Architecture, Design and the Built Environment

Zhino Haghani

Zhino Haghani
BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design
Home country: Iran

As an international student, what was it that attracted you to NTU?
I think I was always going to study in the UK. It is much closer to Iran than the US and Iranians believe that the UK is one of the best places in the world to get an education. My sister studied in Nottingham so I obviously found out a lot about NTU from her. She told me how good it was for Art and Design subjects so I took a look at the website to find out more. I soon realised that it is a great student city with loads to do, so I chose NTU.

Before I started my academic course I had to improve my English, so I took a 6 month English Language course run by NTU. There were only 10 students in my class so I got a lot of attention and made some really good friends, including the course leader.

What are the highlights?
The best thing about NTU is the environment. All the buildings have been updated so they are modern, warm and provide great spaces to work in. I love working in the studio. The teachers and staff are friendly as is the city of Nottingham, and it is not too crowded. There is easy access to everything and from campus you can pretty much walk everywhere. Nottingham is also central in the UK so I’ve travelled around a little bit to Liverpool, Sheffield, Birmingham, London and Manchester where I found some good Iranian restaurants.

Any advice for prospective students?
Attend all of your classes otherwise towards the end of the year things get quite difficult!