Nameera Kashaf

What was it like moving to study in Birmingham?

Moving to Birmingham and living away from my parents for the first time was a big step for me. I still remember how nervous I was in those first few weeks. But the university made the transition so much easier than I expected, and honestly, Birmingham started to feel like home faster than I thought it would.

One of the things that stuck with me the most was how approachable the professors were. If I was stuck on something, I never felt awkward about asking. Sometimes it was a quick chat after a lecture, sometimes it was an email at 11pm that somehow still got a helpful reply the next morning. There was no fuss about it, just genuine support, and that made a real difference to how comfortable I felt learning at my own pace.

We also had mentors we could go to whenever things felt overwhelming, whether that was about coursework or just figuring out what came next. As an international student adjusting to a completely new country, having that safety net mattered more than I probably realised at the time.

And then there were the friendships. University has a way of throwing you together with people you'd never normally meet, and some of the friendships I made during my MSc are ones I know I'll keep for life

What made MSc Supply Chain Management stand out to you?

What made the MSc Supply Chain Management course stand out for me was that it never felt confined to a classroom. We got to visit real companies and see supply chains in action, which is a completely different experience from reading about them in a textbook. Our visit to Jaguar Land Rover was a real highlight, seeing the scale and precision of their operations up close. We also had an educational trip to Dubai, and seeing how logistics works in a different market entirely opened my eyes to just how much the industry can vary from country to country.

How did your time at Birmingham shape your career?

My time at Birmingham gave me a lot more than a Masters degree. It gave me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar situations, a real taste of how supply chain works outside of theory, friendships I'll always value, and a much clearer sense of the career I want to build. I'm genuinely grateful for the people, the opportunities, and the experiences that made my time there so memorable.