Alisha Ali

Why did you originally apply to do your chosen course at Birmingham?

I originally applied to Computer Science and was offered Computer Engineering because of the details in my personal statement. I mentioned how I enjoyed electronic repairs and coding, which is what this course involves. It has computer science modules and engineering modules combined together, and that balance is what made the course particularly appealing to me.

What do you think are the best points of your course?

One of the best parts of the course is the Electrical Engineering module, where we study digital and analogue circuits and apply this in practical lab session. This is very interesting because it shows how our code can connect to real life application through hardware and circuits. I feel like this is a core part of studying our course because we can see how useful the programming modules can be this is because when you code you just display something on a screen its not doing anything meaningful.

What’s the best thing about studying at the University of Birmingham?

The campus is one of the best things about studying at Birmingham, I really like how everything is located in one place rather than being spread around the city compared to other universities. This makes it a lot easier to study and access different facilities that you may not be part of. Also, the campus is located outside of city centre, I find it very peaceful and not as hectic whilst also being only a 5 minute train ride to city centre.

What’s the highlight of your time at the University?

One of the highlights at university has been the wide range of societies available, I feel like no matter the person there is always at least one society for everyone. The events organised by societies give me something to look forward to, especially the ones held outside the campus in the city. As Birmingham is the second biggest city in the UK there is so many things to do - with Christmas just been, ice skating was so much fun with my friends.

What advice would you give to students thinking about studying on the course?

I would advise students to think what is it about computer science you enjoy? If you enjoy the coding but don’t want to completely spend your whole time coding, you should think of Computer Engineering as a great option. It combines coding with the electrical side, making the course more hands-on and practical, which I personally find much more interesting than just being stuck behind a screen.

Is there anything extra students thinking about studying on the course should know?

Personally, I think students should look into the modules and see if it aligns with their interests and they should remember that this course has engineering involved - it sounds obvious to mention but a lot of people assume its just a computer science course.