Our students

Why did you decide to study at Teesside University?

My late mom always wanted me to study abroad, especially in the UK, and it was also my dream. I chose Teesside after visiting university admissions fairs, talking to a Teesside University representative and then seeing the University’s amazing campus on the website. I was also lucky enough to meet a graduate from Teesside University. According to him, Teesside was the best choice in the UK for international students. From that moment, I couldn’t wait to study at Teesside University.

What was your course like?

My course was well organised and the lecturers were outstanding. I particularly enjoyed the practical sessions, because I got a chance to use different tools such as C#, WordPress and Joomla and have been able to build an interactive website. It would have been difficult for me to do this in Bangladesh’s education system. My favourite modules were Networks and Systems Administration and Client-Focused Business Solutions. In Networks and Systems Administration, I was given a scenario where I had to develop a secure wireless campus network for a UK university, which also includes a wired LAN with servers, clients, switches, a router and Internet connection. This module was full of challenges and I really loved it while I was developing different aspects. I got a 70+ mark for this module.

In the Client-Focused Business Solutions module I had the chance to accomplish one of my dreams - working with live clients. I redesigned a new mobile application for Sports Direct to boost their sales and customer experiences. It was a competition between different teams and my team came in second position.

Did you do any work experience or an industry placement?

I did a two-week mini-placement with Darlington Building Society which challenged the region’s five universities (Teesside, Sunderland, Durham, Newcastle and Northumbria) to develop a live project which could potentially be used within its core business, offering students an opportunity to enhance their own technology and work-based skills.

When I presented the ideas to Darlington’s executive board, the board members were so impressed with the concepts that I was invited to work as part of an internship programme to extend their projects within their digital team. My role at Darlington Building Society as a Digital Challenge Winner is to gather some innovative ideas for their existing website and make their website more user-friendly. I went through every single detail of Darlington Building Society’s previous website and I made several suggestions including mobile optimisation, more complex coding and a better online customer service experience. Presenting my findings to the DBS executive board was quite nerve-wracking as there were some very technical and non-technical people there with a lot of experience. It was a fantastic feeling to know that the board appreciated my ideas and all of the ideas I presented to the executives were successfully implemented.

What did you do in your free time?

I was part of Teesside International Students Society, where I got a chance to meet with students from my country and from other countries. Later on, I was elected the Vice–President of the society. Whenever I got time, I always went to the English Café to chat with people from different countries. I visited several places such as Whitby, Redcar beach, and Saltburn-by-the-Sea. From my view, Teesside is the best place to live and Teesside University is the best place to study for international students.

What have you done since graduating and what are you doing now?

After I completed my Bachelors, I moved into the Masters course in IT Project Management (with Advanced Practice). Currently, I am doing an internship as System and Project Support Assistant at Teesside University Legal and Governance Services.
I’ve had an amazing time here. I just want to say thank you so much to all the staff, lecturers and students who have made my life here great.