What I really like is that the on-campus accommodation is provided with all useful facilities and I really like my flatmates as well - it is an extremely valuable and interesting experience to live with people, who belong to different cultures. Discover Nadin's journey at Warwick and what led them to apply for Warwick's International Foundation Programme.

How did you find out about Warwick?

Initially, I heard about Warwick from my uncle, who lives and works in London. We were talking about my choices of the universities, which I was planning to apply to and he said: “Why don’t you apply to the UK? The higher education in the UK is known globally for its high quality and, in addition, I have some acquaintances from the high-ranking university not just in general but in your areas of interest as well, you should try considering the University of Warwick.” That was exactly what I did. I did some research and found some acquaintances, who graduated from Warwick and concluded that it was perfectly suitable for my inquires - campus, lifestyle, nature, and, most importantly, education and the opportunities that it suggests. Thus, without any doubt, I decided to apply to Warwick and my parents totally agreed with me when I told them about all the opportunities and potentials that Warwick grants to its students.

Did you consider studying anywhere else? What made you choose Warwick?

There are several reasons why I chose to apply to Warwick amongst the other universities in both the UK and the World and to accept namely Warwick’s offer as I also had offers from several other universities from the Russell Group. First and foremost, education at Warwick is on a particularly high level of quality. The figures of the University of Warwick in the plenty of researched rankings conducted by various institutions and organizations and related to different factors of statistics, such as general statistics (the place of Warwick among the higher education institutions in the World and in the UK), the ones aimed at my subjects of interest, Social Sciences and Politics and International Studies, employment rate after the graduation and many others are very high and reputable. Second of all, it is the campus - the green environment, modern buildings and convenient halls of residence were extremely valuable factors for me when deciding what university to choose. The views at the campus of Warwick are uniquely beautiful and the ducks and squirrels, who dwell on the territory of campus create the feeling of interaction and connection with nature, which is very important to stay in peace with the mind.

How did you feel to be awarded a scholarship?

When I first received the news of being awarded a scholarship, I was insanely happy - the perception of the fact that my efforts were appreciated was making me not just satisfied but also excited about the way how I may contribute to making the social and academic life at the university better with the help of the scholarship. Even now, while writing about my experience of receiving the scholarship, I am still very enthusiastic and thrilled about it as I realize that even through this uncomplicated activity, I may share my experience with the current students of Warwick or, all the greater, introduce the potential future applicants and students of Warwick to the University!

Who was the first person you told when you received the news about your scholarship and how did they react?

The first person I told when I received the news about my scholarship was my father and the day when I received the news was his birthday. At the very beginning, when I noticed the email with the news, I was astonished - I wanted to share that great announcement with everyone! However, I wanted to announce it to my family first but, unfortunately, they had gone to the beach as we were on vacation so all I had to do was just wait. I felt like I was going to collapse from the happiness and excitement that I was feeling due to that personal won of mine in the face of being awarded a scholarship. After my dad had finally picked the phone and I had told him about the news, he said that we definitely should celebrate it so that day we had a wonderful celebration dinner with two motives - my father’s birthday and my achievement.

How did you apply and did anyone help you with your application form and visa application?

I picked the self-upload of the documents type of process for applying for a visa so my process of uploading the documents was entirely online. For me, the application process for a visa was not that complicated, however, I had some questions and the person who guided me when I needed was Nadia Golenischeva, who is Warwick Regional Representative for Kazakhstan and Russia. I am very grateful to Nadia, as she did not just assist me with my visa application inquires, she also provided me with all the needed information at each stage of my process of applying to university and scholarship, so I gained some valuable support from the university staff - which made my process of applying to go smoothly and without any troubles.

What was your first impression of Warwick when you first walked around campus?

I had been feeling a great excitement to enter Warwick campus and when I finally arrived at the campus I was genuinely astonished by its vastness and scope. The first thing to catch my attention was the huge size of the campus and the splendid greenery. The atmosphere actually conciliated and endeared me to the new place.

Furthermore, it’s important to note that all of the students were really nice and outgoing and each person, who I asked to explain to me, where this or that building was, was not scared of wasting their time and explained everything in detail.

