As Newcastle University is really high in UK rankings, l chose this university because of its Med School as well (one of the best in UK). The Faculty of Medical Sciences is 8th in the UK for Medicine and Life Sciences research – Research Excellence Framework 2014.

Newcastle University also offers an EU bursary, which actually helps to live throughout the year. If you have do sports – you can get a scholarship too! In addition, this university has a wide range of international students which l found tempting as a foreigner myself.

Furthermore, the course is deeply based on medical information, which l appreciate the most. Overall, in many places, SES course is based more on management or just coaching and l was looking for the science side of this field.

What do you like most about studying Sport & Exercise Science at Newcastle University?

The Medicine Faculty is one of the strongest faculties throughout England and therefore the knowledge you can get here is really valuable. All the labs are new and high tech, you get to touch and work yourself with a lot of equipment, which you might not get in other universities. As mentioned before, the amount of practicals you get by studying in the Med Faculty is one of the biggest highlights while studying in Newcastle University. Moreover, of course, all the staff is really competent in their subjects and are a part of major researches.

In SES, degree the sports hall and the physiology lab is used the most. There is a brand new sports complex, which was just open few months ago, where we now have all our practicals. Therefore, all the equipment we use is brand new and innovative.

I really enjoyed the Physiology, Anatomy, Biomechanics and Principles of Strength, nutrition and health modules as they were really interactive. There were many practicals and we got to practise everything ourselves. I loved Bioenergetics, Nutrition and S&C modules as they are the most related to sport area, which I am interested. Still, probably dissecting practicals is the best part of fresher’s year.

What is it like living in Newcastle?

The North East is by far one of the best regions for international students. With a huge variety of activities and cultural sites, it is a great place to go exploring. Every year Newcastle, as a city itself, is home to over 10,000 international students and this number is growing all the time.

Talking about Newcastle itself, most of my friends, which are foreign as well, love the city! It has a river called Tyne, which separates Gateshead from Newcastle, and both of the cities are connected with beautiful bridges! It is one of the most fascinating thins to go in the dark on one of the bridges and look and the city lights and the beautiful Opera house – The Sage.

As well as Newcastle has a lot of parks to visit and just chill out after a hard day at uni, to hang out with friends, play football or generally toss a ball. Jesmond dene is a nice place to run away from the city, visit a small pet corner and see a windmill and a waterfall.

In addition, Newcastle is not far from Whitley bay, North/South shields, where they have the coast! It is only up to 20-30min by a metro to reach the sea to have a nice walk. South Shields even have a tiny amusement park on the beach!