Fay Muenchow

I came to the UK to visit a bunch of universities and the second I stepped onto the Loughborough campus, it felt like home. I didn’t know much about Loughborough but decided to visit because it was so high on the league tables. I visited Loughborough first out of 8 universities, and I couldn’t stop comparing every other university to Loughborough and nothing was as good.

Growing up, maths has always clicked for me. I have always enjoyed maths and I knew I wanted to do something I loved at uni, so it was the obvious choice.

I had a personal tour of the university with an international officer the summer before I applied for uni. I honestly don’t think I would’ve applied to Loughborough if I hadn’t visited it as I’m not really a sporty person. But once I visited, I saw how much more the uni had to offer, it immediately became my first choice.

I really enjoy all the green spaces on campus. Whenever I get stressed out or feel overwhelmed by my work, I will go on a walk in Burleigh Woods, or the fruit routes and I automatically feel better. I have also been extremely involved with the volunteering section of the Students Union (Action). This is also a great way for me to destress and I have found a family through Action and met people who will always be there for me.

I really enjoy the opportunities my course has opened for me. The School of Science offers internships for students between their second and third year which I successfully applied for. I have spent the summer gaining experience in my future field and had some preparation for what professional life will be like when I graduate.

I think the biggest advice I have is to base your study routine on your needs and lecturers’ advice, not what your peers are doing. I began first year by doing every problem sheet given to me by my lecturers but after a few weeks was told by a peer that ‘no one does the problem sheets’, so I stopped. By the end of the year, I realised that I had absolutely no clue what any of my modules were about and was completely unprepared for exams. The next year, I began doing every problem sheet and had a much better understanding of my modules and felt better prepared for exams.

The Schofield Building has a very nice study space, the Learning Zone which I find very helpful and my productivity increases when I’m working there.

I am hoping to work in banking or data analysis in the future. I did data analysis over the summer and really enjoyed it. I’ve always said I wanted to do banking but after this summer I have become much more interested in data analysis.