Daniel
Why did you decide that Exeter was the best place to study?
What I liked the most about The University of Exeter and specifically my programme is that it is led and supported by research institutes like the Environment and Sustainability Institute, the Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and the Centre for Environmental Mathematics, as well as the facilities, technical and technological resources, and of course the well-qualified academic staff.
Describe your typical day at Exeter
A typical day for me starts with some morning training in the gym before heading to class. Depending on the day of the week, the class schedule varies, but the usual thing is to go to the library after classes to do assignments and study the different modules, self-learning is an important aspect of everyday life at the university. Likewise, depending on the day of the week, there may be different scheduled or spontaneous extracurricular activities that are always interesting to take part in.
What are the best aspects of studying within your department?
The best aspects are that it is possible to find people from different backgrounds, all of them focused on the environmental issue of the 21st century, so it is quite an interesting interdisciplinary work.
How would you describe the vibe on campus?
On the Penryn campus, the atmosphere is very academic as well as entertaining. There is a great variety of resources to study peacefully, and also different options to satisfy physical and mental well-being, such as the gym and different sports, cultural, and leisure societies, in addition to the proximity to the ocean and the natural environment that the county of Cornwall offers, one of the tourist attractions of the United Kingdom.
What activities are you taking part in? Which clubs/societies or facilities/activities do you enjoy the most?
The extracurricular activities in which I am enrolled are the gym and the paddleboarding and sea-swimming societies, in addition to the Hispanic society. All of them are very funny, however, the gym is where I can go more often and where I have been able to balance physical, mental, and emotional well-being outside of studies.
What particular skills are you gaining from this experience? Will this help you in your choice of career?
From this experience, I can say that with the strengthening of computational and mathematical skills and their application in the fields of social and natural sciences, I am gaining interdisciplinary work skills, something fundamental for the comprehensive understanding of our earth system.
How have you dealt with any challenges/difficulties during your time at the University of Exeter?
Without a doubt there have been challenges during this time at the University, mainly with the language and the variety of accents that one can find, but I think it is a matter of time to adapt and to feel how the University community can help to grow even in this sense.
What’s the best thing about living in Penryn?
I would indeed recommend it. Penryn and its surroundings are tourist and academic attractions in general due to their environmental offerings. Consequently, the Penryn campus is the base of environmental research centres and careers related to the environment and sustainability, and the region in general has a wide tourist offer.
What advice would you give students planning on coming to the University of Exeter?
My advice to students planning to come to the University of Exeter is none other than to come to a university of great value to the global academic and scientific community, and one that they will be very proud to belong to.
Was the University supportive during your time here?
Absolutely, the university has specific channels through which support can be obtained in any aspect that the student needs.
