Blogs

I found out that I was pregnant during Freshers' Week. My mind often flits to that moment, the two pink lines and my shock and exhilaration. Like many undergraduates, I came to the University of Oxford with a dread of inadequacy. Now, my body was doing something wonderful, driving me towards a point that fear could not prevent.

When I told my friends that I was going to study industrial engineering in Karlsruhe, many asked me why. The city, with a population of 300,000, is unremarkable in comparison with its neighbours Freiburg, Stuttgart and Frankfurt, but is the location of one of Europe’s largest research institutions.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has achieved an excellent reputation in science and engineering because of some of the major inventions it has pioneered. 

Six months have gone by and I am still surviving in a foreign country, trying to make family, fellow citizens and my sponsor back at home proud. The idea of studying overseas is extremely appealing to many, and the Netherlands is a student-friendly country with an environment that enables you to adapt quickly and remain on your feet, despite the many challenges you may come across. 

I had the idea to study in Japan during my second year of high school. Having been drawn to Japanese student life through movies and dramas, I especially liked the idea of school festivals and club activities – most Chinese schools don’t have similar events. So after the final examination in the second year of high school, I started to learn Japanese by myself and shared my idea of studying abroad with my parents.

This will probably sound like a cliché, but studying overseas can broaden your mind, your views on the world and make you feel as though you’ve grown as a person. This is especially so if you live in a country like Japan with its unique culture and society. I have experienced many “culture shock” moments, many of which gave me a sense of admiration for Japanese people.

What is the point of a doctorate in English literature? It’s an easy trap to become deterministic about this question: it is no single thing. To my mind, there are two main reasons to spend four years in speech, word, and thought. One is to do with the field of study itself, and the other with the lifestyle it sustains.

In 2015 I applied for the master's course at the Osaka City University (OCU) Graduate School of Science.

I came to Tohoku University five years ago as an undergraduate student majoring in molecular chemistry. Coming from Thailand, I was nervous about adjusting to a new environment but I was also excited about the opportunities available. 

Studying the media today means exploring global issues: the echo chambers of social media in the times of Trump and Brexit need analysis and understanding.

But too often, “global” implies a smooth, even connection of media around the world, like the “global internet”; whereas media are different in different places, affected by particular laws and cultures.

The increasing attention that is being paid to the mental health and well-being of students is welcome, much needed and overdue. 

I was recently commissioned by the University of Manchester more broadly.

The project presented much-needed insight into the student body at a time of great change in higher education and limited knowledge of various aspects of well-being in the sector.