Matty Jackson
Student
Why did you originally apply to do MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering with Industrial Year at Birmingham?
On the Open Day I attended at the University, I vividly remember the impression made on me by the green campus and the friendly nature of everyone I met, as well as the clear investment in student experience and facilities (including the new library, recently opened sports centre and pitches, the laboratories, and the wealth of excellent study spaces). The University's on-campus train station also stuck out to me as very convenient for getting into the city centre as well as for travelling back home. I really felt that the friendly campus met all my needs, whilst also giving me a place to excel academically.
What do you think are the best points of your course?
The best thing is the shared engineering first year Birmingham offers as it gave me an awareness of the other engineering disciplines before I started to specialise in electronics. I believe this gave me a solid foundation in understanding engineering from a variety of perspectives.
The range of electronics and electrical topics on offer through various modules have allowed me to explore analogue electronics, electrical power systems and digital electronics before I decided to specialise in the latter.
Finally, the quality of software resources, laboratory facilities and the expert teaching at the University of Birmingham have enabled me to apply the theory learnt in the lecture theatre to practical scenarios, such as my final year project on automatic detection of defect features in a pantograph’s carbon strip.
What’s the best thing about studying at the University of Birmingham?
The promoted balance between studying hard and socialising was obvious to me when I came to the University of Birmingham. This ethos held by students and lecturers has made my five years as a student here fantastic!
What’s your highlight of your time at the University?
My highlight has been attending the 2018 Valefest, which is a festival held annually at The Vale student accommodation village, where many first year students live. I am passionate about music, and it was amazing to see The Hunna headline the festival literally right on my doorstep! The festival takes place at the end of the academic year after exams, so it was a great celebration to end my first year with.
What advice would you give to students thinking about studying MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering with Industrial Year?
Talk to as many new people as possible and try lots of new things; you never know what friends you might make or the new hobbies you could pick up. For example, I tried handball in my first year and it is now a major part of my life and I've met a lot of friends through playing it.