Chandana Bhemraj

I am from Mysuru, Karnataka, and completed my primary and higher education in the same city. I pursued my Bachelor’s in Computer Science Engineering from GSSS, Mysuru. After working with Dell Technologies for about 2.5 years, I decided to do postgraduation.

As my father is from a non-educational background, he felt proud of my academic success. It was his dream and encouragement that made me search for foreign universities. During my bachelor’s, I developed an interest in pursuing knowledge in data science, but then due to the Covid-19 pandemic and family circumstances, I had to drop the plan. However, I decided to pursue this dream in 2023.

While I was clear about the course, I was clueless about the university. I took a lot of time researching the country, universities, and aspects I should consider to pursue this dream.

I connected with the overseas education company IDP. The main factor I considered during this decision was the budget. As universities in the United Kingdom offer a year-long Master’s course and are budget-friendly, I shortlisted and applied to seven of them.

My Master’s plan was largely supported by student loans. The University of Liverpool offered a scholarship of £5,000 based on my graduation grades and since I was from a Commonwealth country, I was offered a scholarship by default.

The first and major step for applying to UK universities is to get sorted with all the documents required — the statement of purpose, letter of recommendation, certificates of previous academic records. Once an application is made, you will either receive a conditional offer or an unconditional offer. I did receive conditional offers from a few universities that asked to prove my English requirements and financial requirements. After receiving an unconditional offer from the University of Liverpool, I started applying for bank loans which was a time-consuming process.

Once I got the funding and Confirmation of Acceptance (CAS) letter, I applied for the visa.

I arrived in the UK during Welcome Week at the university. On the first day, I had a chance to meet all the teams, including those for student support, international students, and careers and employability. I had a chance to grab a lot of goodies and speak to others about how these teams are going to help students during their time at the University of Liverpool. This opportunity helped me to get along with this new country as I had made some new friends.

I then got to know about a student housing company that helped people like me find a rented place to live. A representative from that company was allotted to me to find budget-friendly accommodation.

Managing finances was not new for me as back in India I had stayed away from my family for about a year. In the UK, I have been working part-time which helps me manage my daily needs. This also made me feel more independent and confident. The best part about the student journey here in the UK is you get student discounts on everything you purchase.

Liverpool locals are known for their helpful nature. One of my early experiences was when I arrived in Liverpool amid bad weather. The first person I spoke to was a cab driver who helped me with my luggage. When I told him that I was new to this country, he gave me a lot of information about the city and its safety. In another instance, I lost my bus ticket, and a co-passenger paid for it. I have never had a bad experience with local residents or faced any such difficult scenarios.

One of the major skills that I acquired after studying abroad is multitasking. Knowingly or unknowingly, the overall situation keeps us active. Because we are restricted to working for just 20 hours while studying, balancing a part-time job is not a problem. Most job providers also help students with flexible shifts.

I have worked with the University of Liverpool as an international student ambassador which gave me a global reach through creating content for university social media handles and also as the first point of contact for prospective students. Besides, I now also have experience working in manufacturing and retail, with major firms like Primark, Morrisons, and M&S.

A conversation with the faculty here is more of a two-way communication and two-way information sharing. My supervisor provided guidance throughout my Master’s. I too had the opportunity to share ideas and understand how my research can be taken further. One thing I have understood is that this country has everything you need but we should be proactive and ask for help.

My university is spread across a large area with a south campus and a north campus. The north campus has all modern infrastructure and is the busiest area whereas in the south campus, there is more greenery and traditional buildings. University of Liverpool’s library, Abercrombie Square, University Square, and School of Arts are some of my favourite spots.

I gained a lot of practical experience at this university compared to Indian institutes. One of the best parts was the intense research skills that I picked up along with technical skills. I had a chance to implement them practically while I learned them theoretically in classrooms. This helped me understand the concepts better. In contrast, back in India, I had a lot of theoretical experience but no opportunity to understand them practically.

I recently graduated from the University of Liverpool (December 2024), and would love to get work experience here in the UK job market in the field of Data Science and Analytics. Since this is a competitive job market, I feel having some experience will be a great stepping stone for further career plans.

I would advise students to dream high and make sure to have the courage to cross all hurdles to achieve that dream. This journey has taught me the values of life, the importance of education, and also made me a strong, independent woman.

(This letter is part of a series by The Indian Express where we bring to you the experiences of students at different foreign universities. From scholarships and loans to food and cultural experiences — students tell us how life is different in those countries and things they are learning other than academics)

Neeti Nigam leads the education department at indianexpress.com. She joined the Indian Express in 2015 and has set up the education and job sections in the online department. She covers schools and higher education, entrance and board exams, study abroad, civil services and other career-related news. Prior to that, she worked as a lifestyle and entertainment journalist in The Pioneer newspaper's magazine division. Besides working in the in-flight Air India (Namaskaar) magazine, she was part of the launch team of Indian Railways on-board magazine Rail Bandhu. She has also worked as a city reporter covering north Delhi in Hindustan Times. In 2012, she covered the MCD elections. You can write to her at neeti.nigam@indianexpress.com ... Read More