Hiya, my name is Rui. I'm from Jiangsu, China. I'm a direct entry student and the Central South University is my home uni and now I'm in University of Birmingham doing Mathematics.
Question on screen: What is different about Birmingham to studying in your home university?
From the aspect of everyday life like the canteens in my home uni, I think most universities in the UK cannot provide food for all day long on the campus. But don't worry you can still get some refreshments and coffee everywhere. I mean, for many students like us we may spend some time learning cooking and taking good care of ourselves. But what's more, since I don't need to share my room with others anymore, I shall learn how to enjoy my life alone, how to balance my study and life and make the most of a time -it's an essential part of my life.
Question on screen: Do you spend much time with other Chinese students?
To be honest I'm one of the only two students coming to Birmingham from my home uni and we're doing different subjects, so I have very few chances of meeting him. During my weekdays I spend most of my time in class and with my roommates. I've got some Chinese classmates and we take classes and cook together from time to time and I got four roommates; three of them are British girls and the other is Canadian. We went to parties for ABBA night, we hold parties in our kitchen and we have movie nights together. I had a really nice experience with them.
Question on screen: What are your plans after your studies at Birmingham?
I prefer to have further study in mathematics and statistics. Now I'm applying for Master's degree in the UK. At the same time I am trying my best to seek for a job or summer internship in the UK and I have already polished my resume with the help of the Careers Network.
Question on screen: What advice would you give to a student applying from your home university?
I would say just be brave to study abroad, because doing a dual degree programme is an excellent chance for you to fit into a new environment and it also provides you a perfect time to see whether you adapted to the new life in another country. If you are planning to take a Master's degree, why not just challenge yourself and make the most of the undergraduate years.
Question on screen: What surprised you about Birmingham when you arrived?
I would say the British food surprises me most. I heard that the British cuisine is a disaster before I arrived here and all the British have is fish and chips, but finally I found the fish and chips are quite acceptable and even delicious. Usually I will put some gravy just on top of the fish and some sweet chilli sauce and [inaudible] together with the chips and that's the perfect match I have ever tried and trust me it will also surprises you.