Edinburgh Napier University

"Merchiston hosts lots of different services to help us students further our abilities."

Napier is a great place to study in. Merchiston Campus is my place of study and I find that everything I need is there. Specially for my course, the lab facilities are a great place to go and work on my various projects, having all the programs that I will need! Apart from that, Merchiston hosts lots of different services to help us students further our abilities, for example the Careers Service where you can go talk about your CV or how to tackle an interview and they will help you with it. Being part of this campus has made me realise how much a lot of courses are connected to each other, there are so many people with different and very cool abilities to meet. It’s also a great way to meet people who can help you with areas they may be stronger in, I think that is one of my favourite things from my campus! 

"I visited Edinburgh and fell in love with the city and kept thinking about how amazing it would be to live here!"

I was already studying abroad when I decided to transfer to Napier. Some of my friends, who were already studying in Edinburgh, talked very highly of the university, so it encouraged me to have a look. I found my course and thought it was a great match to all my interests, creativity and logic all in one. It caught my attention how the creative industries were interwoven with tech subjects and coming from a humanities background this was very interesting and challenging to me. And so, I took the decision to move and start over. I am very happy with my decision and am now really enjoying a subject called Experiential Design, which to me mixes in all that I like in one!

"When I first arrived in Edinburgh, I felt that it was a very open-armed city, I felt that it was a place I was going to quickly call home."

It hasn’t failed to deliver in this way, it is a great city with a very large and welcoming student community, filled with international students but also with people from all over the world that have decided to move here. This is one of my favourite things from the city, how diverse and full of life it is. This made moving to Edinburgh easier, feeling like there are more people like you in similar situations makes being far from home less daunting. Also, when you decide to step outside of Edinburgh everything becomes more and more surprising.

"Talking to lecturers about my interests and asking any questions is a valuable thing as they probably have a better understanding of the industry and any challenges or insights that will help me be better prepared."

Within my studies I really enjoy UX design and plan to continue focusing on that subject matter. Because I can choose some of the modules that I do on my course I am picking the specific ones that will give me more insight into my role in the industry. At the moment I am considering furthering my studies doing a postgraduate course in User Experience Design and later a PHD. 

My advice...

As a new student you don't know the inside scope on a lot of things, some stuff that would have helped from the start is:  

•I wish I had known how many student discounts are available in the UK! There are so many shops and restaurants that offer a student discount and make going out for food that much more enjoyable. 

•I wish I had known that you can walk everywhere in Edinburgh. Especially if you live close to your campus there is no need for any other mode of transportation. In specific bikes, Edinburgh is full of hills and it’s a windy city, and those two don’t mix well. 

•I wish I had known about all the services the university offers to students. One to note, the mental wellbeing ones. Sometimes life can get overwhelming and studies stressful and talking about that with a professional is such a great way to get back a happy mental state where you can progress in your studies and enjoy your day to day.