Hi I'm Zhiyan Li, I'm a direct entry student from Southwest Jiaotong University and now I'm doing Electrical Engineering at the University of Birmingham.
Question on screen: What surprised you about Birmingham when you arrived?
I think the thing that surprised me most when I first arrived here at the city of Birmingham itself, it's quite modern which is beyond my imagination because I used to think that the UK can be divided into London and the rest. However, the city of Birmingham changed my mind with its convenient transportation and well organised city plan, so I think it's the thing that surprised me most. And also the people here are really friendly to their international friends.
Question on screen: What is different about Birmingham to studying in your home university?
Well I believe we are exposed to all kinds of the latest technologies here in the University of Birmingham and there are world-class laboratories and super lovely professors who are definitely the fountain of knowledge in terms of their specific areas. And also I think we can develop our self-learning skills in here in Birmingham compared to our home university.
Question on screen: Do you spend much time with students from your home university?
Well I do spend some great time with friends from Southwest Jiaotong University. We travelled around the UK together and celebrated the Spring Festival China together. We helped each other a lot in adapting to the life in the UK. Although I really do love to make friends with other international students, they are certainly one of the most supportive parts of my life in the UK. Whenever I was feeling homesick they are always there.
Question on screen: What advice would you give to a student applying from your home university?
For studying in the UK I think that the education system of the UK and China are quite different. It might take some time to get used to that. Here you need more ability on critical thinking and presentation, but no worries everything is gonna be fine. And for living in the UK I think just try to experience and explore more. Try to enjoy your life here - you will love it.
Question on screen: What are your plans after your studies at Birmingham?
Well I just made up my mind to further pursue for a Masters degree in the field of communication system and signal processing, but before that I'd love to do some real word internship to link the theory I learned and the practical work together. I believe it's always better to do that before you decided to go for a further degree.