Sugandha Bhandari (India)

I am Sugandha Bhandari, an Indian born in Thailand, studying MA Corporate Communication.

 Life before Bournemouth

I have lived in different parts of India and interacted with people from all over South East Asia throughout my life. My childhood was influenced by different cultures. While growing up, I was always interested in communicating with people from different cultures. After I finished my Bachelor’s, I decided to pursue communications as a career. Hence, I came to study MA Corporate Communication here at BU.

First steps to Bournemouth

I remember meeting the representative from BU in Thailand and he told me that I would fit in just fine. Following a Skype interview with my Programme Leader, he kept in contact with me, which showed that BU wanted me. When I received my CAS a month later, I got another big surprise from BU: I was awarded an Academic Excellence Scholarship, which was worth £3,500. My parents were on cloud nine!

Bournemouth, the university

My cohort consists of five people, including myself. The most dynamic change that I felt was that it is so different from undergraduate studies. There are just five of us working on projects together, there’s no competition and we are like one big FORCE. The lecturers are always there whenever you want to ask them anything. Coming from a South East Asian culture I always thought I would find it difficult adjusting to the way they would teach me here, but I was wrong. My lecturers are great and throughout the semester they made sure that I understood everything.

Bournemouth, the town

Commonly known as the ‘College Town’, you won’t find any trouble adjusting to Bournemouth. From beach walking to salsa dancing, you name it and Bournemouth offers it. Being near the beach, you’ll even see a special kind of palm trees here, which will make you feel like you’re always on a vacation. It will be like you’re in LA… The British version of course, with a little bit of a cool wind.

My advice to future students is to embrace whatever Bournemouth and the UK have to offer you. It will be worth it!!

By Sugandha Bhandari, India, MA Corporate Communication, 2017/18