Case Study

I wanted to come to university as I felt it would broaden my knowledge and help with gaining a good career in a field I am interested in. Before university I studied a BTEC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at New College Durham, which fuelled my choice to come to university as I knew this was a field I would like to pursue a career in.

I chose to study at the University of Sunderland as the learning approach in the engineering department seemed more hands-on and practical than other universities and I felt like this would be a good fit for me as I learn better in a practical environment. Sunderland also offer a range of out of class activities to enable you to broaden your knowledge and learn new skills. Sunderland also stood out to me as the course which is offered here is accredited by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET).

My favourite part of the course was probably the first year, the reason being is that all disciplines of engineering are taught to all engineering students in this year. I felt this was beneficial as it gives you a taste of what the other courses have to offer and helps to gain a wider understanding of engineering as a whole. It also gives you the option to explore other disciplines further and if you enjoy a different discipline more, you have the option to change courses before the second year of study. This means everybody knows they are studying the course which is right for them.

For me, the transition to online teaching during lockdown wasn’t too difficult as most of my modules had pretty much been fully wrapped up and we were on to the revision part of the year, however it was helpful to know all of our lecturers were just an email or video call away, should I need help. Some classes were still held regularly to help with things like finishing assignments, which was very helpful. Most of the time, conferences were held through Canvas (our VLE) which was easy to find and join, and if I felt I needed extra help outside of these teaching times, I just emailed those I needed help from and received swift and helpful responses.

If I was going to give advice to future students, I would say don’t worry about the pressure of university, it may seem scary but the University of Sunderland have an amazing support system in place and can help if you are struggling in any way. Also, just have fun and enjoy your time at university because time really does fly.

My experience at the University of Sunderland has been very enjoyable and I have especially enjoyed getting involved in all the extra activities and experiences they offer. These experiences have really helped me increase my confidence and team-working skills.”

Published 22 June 2020