On Friday 18 September I arrived in Bournemouth in time to move into my accommodation and start my Master’s degree. Boarding the plane at Dublin Airport, I felt nervous and apprehensive as well as excited. I’d known for at least a year that BU was where I wanted to continue my studies, and having just finished my undergraduate degree, I was already very familiar with student life. But there was still a feeling of stepping into the unknown.

Even if you’ve done it before, starting a new chapter of your life in a new place can still be quite scary. I had a lot of questions in my mind: what will my flatmates be like? Did I choose the right place to live? Who will be on my course? Thankfully, I got the answers to these questions pretty much straight away, and they were all positive.

From my very first day at BU, I knew that coming here was the best decision I could have made. The induction project gave everyone on the Media Production framework courses a chance to get to know each other, and the people I worked with that week have become my friends. With seven people in total on my course, it’s also been really easy to form bonds, which has been great.

The tutors here are fantastic. They have such a passion for what they do, which makes learning from them very exciting. They go out of their way to help us as much as they can and are very approachable. I’ve found the support system in place at BU to be great. There’s always someone here who can help you.

As for Bournemouth in general, I couldn’t be happier to be in a place like this. The beach is as beautiful as everyone says, and I’m lucky to be living within a ten minute walk from it, as well as all the shops in the town centre. There’s a very lively student community.

I applied to BU, because I felt it was the best place to study Radio Production, and I haven’t been disappointed. The staff, the facilities and the town itself have all been part of making it a great experience so far for me.

By Sarah Stacey