be seemingly hard but Brunel has helped me through the process of being who I am today! Brunel has become my home away from home.