It’s my first ever blog and I’m really excited to be sharing my experiences at Loughborough University with you all! Before coming to uni, I completed my A-Levels in my amazingly-crazy hometown, Birmingham. Moving from such a big city to a smaller town was a tough decision for me, but I have definitely made a great choice.

I’ve been involved in a range of things: from bucket shaking in the streets of London with Rag, to being cast as an extra actor in a feature film! The opportunities presented by the uni are endless and made me confident enough to even start my own YouTube Channel: Jameel S.

Semester two of my second year is officially underway and I’m honestly just speechless… time has flown by so quickly. Now I realise why I’m told make the most of uni, it’s over before you know it.

The last month has been quite hectic, especially with deadlines: two essays (eight thousand words in total) and a performance, all due in the same week! Although work piles up at times, I always find myself thinking about why I came to Loughborough and that motivates me. It’s the amazing campus, seeing a crowd of random people in the library at 4am, the warm community feeling. It all just somehow determines me to carry on.

On top of all that, I’ve been prepping for my upcoming study-exchange in Australia. I remember arriving Loughborough in October for my second year, deciding whether or not to take this fantastic opportunity offered by the university. And now I’m packing to jet off to study at the University of Technology Sydney! That’s an added a bag of emotions on top of all the pressure of getting my work done on time.

Thinking about Australia, I feel nervous, but it’s the fun, exciting kind of nerves. Most of the time it doesn’t feel real. It only kicked in slightly last week when I had a farewell meal. Seeing so many of my friends made me realise just how lucky I am to be at Loughborough, where I have met so many new people who have taught me so many things.

What I’ve learnt recently is that hard work pays off. Yes, stress levels get high during coursework and exam season, but it’s definitely worth it, especially when you get unique opportunities to explore the world. So many of my lecturers (even from first year) have been extremely supportive, which makes everything so much easier.

See you all when I’m down under, and also stay tuned for regular videos on my YouTube Channel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW71hCMLSgk