Meet Our International Engineering Ambassador - Uddhav Agarwal

Course: BSC Computer Science
Nationality: Indian

Hey all! My name is Uddhav and I am a first year Computer Science student. I am from India. Me
and my family often changed cities, so I am a little bit from everywhere in India. I will keep
this short and hopefully interesting for you.
Choosing the right university is a big decision and can be a daunting task, especially if you are
an international student (I know! I’ve been there). I’ll answer the main two questions, that
personally made me choose Sheffield. Here goes:

Why Sheffield?
I believe being a university student, one of the first lessons you learn is living on a
budget and the best thing about Sheffield is that it is very forgiving on your wallet.
Whatever you like- food, drinking, nightclubs, plays. Everything is very cheap, as
opposed to other bigger cities i.e. London or Manchester.
If you’re more of a nature fanatic, just like Rome, Sheffield is said to be built on
seven hills and is a very green and beautiful city in and around.
If you’re a sports fan, Sheffield is perfect for you. It has two football teams (Sheffield
United and Sheffield Wednesday), one national ice hockey team (Sheffield Steelers).
Also, Sheffield also hosts the World Snooker Championship every year.

Why Computer Science at University of Sheffield?
Be it computer science or any other subject, being a Russell Group university grants
you access to published papers and several resources from other Russell Group
universities.
In addition to that the University of Sheffield has great services and resources of its
own. From personal experience in Computer Science, we are currently programming
these robots called NAO which costs £7000 each, so you know your fees is being well
spent. There is a whole building dedicated to the engineering department with state
of the art equipment that you only find in very few top-tier universities.
I hope this helps your decision. But trust me this information is merely a taste of what
Sheffield has to offer. Please feel free to contact me anyway you want. Just add me on
Facebook if that’s more convenient (this is not a scam to get me more friends on Facebook)

Meet Our International Engineering Ambassador: Rishi Parwani

Name: Rishi Parwani

Course: Aerospace Engineering

Nationality: British

Who am I and where I am from?

If I had to describe myself in three words, I’d say I’m a foodie, neat freak and a massive travel nut. Okay, that was more than three words but it’ll do. Hey guys, my name is Rishi and I’m a second year Aerospace Engineering student. Where am I from? Whenever someone asks me that I always give a different response because it’s one that makes a third culture kid like myself a bit nervous. Long story short, I’m half Indian, half Pakistani but born and brought up in the beautiful city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Why the University of Sheffield?

That’s a good question. Having grown up in a sunny country, why would I pack my bags and move to England? Personally, I’ve always wanted to experience what it would be like to study abroad. I chose the University of Sheffield mainly because of how the Aerospace Engineering course is structured here. I absolutely love how I have modules from so many different engineering disciplines as it’s given me such great exposure and I feel that are so many opportunities to practically apply everything that I’ve learnt here. However, I didn’t make the decision on the sole basis of academics. Of all the places that I applied to, I felt that I resonated most with Sheffield because not only would I get the chance to experience local culture, I would also be able to immerse myself in the international culture that the university is known for.

Why Aerospace Engineering?

I do Aerospace Engineering because let’s face it, it’s pretty cool to tell people that I do Rocket Science. Alright, jokes aside, I’ve always been fond of planes from a very young age. When I was just a few years old, my dad would drive me down to this parking lot near the airport and we would watch planes take off and land. Fast forward to over 10 years later, and we still do the same. I was hooked and I was always curious with how planes flew, how they were capable of flying long distances and I was just in awe so it feels pretty awesome that all that curiosity has lead me to this chapter in my life. My dream is to work for a commercial airline one day or anywhere where I’ll be exposed to civilian aircraft.

What do I love most about Sheffield?

I love how different Sheffield is to where I grew up. I love how green it is here, there’s an abundance of parks and green spaces and let’s not forget about how close Sheffield is to the Peak District. It’s just amazing that within 30 minutes you can be surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the entire country. It’s not only that though, I love the food in Sheffield too. Being a foodie means I always venture out to find new, quirky restaurants which Sheffield is just full of! There’s so many reasons to fall in love with this city. The people I’ve met here and the friends I’ve made are just absolutely amazing. Also, being the hilly city that it is, Sheffield has done wonders to my legs!

Advice?

If this is your first year in Sheffield, get involved in as much as you can! You’re probably tired of hearing this all the time but this is the best way to meet new people and even pick up a new hobby. Also, explore the UK! There are so many amazing cities and places to visit so make the most of your time in the UK.