Naomi Chan | BSc Biomedical Science | Third Year

Naomi Chan, from Malaysia, shares her experiences of being an international Biomedical Science student. 

How did you feel before you came to University?

I was very excited, it was my dream ever since I was a kid to study in the UK. The thought of being away from home and independent scares me but also excites me.

What does it feel like to be studying and living far away from home?

Good and bad. The good side being, having a lot of freedom. But that also comes with a lot of discipline, and I feel like I’ve grown a lot in that sense. Learning how to cook, clean, study and attend lectures on my own made me feel accomplished, it felt like I’m an actual adult. On the other hand, being away from home is hard, I only get to see my family once a year and sometimes when I’m going through hard times I wish they were with me. I miss my old friends, the food back home and the warm sun. All of these made me appreciate the things I feel like I’ve taken granted for.

Where is your favourite place in the city of Birmingham, and why?

The city and selly oak. Every time me and my friends visit the city, it feels like a little treat for ourselves because its generally more expensive and we don’t visit that often. Selly oak is one of my favourite places and it just feels like home at this point. There is literally everything in selly oak! Me and my friends do grocery shopping together, eat together and pretty much do everything together here. Selly oak holds a lot of memories for me, the blood sweat and tears.

How easy has it been to meet new people and make friends while you have been here?

So easy, there’s clubs and societies which is such a good way to meet new people. I remember attending the international event held by the guild as well which was where I found my group of friends till this day. One of my favourite experiences was a night held by Malaysian society, it was a musical play, and I met a lot of people through that. Just seeing everyone working together and the play becoming a success was really rewarding. My other highlight would be sports night, dressing up to different themes each week was so fun and exciting. And having drinks and dancing with all my friends at the guild is what I look forward to every Wednesday. Not to mention the silent disco, my absolute favourite! So yes, the uni provides a lot of events and opportunity to make new friends.

What’s the best part of studying Biomedical Science at Birmingham? 

I love all my group work type of ICAs. Presentations, posters, etc…it made me really step out of my comfort zone and made me realise I can actually speak infront of a big group of people. One of my other favourite parts of my course is the labs. It is not something I did a lot back in high school, conducting experiments and being hands on in the lab helped me understand better than just learning it in the lecture.

What advice would you give to prospective international students thinking about studying on the course?

Learn to be independent and manage your time and workload. Work life balance is really important especially with being so far away from home. It is important to find joy and have fun while also working hard so that you make your experience here memorable and insightful. 

Can you summarise your overall experience as a current student so far?

I LOVE IT. I love the uni, I love the community and I love the student life I’ve built here. There was never once where I regretted coming to Birmingham. At first it was really hard being halfway across the world from my family, but I built a routine and I’m now used to it! I’ve travelled so much around the UK and Europe and made so much wonderful memories here that everytime I think about myself graduating next year I feel so sad!