Mina
Berntsen

What made you choose to study at NTU?
“Previously I studied in New York, Oslo and in Copenhagen. I’ve always known that I wanted to study in the UK, and I was thinking about going to London but then I came across Nottingham Trent University (NTU). What intrigued me about NTU was that I saw all the awards that the University had won which was great, and I also saw that there was a lot of collaborations with big companies which is very important to the direction I’m heading in. One of the main reasons I chose Nottingham is that I wanted to live in a creative city where I could explore my other interests, such as drawing and painting.”

What/where did you study prior to coming to NTU?
“In New York, I studied fashion management and entrepreneurship, in Oslo I studied retail management with economics, and in Copenhagen I studied design technology and business.”

What do you enjoy most about your course?
“What I like about the course is that it’s a good mix between individual and group work. We also have a lot of interesting lectures, and I think it’s great that we work on real cases. For example, I’m currently working with a brand that is going to launch in China, which is very interesting.”

Has the course included any live projects or briefs that you really enjoyed?
“We’re currently working with a brand who wants to launch their brand in China, so we’re looking at developing a marketing strategy for them covering aspects of the marketing mix including marketing materials, social media, store locations, and merchandising.”

Has the course included any speakers / lecturers from industry?
“What I’ve enjoyed so far is that we’ve had visitors from high profile brands, which has been really interesting.”

What do you think about the course staff?
“Our lecturers are very dedicated, professional, and helpful, and they also have a lot of experience working in the industry. If you have any questions, they’re always quick to get back to you.”

How do you find your course and University-wide facilities?
“There are a lot of great facilities here at NTU – we have a Mac suite, dedicated teaching spaces for our course, and a 24-7 library. I really like the fact that there are many opportunities; for example, I attend open life drawing sessions and I learn French in the evenings.”

As an international student, what do you like about studying and living in Nottingham?
“What I like about Nottingham is that it’s not a small city, even though it’s smaller than what I’m used to. Nottingham has a cool vibe with lots of creative people and that’s really important to me. There’s also a lot of restaurants, nice bars, and galleries. Also, it’s a lot more affordable living in Nottingham than other places I’ve lived in before. I live in a spacious apartment in the city centre, and everything is within walking distance for me. I also really like the arboretum, which is a park near the City Campus. It’s very pretty and I find a lot of inspiration there.”

Why would you recommend your course / NTU to someone looking to study BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing and Branding?
“The reason why I would recommend my course to others is because it has the perfect balance between individual and group work. We also get to work with great brands, which is very important for the industry that we’re going into. We get real knowledge from real world professionals. I really enjoy Nottingham, as the people here are very helpful and nice. I would recommend NTU to others as there are lots of amazing facilities, and lots of opportunities to gain new knowledge in many different areas such as learning a new language, and so on.”

How would you describe Nottingham as a city, compared to other cities you’ve studied in?
“I would describe Nottingham as a mix between Copenhagen and Soho, because there’s a lot of bars and things to do, but at the same time there’s a very cool, creative, and laid back vibe in the city.”

What are your top three favourite things about living in Nottingham?
“The top three things I like about living in Nottingham is that I feel like people genuinely want to help you, and there’s many opportunities here. I would also say there’s great food in the city; as a vegetarian I have a lot of choices here compared to other places. Also, it’s very easy to travel to other parts of the UK, and we’re only two hours away from London or even Manchester.”

How did you find out about NTU?
“I found out about NTU through Google as a search tool, I actually typed in top school in fashion marketing and there it was.”