My NTU story: What I learnt studying a bachelors and masters degree at NTU

How I chose NTU

The university you choose is such a big decision as an international student. For me, choosing a university to study a law degree was based on multiple factors. The main considerations for my decision included:

1. The academic standing of the institution (mainly using the Guardian's Complete University Guide).
2. The cost of tuition.
3. The experiences of other students.
4. The cost of living in the city.
5. The student life in the city.
6. Diversity in the city.

Not only is it important to choose an institution with excellent academic standing, but also a place that you can feel comfortable. Being from the Caribbean, I wanted to go somewhere where I would feel welcome and not out of place in an ethnically and racially different country and Nottingham is the place to be!

Nottingham is a city known for its diverse cultural background and this is as clear as day when you arrive. It is quite easy to find shops that sell products from the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and America in Nottingham. I would say that having access to these items helped lessen my levels of homesickness, as at least I could eat things that I would have from home. It was also beneficial to see people who looked like me and could relate to me on a regular basis.

NTU met the requirements of being an institute with excellent academic standing, lower cost of tuition and positive feedback from students so I made my decision to study at NTU.

My experience studying at NTU

I've enjoyed my experience here so much that I'm now completing my second degree at NTU! The LLM Legal Practice Course. I would say that studying an undergraduate and postgraduate degree are two quite different experiences, but both enjoyable.

During my undergraduate law degree, my typical day was getting to lectures or seminars for 9am. I'd spend most of the day in Uni as I would likely have 2 or 3 classes a day, 4 days a week. I attended my lectures on campus, however in my 3rd year of study due to Covid we moved to online lectures.

For my current degree all my lectures are online and I spend 2 days a week on campus, usually from 10am to 5pm.

One of the most important things you can do during your studies is to ensure you're well-prepared for your seminars. This is the time to ask your tutors questions and where they will also ask you questions. You want to ensure that you spend ample time preparing.

For my undergraduate degree, doing 6 modules a year I could prepare for my seminars in one day. This is drastically different with my postgraduate degree, as I spend 3 days preparing for seminars, which includes listening to lecturers and doing the necessary research and preparation tasks.

For my current postgraduate studies, I have one exam per module at the end of the term. Then we change to new modules. This differed from undergraduate as we would have one piece of coursework or exam at the end of the academic year per module. I must say, it was a shock for me that I didn't have regular tests and exams. Instead I got a cumulative grade at the end of the year. This was one of the biggest differences with completing a degree in the UK, compared to the Caribbean.

An major asset and perk of studying here was the personal tutor that I was appointed once I'd enrolled. My personal tutor has been a source of academic, professional and emotional support. I believe that is such a key aspect of my study. You are expected to meet your personal tutor once a term, but NTU teachers are really good at making you feel comfortable. Because of this I do schedule meetings with my personal tutors more often. I also schedule meetings with my seminar tutors and lecturers if there is something I don’t understand or need a bit of support with. They are genuinely always happy to help.

Notably, NTU offers students an opportunity to learn a new language while they study their chosen degree. There is also support for academic English writing to continuously help students develop their ability. This is not only for applicants who do not have English as a first language, but for everyone, as it helps improve academic writing. There is also immense support through the library with referencing when writing academic papers, with maths, study techniques and so much more.

Top tips

Now it's time for my top tips to help you with your journey at NTU:

1. take advantage of all the opportunities given to you to ensure that you succeed.
2. reach out to your tutors, use the academic resources available and rely on your peers. Trust me, they are in the same boat as you and maybe, just maybe, you can help each other.
3. make use of the study facilities available to students; every building has study areas and there are also the libraries as well as the Postgraduate Centre for those studying a postgraduate degree.
4. The greatest thing about the world today is technology!  Remember to keep in touch with family and friends from back home while also making new friends. Managing and overcoming homesickness is in my opinion, step one in having a successful academic career as an international student.