I always wanted to experience living abroad as I could challenge myself, live with other cultures, develop my English language skills and face situations that make me leave my comfort zone.

It was easy for me to pick the country I wanted to live in; UK universities are some of the most traditional in the world, especially for Law. The UK also receives different cultures very well and respects the differences between them.

I was awarded with the FCO Chevening Scholarship, which was very special! Not only do they give you financial support but you are also part of their community. I am very proud to be a Chevening scholar and I am going to do my best to honour them.

As I live in Rio De Janeiro, a very big city in Brazil, I chose to live in Bournemouth, which is a smaller city than mine. Bournemouth is a town known for its international community where I can meet people from all over the world. It also has more days of sun compared to places like London and I can enjoy all of them on its beautiful beach, what more can I ask for

BU is growing in importance and is considered as one of the best universities in the world, it is also becoming more popular among the UK academic environment. What I like most about Bournemouth University is that I’m not just “one more student”. The tutors are very close to us, they know who we are and what we are seeking. This is a big difference, every opinion matters and we are strongly encouraged to contribute in class, exchange ideas and enhance our knowledge.

My experience of being a student at BU has been amazing so far. The university has all the facilities (computers, labs & libraries) that I need for my course and BU is always trying to improve. The life in Bournemouth is quiet (if you want to relax) but can also be very busy (if you want to rock it!). It’s up to you to decide and that’s why it’s so lovely.

In my class there are people from Egypt, Pakistan, Spain, France, Columbia, Nigeria, Uganda, China, Japan, Vietnam, Ukraine, Poland and many other countries. I feel very lucky to be a part of such a diverse group, we all study really hard to pass the assignments but we can count on each other to help in the process.

To finish, recently a British student in my class unexpectedly hugged me and gave me a small snow globe saying “Because you have never seen the snow, Merry Christmas”.  Who said British people are cold?

By Ana Carolina Franco Diniz, LLM International Tax Law