My name is Akash Sehdev and I am an international student from India, studying Law and Business Studies (joint honours) degree. I chose Swansea to study because my course is not available in many other universities. However some of it also depends on your destiny.
When I came to Swansea the very first day I was in a sort of panic state as I didn’t know anyone here and was entirely on my own without my family and friends which had back home. Perhaps I was in a dilemma as to how am I going to handle all this on my own? However when I started working on each of my problems, I found that I had most of the skills already which I never realised back home.#
Studies:
During the fresher’s week, I attended various introduction lectures and after been to my first lecture of law, I thought it’s not for me. My personal tutor really encouraged me and gave me that optimistic feeling that I can do it. As I attended the lectures and seminars regularly, my knowledge began to develop and I was getting more and more interest in my subjects. In that week, I also joined various societies like Asian society, Computer Society and Law society.
The lecturers in Law and Business showed a lot of expertise in their field. Everything was clearly explained in the lectures and if any doubts are left, those can be cleared in the small groups during seminars and tutorials. All the lecturers were very helpful in answering the queries I had regarding my studies. My personal tutor also gave me full support in all the matters.
I saw various ups and downs in the first semester of my studies. I was living in Morriston which was quite far away from university. So I used to leave university straight after finishing my lectures. Also I was working part time in a local grocery store. After the first semester, I found accommodation in Swansea city centre, which was the beginning of my involvement in university activities. As most of the time was passed, one of my friends encouraged me to participate in an Indian festival organised by South Wales Asian Society. I agreed and participated in that festival as a dancer while managing my studies and part time job. The festival was a complete success and I came into contact with more people.
Swansea is a safe place for students with a beautiful seaside landscape and enjoyable nightlife. Swansea is not expensive and has something to offer for everyone.
The experience of studying in the UK is really brilliant as I developed my personality and skills a lot. perhaps I was alone on my own and got all the responsibilities to take care of whether it was studies or part time job.
I really developed some good skills which obviously will help me out in the future. Although I could have got the same skills while studying in India, I feel that I gained them at an extraordinary speed.
Overall, I gained quite a lot in this one year. I came in touch with different people. I increased my skills as a student as well as an employee. I also experienced the changes in my personality. In an Asian society we try to help all the international students so that they don’t feel lonely or alone on the first day when they come to UK.
As a member of Asian society I am more than happy to answer any of the questions that international students have regarding life style in UK or any other general queries.
I tasted all the different shades of life in this one year and will be very happy to help anyone who can be benefited from my experience and knowledge.
By Akash Sehdev
