3rd year student Tran talks about studying International Relations.
Video transcript
Why choose Birmingham?
The University of Birmingham is famous for its political programmes - especially for my degree, International Relations, which is of a very high standard in the league tables. So, I think the University is the best choice for me.
Besides that, the University of Birmingham is very famous and this reputation is recognised worldwide. I am very confident I can get a job after I graduate. Birmingham is a very nice city and I think I would love to live here for three years at least.
International Welcome Week
When I first came to the University I thought it was amazing when I did the Welcome Week. You even get a free lunch, which made me happy! In the first week I went to a lot of events like dances and so I got to know a lot of friends and to meet people from a lot of cultures, which I thought was wicked for my first time in Birmingham.
Moreover, the University has a service called the International Student Advisory Service. They helped me a lot on international student issues and with visa and accommodation issues and whatever. One time, when my mum came here, we had a difficulty with a visa and they helped me to get information and consulted with me. They are so helpful and I feel at home. I really like the student service.
The city
I think Birmingham is very modern with lots of shops and I really love it. After studying I can relax and go to town and chill out with my friends. Besides that, Birmingham is famous for the canals. They are very beautiful and everyone is really nice. It’s very good to walk along the canal and you can chill out with your friends.
At Christmas, Birmingham is so beautiful and they decorate everywhere. They have a German market and we love that – it’s so cool!
Finally, Birmingham is a multi-ethnic city and they have a Chinatown which is very good for oriental students like us, as we can go and have the food like we used to have at home. We feel like we are at home and not somewhere so strange.
Looking ahead
I think I really want to be a delegate: to work in international institutions. The University is very famous and has a lot of experts and good professors and I can get to know them and talk to them about my future career. Besides that, the University holds careers fairs, so you can talk to people and companies and get to know their experience and get a lot of information to prepare for the future.