I chose Loughborough for two reasons. Firstly, the campus: I really wanted to go to a campus university where you could live and study on one site. I was really happy with this decision, being in the ‘Loughborough bubble’ was a great experience. Prior to Loughborough I did one year at a big city university and I found out being spread out across the city wasn’t for me.
Secondly, automotive reputation: at the time of applying I did a lot of research about which institutions had good partnerships with industry (when I applied to university, I was very conscious that I wanted to come out the other end employed!) Loughborough does very well in this respect, they’re keen on industry placements and sponsored dissertations.
I have always liked cars and motorsport so the Automotive element was a no brainer for me, I wanted to study something I was passionate about. When I was looking at the various courses offered at the university the size of the Materials department appealed to me. Some of the lectures are a little smaller than other courses and I think that resulted in good relationships with the staff, the department was really supportive through all four years of study.
The module I enjoyed the most that linked to cars was Automotive Crash Protection, which gave me a taste and enthusiasm for the subject that is now my career specialism. In my final year we also did a module about recycling and sustainability, that really changed my world view, and I would thoroughly recommend it.
The other really enjoyable part of my course was the industrial placement, I got a one-year placement at the Mini factory in Oxford. From there I got to travel to Rolls-Royce in Goodwood and the BMW engine facility in Hams Hall. This placement was directly linked to Materials as I worked in their laboratory division, it gave me a great grounding in the Automotive industry. I also walked away from that year with an industry-sponsored dissertation and invaluable work experience which helped me apply for graduate jobs.
The department was supportive: we had a personal tutor from year one and I always felt that the lecturers made time for you if you had a question about the content, even if this meant coming to see them during office hours. The department was small, and I think that meant supporting the students was one of its strengths. The facilities and teaching quality were both excellent. I remember that the department had really good laboratory equipment, I enjoyed the hands-on nature of the laboratory work especially.