What made you choose Physiotherapy at St Mary’s?
One of the main reasons I liked St Mary’s over other universities was the cohort sizes. You really get to know your lecturers and the people in your class. It felt more like community based learning rather than just being sat in a lecture hall with 200 people that you don't know.
Growing up, I've always been interested in healthcare. Over the years I’ve gone from being a kid that wants to do surgery to seeing the effect of physiotherapy in real life and wanting to pursue that. I like that physios generally spend more time with their patient than doctors do. As a physio, you're there every step of the way, so you can see the progress and you're able to have a connection with the people that you're treating.
There’s also so much to physiotherapy, from musculoskeletal to respiratory and cardiology. There are so many things that you can do with physiotherapy, and I just think it's really cool.
How have you found your lecturers and the course itself?
The lectures have been great and the setup is really accommodating. We have three hour sessions which can feel like a lot and you’re not going to be mentally there for that long, but the lecturers make sure to check in and give us breaks. The environment is just so warm and everyone wants to be there to learn.
The academics are really engaging and find interesting ways to teach us things like anatomical terms. I was worried the professionalism module would be a bit dull, but our teacher has made it really engaging and fun. It really does feel like there is a family and community feeling in classes.
I travel an hour and a half to get to campus, and you don't want to travel for that long if the classes are boring. But, I'm happily here every day which says a lot.
What has been the most interesting part of the course so far?
We've had three modules so far; anatomy, physiology, and professionalism. My favourite has been anatomy, just because I have always had an interest in the way the human body works and functions, and how we're able to move. What's really nice is the teaching hasn’t just been entirely theory based. We get to do practical work like palpations and examining each other, so we're gaining that hands on experience with different body types that we need to have in the outside world.
How have you found your time at St Mary’s in general?
I’ve really enjoyed it so far. We've been able to start up the Islamic Society, and I'm Co Vice President which I'm really proud of. The process of the starting the society has felt very accommodating and open, and the Student’s Union has been really excited for us.
Before starting, I was worried that commuting would weigh down on me with such a long journey. But surprisingly, I haven't found it too bad. St Mary’s has the Commuter’s Lounge, so if I'm too late or I want to stay back for something I can just chill in there which is really nice.
Where St Mary’s is based is such a nice area in itself. I was walking here today and was thinking it's so nice, the sun's out, and there’s a blue sky. I'm living a movie moment, and it's so good.