Student Profile: Luke, 2nd year Chemical Engineering Student

82 Months Ago

Luke is from Cambridge, England. He was a Fresher in 2016, so knows all about what life is like at Heriot-Watt. He was kind enough to share his experiences with us last year.

 

“I’m not going to lie – when I first started looking at universities, I hadn’t heard of Heriot-Watt! I was looking at the University of Edinburgh, and I saw that their open day and the Heriot-Watt one were one day after the other, so I decided I might as well stay in Edinburgh for another day. It seemed like a friendly city to be in. I was so impressed by my course representatives and the campus; I loved that everything was in one place. I decided Heriot-Watt was the best fit for me.

 

Obviously, I was quite nervous about coming here. I didn’t know anyone at all, and it’s quite a long way away from my home as well. But I think that was actually quite a good thing. It’s good for you to meet new people and experience new things. Being in the Robert Bryson Halls Facebook Group made it a lot easier. There was a group chat where people would introduce themselves. By the time I came to campus, there were actually a few familiar faces!

 

I went to the Meet Your Mates event on the first day, and it was a nice way to be introduced to the people in my halls. That night I went to the UV Paint Party at the Student Union. I think most people from my year were there, so it was a great way to interact with everyone.

 

I met so many friends in halls, in the communal lounge in Robert Bryson. I know that some of the newer halls have a mini lounge in each flat, but I liked having the big communal lounge. It was always full of people, especially in Freshers and it was easy to meet people you otherwise might not have. I think it helped that everyone there was in the same boat and every face was a new one.

 

I had good flatmates. We were all on good terms and we’d have a laugh in the kitchen. We’d go on flat nights out – like when we went to the Edinburgh Christmas Market together in December – but for the most part, we did our own thing and hung out with our separate groups of friends.

 

Studying at university is definitely different from studying at school. My course is quite big; there are over 100 students in my lectures, so much bigger than school! Because of this, you do get a lot less 1 on 1 time with your lecturer than you would with a school teacher, but then you have your academic tutor who you can connect with on a more personal level. There’s a whole new teaching format, but I felt like they were good at easing us into it in first year.

 

When it comes to free time, I’d say my biggest regret of first year is not getting more involved with campus activities. I went to an event the Football Club held early on – an informal practice, just a bit of a kick about to meet people – and I actually ended up breaking my nose! That put me off going back straight away, I’ll admit.

 

One of my favourite memories from first year is the night that Hot Dub Time Machine came to the Student Union. A big group of us met in the lounge first and then we all went down to the Union together. It was a good night. I really enjoyed my Freshers Ball as well. It was well laid out and everyone was all dressed up. I have so many good memories from first year, it’s hard to choose just a couple!

 

My course is going to be more challenging this year; it’s a big step up into second year. I’m looking forward to actually living in the city as well – my flat is at Haymarket, right in the centre of Edinburgh. I’m going to make sure I join more clubs and societies when I get back, but for the meantime, I’m doing a lot of shifts on the meat and fish counter in a supermarket to keep myself busy. I’ve only been home for a month and I miss Edinburgh already!”

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