Jessica

Choosing Newcastle

I first became interested in Newcastle when looking at the league tables. I then attended a visit day and was impressed with the campus, facilities, research and staff. I found the Open days to be very useful.

The Post Application Days are useful to give you an idea of what it will be like studying Mechanical Engineering.

About your course

There are many different projects each year in Mechanical Engineering. By doing these, I discovered that I enjoy the design process and would love a career as a design engineer. I am now a member of the Formula Student team and am thoroughly enjoying it!

We learn a lot of new software each year (CAD inventor, Ansys, Matlab, Simulink, Fluent etc). It can be difficult to get your head around the software at first but there are many different practical sessions and tutorials to get you used to it. It eventually becomes second nature.

Each year you have at least one design/project module. This can involve a lot of practical work which helps you learn various manufacturing techniques.

Links with industry

Newcastle University has many industrial contacts who give talks, lectures, and practice interviews, and work with us on projects.

I have attended lots of industrial visits. These have given me a better understanding of the workplace and different manufacturing techniques. The visits improve your design skills as it is very useful to fully understand manufacturing processes when designing. It is also useful to see what an engineering work environment is like.

The third year module Design for Industry involves working for a local company to solve a problem or design a product for them. This teaches you a lot about what it is like to work for an engineering company. It also provides you with valuable experience to take forward into your working career. I worked with DeepOcean for my Design for Industry Project. I was the project manager of my team and found it very useful as it gave me an insight as to what it is like to work in industry.

Research activity

The research activity in the School of Engineering provided me with a wide variety of projects. This is especially important in the third and fourth years.

Also, throughout my studies, the lecturers have integrated their research into lectures. This makes the lectures more interesting and we are learning very up to date information and techniques.

Facilities and learning environment

The Engineering buildings have many facilities which provide us with the opportunity to undertake various projects.

There are also many tutorials and seminar sessions which are very useful to ensure you understand the work you have been taught.

Support

There are a lot of support systems within the undergraduate community. We are allocated a student mentor (a student from the year above) at the beginning of our first year, who will answer any questions or direct us to the correct resources. We also have tutor groups, which is a useful place to start if you have any problems. We can go to our student stage representatives if we have any complaints or suggestions about the course.

We are all very connected in Mechanical Engineering with various Facebook and WhatsApp whole school or separate year Groups and Chats. Everyone is very supportive of each other.

Within the school

My Academic Tutor and lecturers have supported me throughout my studies and are always available to answer my questions or direct me to the relevant services. For example, they provided support when I was absent due to illness and ensured that I had the materials available to catch up.

My Student Mentor was very useful in my first year when I had questions about Newcastle University and being a student in general, such as the location of Uni buildings, places to eat and cheap places to buy groceries. The lecturers are also very supportive and are always available to help with problems.

In central services

The University Library provide support in learning how to find and use the materials available to us.

The Careers Service have provided me with support and guidance to improve my CV and interview technique during their regular drop-in sessions. They also advertise many placement and work experience opportunities.

Recommending Newcastle

Newcastle University is a great place to study! The engineering buildings have great facilities; various labs, machines and computer clusters. The lecturers are very supportive and are always eager to help you learn. There are also a lot of non-academic opportunities such as societies, sports and the 'Give it a go' events.

About Newcastle

I love the wide variety of things to do. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, lots of sports opportunities, a large range of shops and leisure activities.

Newcastle is a city that is tailored to student needs. Many discounts are available and events are hosted for students. Also, the city is very connected with a great public transport system and very cheap taxi services. This makes it easy to get around safely and cheaply.

Clubs and societies

I have joined a variety of societies (Salsa Dancing, Links First Aid, Engineers without Borders etc), gaining lots of different experiences.

I am a member of the Mechanical Engineering society. This was particularly beneficial during my first year as the social events gave me a chance to mingle and make friends. The society also provides me with many opportunities, such as company visits.

Living in Newcastle

During my first year, I stayed at Bowsden Court Accommodation. This accommodation is a little further off campus but is situated a two minute walk away from a Metro station. Student annual or term tickets can be purchased and it is a 5-10 minute journey onto campus. I loved my first year accommodation and made lots of new friends!