Minnie Savage

When deciding where to do your undergraduate degree, what was the main reason you chose Birmingham?

I visited the open day and could instantly imagine myself going to this campus every day. I loved the vibe of campus and how close everything is to all accommodations and student housing. I then went to visit the sport and exercise building and was welcomed by the kindest staff and students who answered all my questions and took me on a tour of the facilities. I also was amazed by the number of societies on offer and the standard of sports facilities that I knew I would be very happy here.

How have you found managing your time at University?    

I have found that managing time at university was challenging at first to balance attending lectures, completing set work, making friends and doing sport. But I found once I got into a regular routine this became easier. I used OneNote for all my notes which helped me keep very organised and kept my notes in the same order as the content was taught. The staff have been very great at taking onboard feedback from students about workload and have helped adapt deadlines for the cohort when needed. Having a personal tutor was also really useful to know I had someone I could go to if I did need help managing my time.

What are your top 3 tips for prospective students?

1. Visit an open day and see if you can imagine yourself walking onto campus everyday.
2. Knowing your learning style will make choosing the course that teaches and assesses you in ways you are comfortable with will make the transition easier.
3. Talk to as many students and staff as you can at open days.

How did you get into your sport (swimming)?

I started swimming for my local club when I was 9 years old and competed until the age of 17. I then stopped swimming as I was finding it harder to commit to training and lost the motivation to keep it up. But I knew UOB had a great swimming club so I made sure to go to trials in fresher’s week and I could not be more glad to have got back into the sport. I have made so many great friends at university from swimming and has helped me regain love for this sport again and opened so many opportunities for me.

What are your future career plans after graduation?  

I plan to work in a rotational physiotherapist position in the NHS to explore more areas of physio and discover an area to specialise in. I also want to take additional opportunities in sport alongside this and hope to at some point in my career work as a physiotherapist for a sports team.

In one sentence, please summarise your favourite memory at UOB so far:

My favourite memory was moving into my second-year house and being reunited with all the friends I’d made in first year after a long summer.