December 6, 2019, by Lee Mei Kee
Experience of our exchange students
Nottingham Malaysia’s Biomedical Sciences students can opt for an exchange programme to the UK campus in their second year. For the select few chosen, it is truly a wonderful experience living and studying in a different country… Here are what our past students who have been on this exchange program have had to say.
Melanie Cheong I-Lyng
“It seemed intimidating to begin and to complete our final year projects here in the UK, where it was all but a new and foreign environment. However, it took us only a short while to settle in and to familiarise to everything in the UK campus with the helpfulness of lecturers, especially Drs Yvonne Mbaki, Vince Wilson and Ian Kerr.”
Cost of living and travel
“It can be really expensive to eat out here in the UK so the most economical way would be to cook. It provides an excellent opportunity to polish our cooking and survival skills because we needed to virtually do everything on our own: washing, cooking, cleaning the room and buying groceries. I spent around £15-20 a week for groceries but it could go lower depending on your food choices! Lodging costs about £89/week but it could go as low as £50/a week depending on the accommodation one can find. One of the perks about joining this programme is that you’ll get a chance to travel Europe. The flights can go as cheap as €20!
Going on this exchange programme is one of the best decisions I’ve made thus far! It has greatly enriched the final part of my undergraduate life and has delivered so many invaluable memories! I would not trade anything for this 6-month worth of experience. Studying in BMS has been an amazing experience, made possible with the attentiveness of our respected lecturers on both campuses. Join UNMC Biomedical Sciences and grab your chance to apply for an exchange or transfer programme, this is definitely worth a lifetime experience!”
Tan Karl Vern
Laboratory
As my project is cell culture based, I spent most of my time in the cell culture laboratory to conduct my final year project. With the help from other students, I had the chance to develop a Western blot and captured some really cool fluorescent images for my dissertation using confocal microscopy. I was overjoyed when first saw bands appearing on the films and red fluorescent on the screen, hard work finally pays off!
During our fortnightly meetings with supervisor, lab manager and other postgraduate students, I learnt how opens discussions and exchange of ideas between group members can help to overcome a problem and improve research. The time spent in this lab has given me an insight of how medical scientists work!”
Nur Aima Hafiza Shazali
Halal food
“Living in Nottingham is great. It is a small city where you can reach almost everywhere just by bus or tram. The locals are kind and helpful. For those who are planning to study here, don’t worry too much about the food especially for the Muslims. There are several shops that sell halal meat and all the spices that you need. There are also plenty of shops that sell Asian cooking ingredients around here. So chill, you will feel like home as long as you can cook.”
Travelling
“The UK is surrounded by beautiful nature. When walking in the park on a sunny or windy day, you will be accompanied by baby rabbits, squirrels, geese and birds. During the 1-year stay in UK, we had short getaways to London, Stonehenge and Lake District. Besides, UK is also a gateway to Europe. I also managed to travel to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam during Easter break. It was super fun to get to see these other places and to discover their uniqueness. Overall, I would say that this transfer programme was fun and unforgettable. It was not easy but it made me become more independent. To those who has the chance to study here, go for it so that you can experience new things in life, see and learn other cultures.”
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