{"id":7462,"date":"2026-05-19T11:08:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/student-blogs\/?p=7462"},"modified":"2026-05-19T11:08:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:08:39","slug":"5-unexpected-things-about-studying-at-imperial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/student-blogs\/2026\/05\/19\/5-unexpected-things-about-studying-at-imperial\/","title":{"rendered":"5 unexpected things about studying at Imperial"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Judy, PhD Civil Engineering<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat surprises me most about studying at Imperial is that it\u2019s never just about the academics \u2013 it’s about the people, the different roles you can take on, the opportunities to keep learning, and the life you build around the campus.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I did my undergrad in Civil Engineering at Imperial, and now that I\u2019m in my second year of a PhD in Transport, I\u2019ve had a bit of time to look back on my time here. Honestly, a lot of things about studying at Imperial turned out to be pretty different from what I expected \u2013 in a good way! Here are five of the surprising things I found about studying at Imperial.<\/p>\n

1. Imperial feels much more international and inclusive than I expected <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before coming to Imperial, I thought the student community would be mainly made up of UK students, and that as an international student I might feel a bit like an outsider. In reality, that has not been my experience at all. Imperial is a very international place and you meet students from all over the world with very different cultural and academic backgrounds.<\/p>\n

What surprised me most was how normal that diversity feels in everyday life. You\u2019re constantly surrounded by people with different perspectives, and that becomes part of your learning experience too. It makes Imperial feel not only international, but also inclusive and welcoming.<\/p>\n

2. PhD life does not mean the end of learning in the classroom <\/strong><\/h3>\n

I used to think that doing a PhD meant you stopped having classes and simply focused on your own research. What I did not expect was that there would still be so many opportunities to keep learning in a more structured way.<\/p>\n

If you want to, you can take part in sessions on teaching, research development, presentation skills and programming. In my case, although I stayed within Civil Engineering for my PhD, I specialised further into the Transport section. Because of that, I also had opportunities to join classes with Transport Master\u2019s students and strengthen my background knowledge in the area. I did not expect PhD life to still include so many chances to learn through coursework and training, which I\u2019ve really valued.<\/p>\n

3. You can take on more roles than just \u201cstudent\u201d <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another thing that surprised me was how many different roles I could have alongside my studies. I expected Imperial life to be mainly about research, deadlines and academic work, but in practice, there are many ways to get involved beyond this.<\/p>\n

Alongside my PhD, I have also worked as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA), a student content creator and a student ambassador, with each role showing me a different side of university life at Imperial. Teaching helps me build confidence in explaining ideas clearly, while content creation and ambassador work are giving me the opportunities to communicate with wider audiences and contribute to the student community in a different way. It made me realise that being an Imperial student is not just one fixed identity.<\/p>\n

4. South Kensington is more than just where one of the campuses is <\/strong><\/h3>\n

I also did not expect being based at the South Kensington Campus to become such an important part of my student experience. At first, I thought of it simply as the area where the university is located, but over time, I realised that the area adds a lot to daily life at Imperial.<\/p>\n

After classes or meetings, there are so many places nearby to explore, whether that be museums, parks, caf\u00e9s or restaurants. It\u2019s easy to go for a walk, spend time with friends or just reset after a long day. That balance makes a big difference, especially during busy periods. South Kensington is not just where I study \u2013 it\u2019s part of how I experience student life.<\/p>\n

5. PhD students are more involved in societies than I expected <\/strong><\/h3>\n

I had assumed that societies<\/a> were mostly for undergraduates and that PhD students would be too busy or too detached to really take part, but I was surprised to find that this is not true at all!<\/p>\n

I joined Cheerleading and Chinese Drama Society, and through their events and activities I met other PhD students who were also actively involved in societies. That really changed my impression of postgraduate life. I could see then that even during a PhD, people still make time for hobbies, friendships and communities outside their research. I think that is something really valuable, and it makes student life feel much more rounded.<\/p>\n

Looking back, what surprised me most about studying at Imperial is that it has never been just about academics. Of course, study and research are a big part of it, but so are the people, the different roles you can take on, the opportunities to keep learning, and the life you build around the campus. Those are the parts I did not fully expect before I started \u2013 and they are also some of the parts I appreciate most now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Judy, PhD Civil Engineering \u201cWhat surprises me most about studying at Imperial is that it\u2019s never just about the academics \u2013 it’s about the people, the different roles you can take on, the opportunities to keep learning, and the life you build around the campus.\u201d I did my undergrad in Civil Engineering at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1636,"featured_media":7463,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[300922,300923],"tags":[300947,82,300948],"class_list":["post-7462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-postgraduate-student-life","category-sports-and-societies","tag-imperial-student-life","tag-student-life","tag-studying-at-imperial"],"yoast_head":"\n5 unexpected things about studying at Imperial - Student blogs - Imperial College London<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Judy shares how Imperial surprised her with its international community and vibrant campus life to the range of learning opportunities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/student-blogs\/2026\/05\/19\/5-unexpected-things-about-studying-at-imperial\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 unexpected things about studying at Imperial - 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