Areej Hassan, Egypt

Why BU is a question my parents kept asking me during my entire gap year preparing for university. My high school grades were high enough to immediately get me accepted for an engineering course in what my family and I think is the best private university in Egypt, yet I chose to come here all the way from Africa to learn about what I have always loved. Here are the reasons I choose BU and why I think it’s a good option for international students like me:

Unique Courses

I can mostly talk about my course, but skimming through the BU website a lot of interesting course names grabbed my attention, especially in the faculty of science and technology courses. I chose games software engineering, the course that led me to apply to BU. I have always loved programming but was never interested in doing computer science or computing as a course. I wanted to become a games developer. Finding a course so specific that is also accredited in Egypt was basically impossible. I would have had to choose a more general course like computer engineering.

Welcoming and helpful to international students

I found out about BU through one of their regional managers when he visited my school in Cairo. Out of all the people I talked to during my search for a university in the UK, he was the most welcoming and helpful person. He always replied to me and my bestie’s enquiry emails and answered all our questions about the courses we were interested in. Moreover, everyone during the webinars and the WhatsApp chats were really sweet and polite when replying to even the silliest questions that I asked.

Location and living costs

I considered other places in London for example, but was discouraged by the difference in living expenses and accommodation prices. From what I have experienced so far, Bournemouth is a peaceful coastal town. It is nowhere near as busy and crowded as London, which I personally prefer.

Career options and the placement year

BU offers help when you are looking for a placement role and when you are applying for graduate positions. They prepare you for this with workshops, newsletters/emails, guest lectures from people from companies related to your course. I chose to take a placement year to gain work experience and make new contacts that I felt I would need when it came to finding a job when I graduate.