We sat down with Applied Sport and Exercise Biomechanics grad, Kelsie Ackerman, to talk about her time doing a master’s at St Mary’s.
Kelsie moved to the UK from America to do her MSc in Biomechanics, after completing an undergraduate degree in Human Physiology. After graduating in 2022, she stayed in the UK and now works in the life sciences and engineering industry.
We asked Kelsie about her experience as an international student at St Mary’s, as well as what led her to where she is now.
What did you do your undergrad in?
I went to a university in America for my undergrad called Gonzaga University, and I studied Human Physiology there for four years. In the American system you also have the opportunity to do secondary minors, so I actually did mine in Spanish and dance.
What made you choose to move to London to do a master’s in Applied Sport and Exercise Biomechanics?
I took a course during my Human Physiology degree that was in biomechanics, and that was when everything kind of clicked for me. I had thought I wanted to go into physiotherapy originally, but I always had this fascination with the body and how it worked, so when I took a biomechanics course it just made a lot of sense.
I found out that a lot of the jobs I was interested in required a master’s degree, so I decided I would dive into further education. My University offered great international study abroad programmes so I actually took some summer classes in Florence for a couple of months. During that time, my family took a trip to London and I realised the idea of studying here for a year was really appealing to me.
What made you choose St Mary’s specifically?
I applied to five other universities at the time, but what I liked about St Mary's was that the academics really took time to talk to me during the application process. I felt that at St Mary's they care about you as a person, which really stood out to me.
I also liked the course content as it provides you with a good overview of biomechanics while still being tailored to detailed sports science principles and applications.
How did you find doing a master’s and what was the teaching like?
We dove headfirst into the different topics, which I really enjoyed. We also got to apply what we were learning into practice, which was great to understand different areas of the industry.
I really value smaller class sizes which St Mary's provides. Everyone knew each other in the cohort, and the academics also got to know us well. You could tell that they cared about our success and would take the time to sit and walk through things if you needed it.
What was your general experience at St Mary’s like as a postgraduate student?
St Mary’s is in a special location where you have your own campus with open space, but you're right outside of London too. As a postgraduate student they do a good job of keeping you included in university life. I was a bit apprehensive that as a postgrad you might not feel like you're a part of campus, but at St Mary’s I realised that you were still a part of things. There are many events you can go to and it’s easy to meet people on campus.
What have you done since finishing your master’s?
I work in Product Marketing for a company called Vicon Motion Systems which makes the cameras and software used in biomechanical research. The sports science lab here at St Mary's is actually a Vicon lab, so that was a really great transition for me to be able to take what I was learning and now apply it to the industry side of biomechanics and research.
I get to work with a lot of customers and meet a lot of people from different labs around the world; this is one of my favourite parts of my job.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about moving abroad for a master’s?
I’d honestly say that's it’s the best thing I could have ever done for myself. So, if it's something that you think you can do then you should 100% do it.
You’ll get to meet people from all over the world, experience a new culture, travel to new places, and just better yourself in terms of both your education and as a person.
You have to just grab the opportunity and put yourself out there to meet new people and learn more about yourself.