Alumnus: Rushad Malhotra Mukhtyar
Rushad Malhotra Mukhtyar
BSc Biomedical Science
Rushad is from India and graduated in 2014
Rushad’s background and a bit about why he chose Warwick
“I am an Indian national born and brought up in Bombay. I did all my schooling in Bombay. At the time of submitting my UCAS application I had a friend at school who was doing her BSc at the School of Life Sciences (SLS). Warwick has an excellent global reputation. Along with that, my family has a tradition of studying at Warwick University; my uncle and sister graduated from Warwick, so it was an obvious choice for me.”
Rushad’s first impressions of Warwick
“I loved the fact that Warwick is a stand-alone campus university, while still having surprisingly easy access to major cities like London, Birmingham, and Coventry, and beautiful historic towns like Leamington Spa and Stratford. This provided the all-important campus vibe, while ensuring that our lives were not limited to a “student bubble.”
The buildings (especially the ones at SLS) are all purpose built and very modern, which means that things work amazingly efficiently! High-speed WiFi is ubiquitous, and around-the-clock electronic/card access means that students can make use of the facilities whenever they like. You can tell that the administration does their best to keep hassles to a minimum, and make learning and living there as easy as possible. The fantastic ‘unseen background support’ was apparent from week one.
The student body is vibrant and diverse, with fellow students being accepting and welcoming of other peoples’ cultures."
What did Rushad like most about the University and his degree?
“The best thing about studying at SLS is that all teaching is research-led and not at all ‘bookish’. This means that experts in their respective fields deliver the teaching, with reference materials often being recent scientific publications (rather than pages from an old and almost certainly out-dated textbook.)
Being taught by active researchers (as well as ‘teaching fellows’) means that lectures are a lot more intriguing and interactive. As an undergraduate student, having direct access to such accomplished scientists is phenomenal. They treat you as colleagues (and not subordinates), and are always there to guide you on any aspect of the course.”
What does Rushad feel he gained from his degree?
“The ability to question and investigate “why” as opposed to just accepting facts. The three years I spent at Warwick had a huge impact on me; they nurtured and brought out my previously hidden scientific inclination, and dramatically changed by career ambitions. It made me aware of the immense opportunities in biomedical research that I hadn’t appreciated.
The Careers Service at Warwick is extraordinary. Through all three years, they organised careers fairs with big pharmaceutical firms, ensuring that interested students had the opportunity to ‘get a foot in the door’ with prospective employers. Along with that, the Careers Service offered advice and mock interviews for those wishing to pursue further studies (e.g. Master's degrees, PhDs or Medicine). The academic staff/tutors were also extremely supportive in this regard.”
What is Rushad doing now?
“I became interested in a career in medical research and decided to study Medicine after graduating from Warwick. I am currently on the MBChB course at the University of Leicester.”
What else did Rushad do during his time at Warwick?
“I had the opportunity to put forward ideas that evolved into research projects (1) with a professor within SLS for my final year project and (2) at the University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire as part of the University Research Support Scheme. I don’t know of many universities with this type of scheme, so this really is a huge reason to choose Warwick!
It is through these experiences that I interacted with both clinicians and academics and they are what inspired me to begin my journey towards a career in clinical academia.
There are lots of clubs to choose from. They vary from sport to cultural/food drink affairs and really give one the opportunity to develop and try out various interests. I got to experience things from all across the world because of the wide student base.”