My life as a student at University of Warwick

Pratik T. shares his experience at University of Warwick.

Q :- You have been one of those highly respected lot of students who have been doing higher studies at University of Warwick. How does it feel to be at University of Warwick UK?
A :- Great experience. It was nice being in a top most school. Learnt things with different background, good faculty and nice exposure.

Q :- Please tell us about which course you are studying and why did you choose that course?
A :- Masters in Finance, specialized in Investment management. I am very much interested as the course is very much related to my career. I am also pursuing chartered accountant so masters would help me a lot in future. Also it is better than MBA.

Q :- Why did you choose the UK for higher education?
A :- Indian education system is based on UK education system. They easily accept students who complete their 3years after HSC like B.com/ BA which USA doesn’t. There courses are short term like 1year which is equivalent to the course of 2years in USA and this save a lot of time too.

Q :- How is University of Warwick different than any other UK University based on whatever you have heard from your friends about?
A :- It provides best quality. Also it sustains the mixtures of theory of application which is important for my career. Provides hand on experience. Students are eligible to get internship based on projects which helps them to work with UK companies with helpful experience. The university consists of people of different cultures from more than 50-60 countries.

Q :- Are you happy with your decision?
A : Yes, I am quite happy with my decision.

Q :- Where do you live? On-campus or off-campus and why?
A :- I stay on-campus because masters courses are lot hectic which consist of lectures and project work. So it’s hard to stay off-campus. Biggest advantage is to stay with student of different cultures.

Q :- Please share some of your experiences of the UK for aspiring students
A :- UK is good place for study. Before going to UK I heard lot of rumors from my friends but I experienced no racism. There are good universities which consist people of all the communities. UK helps to feel countryside which gives peace of mind.

Q :- How should students select the UK Universities? What are the important things to look at and compare among various Universities?
A :- Before taking any decision the students should contact respective place for detail information. They shouldn’t go blindly on basis of the ranking of the university. They should inquire how the place is. Also research is important thing in terms of quality of teaching and environment.

Q :- What’s your advice to students who aspire to go to the UK for higher studies?
A :- They should plan 2 years before going. Figure out GMAT or IELTS. Try to understand the University, prospect, culture. The student should be very précised on what they are doing.

Q :- Other than academics, what else did you learn from the country UK?
A :- The Culture of the people, it is not the same like India where people wake-up late in the day and start their work late. In UK People are on time. They start working by 7.30am. This provides time space for our social life. After work people can just hang around in bar or watch cricket or football matches together which is again a different and nice experience.

Q :- How are the studies in the UK different than the studies in India?
A :- The professors don’t provide spoon feeding. The student has to understand and learn on his own which helps the student to stabilize and stand on his own feet. Guidance is good. They motivate students and make them understand that they are the students, the one who have taken a lot more efforts to study here.

Q :- Is it worth spending so much money to get a degree from the UK as compared to similar degree in India with lower costs?
A :- It is good to spend because the knowledge and the experienced gained is different but only spend if affordable. I have seen lot of students taking loan where their parents are not even affording to pay the EMI which again is a huge burden. So I suggest if not affordable then it’s better to study in India. Even good universities are available in India too.

Q :- What’s your advice to parents of aspiring students?
A :- The parents should concentrate on big university, not by ranking or low value.

Q :- Key things to remember for parents and students while planning for the studies in the UK
A :- Finance is the most important factor for studies in UK based on university. They should figure out important things before time. They should plan to apply for admissions on time and good universities. Also should do lot of research and development before taking any decision.

Q :- What are the 3 important things you learnt after you entered the UK?
A :- 1] How to interact with people of different cultures.
2] I learnt a lot in terms of being responsible and manage things on my own, even small things like cooking/washing/taking care of self. It helps you to gloom from a boy to a man.
3] UK teaches how to deal tough life.

Q :- Did you see the movie 3 idiots? Do you relate to that movie? Please share your thoughts.
A :- No, I have not seen the movie.

Q :- What are you future plans?
A :- Gaining good experience and also planning to do MBA from USA.

Q :- What are your views about the current economic environment in the UK? Has it changed anything for the students like you?
A :- Not so well. There is a high possibility to not get job in UK. According to me it’s better to study in UK and earn in India. It consists of high expenses. The Europeans are more and Americans are less.

Q :- Any other advice to students and parents?
A :- The parents should only plan for abroad studies if affordable and have enough finance. I request not to take risk if not affordable. They should only plan for good universities. If affordable then it’s really worth studying in UK.

Q :- Any other references you can give us who can answer similar interviews?
A :- As of now I don’t have any references.