Tabassum S.

How did you get into your course?

I was first interested in the course during the pandemic, where I experienced the effects of isolation on my friends and family. This allowed me to further explore the impacts of different neurological and  psychological conditions on our behaviour. Birmingham has helped me to shape this experience through my interactions with a great variety of individuals, allowing me to pursue my interest via a psychological angle as well as a biological angle. During my studies, I have interacted with many people that have different interests within the course, allowing for my understanding to be greater  developed in each aspect, whilst further enhancing friendships.

What was the main reason you chose Birmingham?    

The main thing that drew me towards Birmingham was seeing the approach they took towards teaching neuroscience. It seemed like a more holistic approach into behaviour and functions, rather than focusing explicitly on the chemical aspects. Before I had decided on Birmingham as my choice, I attended an offer holder day. As a part of this, we had the opportunity to speak to a variety of professors and current students. This experience solidified my choice as it allowed me to see exactly how the course was taught, alongside the plethora of research opportunities within the course. 

How have you found managing your time?    

Within my course, I have found that I have quite a lot of free time in which I need to ensure I stay organised. This has been particularly challenging due to being used to having strict timetables. However, I have managed to organise my days through setting aside specific hours for work and personal time. The Academic Skills Centre has helped greatly with this, through workshops assisting with time management and how to ensure that there is a healthy work-life balance.

What are your top 3 tips for prospective students?

1. Make sure you fully look into what angle the course takes into the subject and ensure that it aligns with what you like. 
2. Attend as many open days as you can so you can get a good understanding of what life is like in the university. This will greatly help when choosing between options.
3. Look at the student reviews to see life at uni from a current student’s perspective. This often provides insights that you won’t get from open days and websites.

What are your future career plans after graduation?    

Following graduation, I would like to complete a postgraduate degree, further exploring neurodegenerative disorders. I'd ideally like to work towards understanding them and finding ways to potentially treat or prevent them through research at the post-doctorate level. Through this, I'd like to work with families that may have been affected by these conditions, in order to better understand the wider societal impacts as well  as those on the individuals.

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

Having the opportunity to trek Snowdon with the isoc to raise money for amputees in Gaza.