As a talented athlete coming to study at Brunel, you can apply for a sport scholarship to help with your competition expenses, accommodation, mentoring and to receive free use of our sports facilities.
We caught up with Brunel sport scholar and medal winning athlete, Emma Nwofor to see how she manages her time between her elite training and academic studies.
Emma recently finished her final BUCS Indoor Championships on a high, with two golds in the 60-metre hurdles and high jump and a bronze in the long jump!
Sports science student and medal winning athlete, Emma Nwofor
My name is Emma Nwofor and I’m studying Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences with Human Performance and I’m in my third year. I’m on a sport scholarship - I do athletics. In athletics I do Heptathlon – which is hurdles, high jump, shot put, javelin, 200m, 800m and long jump – which is quite a lot!
Why did you choose Brunel?
I chose to come to Brunel not just because of the facilities that they have – indoor and outdoor track for athletics but for the amazing academics that they provide. One thing that really stands out is that all the lecturers are current researchers so you’re always in the loop with up-to-date information during lectures.
What does your typical day look like?
My typical day is super, super hectic, it involves training and studying. In the morning I come to training, straight after training I go home, quickly have something to eat then go straight to a lecture. From a lecture I go straight to the library, do some work and then I have another session in the evening before I lie in my bed and sleep.
What support do you receive?
The support at Brunel is amazing on both athletics (or whatever sport you do) and the academic side. With the academic side you get to see your lecturers whenever you want, you can book sessions with any lecturer you want to go over anything. With regards to the sporting side it includes physio, nutrition, our strength and conditioning and the spa on campus.
What have you been training for recently?
I’m here today training post-BUCS. I had a really good competition – I came away with three medals – a gold in hurdles, a gold in high jump and a bronze in long jump. I was the captain of the women’s team at BUCS – we came third for the women and second as a whole so that was really good. I really enjoyed being captain and leading the team to victory.
What does your training entail?
Training is very intense for me, I train for six days in the morning and three days in the evenings and it varies from session to session. Some days we’ll have weights followed by some running, some bounding and then other days we’ll have long runs outside – in the cold weather sometimes but it’s always worth it.
What competitions do you have coming up?
I’m currently training for outdoor BUCS in May, we’ve got national championships, we also have combined events and hopefully I can make the team for Europeans.
What are your plans after graduation?
My plans for after graduating from Brunel is to do a master’s degree in America on a full scholarship.
Do you have any advice for new students?
One piece of advice I would definitely recommend for anyone wanting to do sports science here is to do it. The lectures are great and whatever you put in you get out!