Carmen Gonzalo-Vicente

Current student, International student

Subject area
Materials

I chose the MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering at Loughborough University because from a young age I’ve always been passionate about energy and sustainability. Materials focuses on learning the basics of how everything around us works today which attracted me to the course. I highly recommend anyone who is interested in this course to apply as it opens doors to many fields of research and industries.

Being an international student

As an international student, at first, I felt overwhelmed as everything in my life changed. However, as I settled in and got used to a ‘new normal', my decision to move to the UK started to pay off. The advice from my lecturers and the positive atmosphere among other students made my time on my course very pleasant and unforgettable. For any international students worried about moving from their home country, be confident in yourself and your abilities and ask questions. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and have had an unforgettable positive experience.

The support at Loughborough

Loughborough has a great support system. I came from a more general bachelor’s degree and there were times when I needed more help to understand the topics. I found my lecturers and support staff were very approachable and always helped me as much as they could. For example, my lecturers would either sit down with me and go over any topic I needed more help with or gave me advice so that I could do it on my own. I also found that the outstanding equipment in the laboratories played a big role in setting a learning environment where I could thrive.

My projects

During my MSc I carried out two large projects. One was a team-based project where we got to design a device capable of performing torsion and heating at the same time and that was suitable for scanning electron microscopes. The second project was done individually, and I focused mine on analysing the microstructure of a type of tool steel subjected to different heat treatments to improve new processing techniques within additive manufacturing.

My career ambitions

Loughborough has given me the opportunity to study what I have loved since I was a child. I feel very fortunate with the relationships I have been able to develop during my time here. These positive experiences have inspired me and given me the strength to continue to keep fighting for everything I am passionate about. My life ambition is to work in the field of sustainability consultancy so I could contribute to providing solutions to problems related to climate change and energy. Among other global projects that are currently being developed, I am particularly interested in nuclear fusion as well.

Carmen Gonzalo-Vicente
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