Blog posts

2020 and Mental Health

Qinyi Wang

MEng Biomedical Engineering

The transition from 2020 to 2021 has been a quiet one. Although I did spend it with my flatmates, there were sadly no fireworks by the Thames, no countdown at Trafalgar square, no free bus/tube rides at 2 AM, no meeting up with friends who live far away… It almost doesn’t feel real that a whole year has passed since the pandemic began.

And what a year it has been. The sudden social-distancing rules, the ever-changing lockdown tiers, the closing of national and international borders, the fear of viral infection and the overload on NHS services have all taken a toll on everyone.

Are New Year’s Resolutions Pointless?

Anya Nanchahal

Medicine

It’s that time of year again; we’ve officially kissed 2020 goodbye and have hailed in 2021. For some people, approaching the end of a calendar year calls for a moment of self-reflection to figure out how they can better themselves during the next one. They toss the last Quality Street box in the bin and vow never to eat a chocolate again. Or they dig out their trainers and pledge to start exercising more. They may even take a pass on the Winter sales and resolve to start saving more money. At least these are the more common resolutions made.

However, statistics condemn that most (90%) of these resolutions will be broken long before 31st December 2021.

Mind the Gap – Transitioning from Science to Arts

Bianca Khor

MSc Management

In my role as a Student Ambassador for Imperial College London’s ask-a-student scheme (Unibuddy), I have helped to answer questions from various prospective university students and offer holders regarding my experiences at university and living in London.

To provide some context, I am currently an MSc Management student at the Imperial College Business School, and I’ve previously completed a three-year BSc Biochemistry degree at Imperial College London. So, interestingly, one of the most common questions that I’ve received is: how is it like to transition from a science degree to an arts degree?

With that in mind, I thought that writing this article might be helpful!

What Being a (Zoom) University Student in 2020 Has Taught Me

Bianca Khor

MSc Management

Let’s be completely honest with ourselves. 2020 has been one wild ride.

I can still remember those days vividly. That one Friday night when I found out that my final year lab project has been suspended. That one Saturday morning when I found myself staring at the empty shelves at the supermarkets, dumbfounded by the whole toilet paper panic-buying fiasco. And finally, that one Sunday morning, where little did I expect myself to be buying a flight ticket four hours before the plane took off (well I have my fair share of last-minute stories, but none of them at this level).

Being a Medical Student on your First Hospital Placement

Anya Nanchahal

Medicine

Hospital placement. The experience that the majority of prospective medical students will tell you they are looking forward to the most. It was certainly the case for me. In fact, one of the reasons why I applied to Imperial was because, unlike many medical schools, it gives us the opportunity to go on hospital placement during the early years of our degree. In addition, alongside a fascination for science, what equally compelled me to study medicine was the opportunity to interact with patients. Hence, you can imagine my excitement when I found out the last two weeks of this term had been set aside for our first hospital placement.

Being careful with social media during COVID-19

Laura Amarin

Medicine

Repeatedly from notices on radio stations to news channels and advertisements on public transport, the Coronavirus has been almost impossible to escape our attention. After a while, this can easily verge on becoming all consuming within our minds and rather than staying informed, we’ve become distracted. The lockdown in particular couldn’t have isolated some communities more and as a means of attempting to rekindle social interaction, we’ve relied on the phone. If there had ever been more of an opportunity for social media to blow up – it would be now. In line with this there is urgency to be wary and balance the enjoyment of scrolling through TikToks with then suddenly spending 2 hours on an app at only 9 o’clock in the morning.

Some Of My Favourite Places

Medicine

I was born in London, moved around five times in the same area (twice on the same street!) before settling where I live now. Despite never staying in one place too long, I had not explored much of the city on my own. I was always with my family, and never without at least one of my four siblings. To be honest, I had not even stepped foot on the circle line until I was 18, I think! I had seen more of London in films than with my own eyes.

After starting at Imperial, I was having lectures in South Kensington in the heart of London, I could not help exploring all the places I wanted the go, the restaurants I wanted to eat at, stores I wanted to shop at.

Navigating Imperial College London

Qinyi Wang

MEng Biomedical Engineering

Universities can be classified into two major categories: campus universities and city universities. Campus universities are those where all students and facilities are located on-site, whilst city universities have their students, facilities and campuses spread out across the city. Imperial definitely falls into the latter category. When you study in a metropolis like London, it is a bit difficult, logistically, to build large all-encompassing campuses in the city centre. This post will give you some information on Imperial’s 8 major campuses and facilities, focusing on the main South Kensington campus.

Imperial campuses

Most undergraduate students will be located at the main campus in South Kensington.

Tutoring in a Foreign Country

Yee Tong Siow

MEng Mechanical Engineering

Since my first year in London, I have always wanted to work part time while studying. Even though my parents are able to support me through my studies here, I still desire to lessen their burden in any way I can due to the high international student fees. That notion slowly slipped my mind during first year as I started getting overwhelmed with projects and deadlines. However, after my exams during summer, a few friends and I were talking together and the topic of tutoring just popped up. From there, we managed to find a UK based website called Tutorful. This platform allows mentors to be connected with mentees based on subject and level preference.

Tips to Make Your Money’s Worth in London!

Yee Tong Siow

MEng Mechanical Engineering

Being a student from Malaysia where the exchange rate from Malaysian Ringgit (RM) to British Pounds (£) is about 5.4:1, I have mastered the technique of saving money while studying abroad such as not turning on the heating even during the winter. Jokes aside, living in London can be very costly but hopefully these few tricks and tips I’m about to show you how you can enjoy a comfortable life in London whilst not putting a dent in your wallet!

London Life Hacks 101

1) UNIDAYS

UNIDAYS is a lovely platform consisting of tons of student discounts on a wide range of categories all the way from clothing to food dedicated just for students!

Learn more about life at Imperial

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