So far, I’ve been here for almost a month and I am really delighted with my student life at Warwick and with each day I get more and more comfortable here.

What is the best thing about Warwick?

The best thing about Warwick is the range of various opportunities in different areas of the life of the student - starting from the education (additional modules, modules presented by library, academic societies, etc.), various communicational links (not just meeting people from various cultures but also meeting specialists in this or that sphere, this activity may be provided by societies, etc.) and ending with welfare services, there are a lot of services at the University, which provide various ways of assistance and support for the students, regarding this or that issue.

What is the worst thing?

The thing that I am concerned about the most after moving to the UK and arriving at Warwick is not connected to Warwick, it is just the general environmental condition - the weather. I am used to the sunny weather as in my home country, Kazakhstan, the sun shines all year round, even during the harsh winter. In the UK, the weather is a bit gloomy and dump for me – there are constant rainfalls here. Nevertheless, I believe that I will get used to this weather, it is just a matter of time – and, important to mention, if you are a lover of cloudy weather and rainfalls, the weather in the UK will perfectly fit your weather preferences!

How is your accommodation?

I stay on campus and I really love the accommodation! What I really like is that the on-campus accommodation is provided with all useful facilities and I really like my flatmates as well - it is an extremely valuable and interesting experience to live with people, who belong to different cultures. We discuss the similarities and distinctions of our perceptions based on the values and customs in our countries and cultures - the most ordinary example is the topic of food! Moreover, my hall of residence is Heronbank, which is located in the Lakeside village, so the Sports & Wellness Hub is in 5-minutes-walk from here, which is very convenient. The last but not least important thing to mention is that there are a lot of cute ducks here, who do not disturb anyone, they are just very pleasing to the eyes.

Are you a member of any societies? If so, what have you done with them?

Unfortunately, I’m not a member of any society yet due to the fact that I have not found the right balance of scattering my time among education, household, etc. yet because I arrived at the campus just less than a month ago. However, there are plenty of various societies and extracurricular opportunities at Warwick and I plan to participate in Warwick Volunteering and Warwick Think Tank society as well, as I find it interesting and profitable for my world outlook!

What are your plans when you graduate?

I have a strong willingness to make my input in building sustainable economic development in the Central Asia region, the region, in which my home country, Kazakhstan, is located. My current course is the Social Sciences International Foundation Program and I want and plan to progress to the Politics and International Studies Bachelor’s degree at Warwick next year. This way, I want to apply my knowledge in politics and international studies and experience in the face of internship that I plan to take during my undergraduate degree and various academic and life skills learned at Warwick in practical activity in order to contribute to solving the topical issues and problems of Central Asia as I think that namely politics and international affairs may be considered as a regulator of the economy and, therefore, many other issues in this or that state. I am deeply convinced that studying at Warwick will give me a good framework for my future career, aimed at resolving some global issues by undertaking political activity.

What would you say to someone considering applying for an Undergraduate Global Excellence scholarship at Warwick, what would it be?

A piece of advice that I would give to someone considering applying for an undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship at Warwick is to carefully think about the time-management. From my standpoint, the earlier applicant starts considering the process of application, answering the questions stated in the application, the more chances his/her application has to be successful. Writing the answers for the fixed questions should not be done at once - the writing should be done little by little and should be checked several times. Speaking for myself, I had started working on my answers as soon as I could and then was working on it gradually, taking my time, allocating just 45 minutes for every two or three days, as I also tried not to do the activity every day for the reason that I wanted to look at the work with a fresh mind every time so I could hone and advance it where it was possible but had not been obvious for me at the beginning. Such-wise, I advise the potential applicants for an undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship at Warwick to watch their time and try to fit effectively in the given time frame in order to avoid any troubles.

What one thing makes you happy about Warwick?

What makes me happy about Warwick? I enjoy each day here, as every day at Warwick is a little journey - getting acquainted with various interesting people, learning new things, broadening my horizons. What makes me happy the most, is that my journey at Warwick has only started - I am an IFP student and I want and plan to study my undergraduate degree here, too, so I am very excited about gaining valuable knowledge and creating vivid memories at Warwick!