I chose Loughborough not only due to the excellent reputation for engineering but also the amazing range of facilities. After visiting the campus at an open day and having several talks and tours around the facilities, I gained a greater insight into the different topics I would be taught and was excited that I would have the chance to use the workshop throughout my degree and eventually make something myself. Also, as Loughborough is a campus university, I loved the community feel and the opportunity to easily meet other people studying other engineering courses.
Having access to the laboratories and workshops gave me the opportunity to see engineering theory in practice, which helped me to better understand what I had been taught. Also, with a variety of study spaces around campus, with dedicated space for engineering students to work, I was able to have access to all the required software needed for my course and had a quiet space to work in between lectures.
My favourite part of my course was having the opportunity to create objects within workshops, using equipment such as lathes or 3D printing machines. I loved that the course was very hands on with a balance of theoretical and practical work giving the opportunity to build physical products which applied the engineering theory taught, especially in my final year.
In addition to this, there were so many other opportunities I had during my time at Loughborough. I went on a two-day engineering retreat with other female engineers where I heard talks from women within the industry and networked with my peers from other universities studying similar courses.