Alexandra from United Kingdom

Food and Human Nutrition BSc Honours

Why did you choose Newcastle University to study your degree?

From the choice of universities I was able to study at I chose Newcastle because I was keen to be in the North due to lower living costs, the university was within a city (not entirely campus based) and the reputation of Newcastle as being both a good university but also a fun place to live and socialise appealed to me.

What were the best aspects of your degree programme?

The compulsory placement year and the enthusiasm of the staff for their research projects.

What did you enjoy most about life at Newcastle University?

Having a well balanced life. I played a lot of sport, had a lot of friends and was one of the only people in my circle of friends who was thoroughly interested in their degree.

Did you make good friends at the University?

I arrived at university with a lot of friends that I went to college with, and I’m still very close with all of them. I was keen not to see any of the people that I already knew for the first 6 weeks of university to enable me to make new friends; the plan worked and I met a lot of people and never seemed to be alone unless I wanted to be! I had army friends, course friends, rugby friends and friends that I lived with, and enjoyed having separate groups of friends that I could flit between. Going away on a placement year meant that I was out of the country when the majority of my friends were graduating; I hadn't realised the impact of this until returning to university and realising that none of my friends lived there anymore, that meant that I’ve lost contact with a lot of people as I found it hard to make time to see people who don't live in my university city or my home city as I was so busy in my final year.

Were you a member of a club or society?

I was the Vice Captain of the Women’s Rugby Club. It involved training sessions around 4 times a week (3 + 1 match day), plus a practically compulsory social night once a week, and an optional tour to Spain every Easter. I was also a member of DTUS (Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme) Trojan Squadron, which is a scheme designed for potential officers of the armed forces, and involved a weekly drill night, coupled with adventurous training and exercises outside of term time (trips included skiing in Austria, scuba diving in Malta, trekking in Mongolia, hill walking in England, Wales and Scotland, travelling in South East Asia and rock climbing in Cyprus).

If you could give any good advice or tips to new students about financing yourself through university what would it be?

  • Have a part time job during the summer before university, so that you don't need to have a job in the first term of first year.
  • Think about having your student loan put into one bank account, then opening another bank account and organising a weekly standing order from your loan into that account to help with budgeting.
  • Go to the Grainger Market for most of your food as it’s so cheap!
  • Have a pre-party at someone’s house before you go out and have a few drinks there, to avoid buying all your drinks in a bar.
  • Go out mainly during the week, and save the weekend to catch up on uni work or sleep, as the prices are much more expensive.
  • Get your name on to guest lists to get free entry to clubs.

What jobs have you had since leaving University?

I've been sponsored by the British Army throughout university, and will begin my officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in 4 weeks. I have been travelling (North America, Brazil and Argentina) since graduating in July until now. I worked at the Newcastle University Bitesize summer school scheme for one week in July, and took part in the Student Associates Teacher Training Scheme organised by Newcastle University for 3 weeks in June.

How has your degree helped you to get these jobs?

I could have joined the army without having a degree, but there is a considerable pay increase as well as quicker promotion opportunities for graduates. The Bitesize scheme and Student Associates schemes were both run by Newcastle University, therefore a degree was imperative for these two placements.

What job / course are you currently doing or pursuing?

I joined the Army when I was 16, and have been sponsored by them through university. I will begin my officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in 4 weeks.

If you had to recommend Newcastle to a student trying to choose a university in 50 words what would you say?

A vibrant, interesting and fun city - large enough that after four years I haven't been inside every bar/restaurant, yet small enough to always bump into friends and get to know it well. Staff who are leading people in their research field with boundless enthusiasm, a university with a prestigious reputation.

Finally what is your favourite memory of your whole student experience?

I have a few: 1. Pyjama days. Sitting around with the people closest to you, watching rubbish day time TV, eating junk food, reminiscing and putting together the memories of the night before, while complaining about the amount of work still to do and knowing that everybody regardless of their degree subject is in the same position and thinking that life is never going to be like this again. 2. Winning the Stan Calvert cup, playing Women’s Rugby at Gateshead Stadium against Northumbria, making a tackle and hearing hundreds of Newcastle University students cheering for us. 3. My placement year, spending a year in the Netherlands, working for Danone in their Research Centre as a Research Microbiologist. 4. Handing in my dissertation after not sleeping for more than 30 hours, then being unable to go to sleep so going to play squash to make my body as tired as my brain and eyes were! 5. To that end, having a spontaneous mini-olympics competition in the library during January exams with people I didn't know as a product of too much caffeine based products, too little sleep and being too easily distracted!