International Engineering Ambassadors
Insight into the life & course of international students.

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Meet our International Engineering Ambassadors: Nada Adham

Name:  Nada Adham

Department:  Electronic and Electrical Engineering


Course:  BEng Electronic and Communication







What was your favorite subject at school?

At school, my favorite two subjects were Maths and Physics.

 How easy was it to settle into Sheffield?

I studied a foundation year at Sheffield International College. Well, at first it was quite hard. I was feeling homesick without my parents, family or friends. I felt very lonely as I didn’t know anyone in UK before coming. Although, I had come to UK once on a school trip, but it was mainly a camp. We didn’t go outside the camp that much.
The weather here is very cold and it gets dark much earlier compared to Egypt.
After that, I started getting to know people from my course and through societies. I made friends which I consider them as my best friends, who I can call friends for life.
After I joined the University of Sheffield, it became much easier. I already have friends but I’ve met more people and made more friends. Plus, Sheffield is a lovely place. I have started to feel home here. I guess, I’ll feel homesick after I finish my course here :p.

 How did you decide which degree course to take?

From grade 7, I decided to be an engineer. I was always impressed by my dad’s work (he’s a mechanical engineer). Plus, I was always getting full marks in maths and physics. I didn’t know which field of engineering I need to study. When I finished high school, I found that I’m more interested in communication and electricity.

 What advice would you give to people about to choose a university course?

I do agree that it’s a hard choice. You’ll think that it’s this choice will affect your future career and the rest of your life. Just brainstorm and think about everything you might be interested in studying, and choose one of them. Actually, none of us can be sure that he/she have made the right choice. Your studies at the university and even your activities will let you discover new skills that you never knew that you have.


What do you particularly enjoy and why?

At the university, I enjoy lab work where I can apply what I’ve learned and when I connect circuits. I also love the learning atmosphere. You have to be self-motivated and make the effort to learn at the university, you can’t just depend on the lectures. You have to read books and spend time at home or in the library studying. There are also extra-curricular activities like Engineers without borders (EWB) and Sheffield Formula Racing (SFR) which I enjoyed joining. You can apply what you’ve learned and you’ll exchange information with engineers from other departments.
Apart from that, there are hundreds of societies and clubs. You can also take part in volunteering work or have an internship in summer.  There’s also Give It A Go (GIAG) which makes trips to different cities around UK. You can go ice-skating in the Arena Don-Valley stadium or watch a movie in Cineworld.  

  Best job/most fun/most fulfilling/challenges?

I participated in the international language festival with the International Students Committee (ISC). It was an amazing experience where you can teach others your own language and learn other languages. 

How is studying your subject or methods of learning different at university than at school?

Learning at the university is completely different from school. At the university, it’ll depend more on your own efforts as the lectures don’t provide you with all the material you’ll need to fully understand the subject. You’ll always need to read books and use Wikipedia or youtube to fully understand the topics. You might even sleep at the Information Commons (IC) somedays.

What do you like to do when you are not working on your degree?

There’s a lot to do here. I play boxing and I go swimming in the weekend. I was also doing volunteering in a school. I also go on Give It A Go trips. I go to the theatre or to cineworld to watch a movie. 

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