Landing at Cranfield: First-term experiences and life beyond the classroom

Starting a postgraduate course can feel daunting, especially if you’re new to the aviation industry.

In this blog series, Adit Shah shares his journey on the Air Transport Management MSc at Cranfield. From first-term experiences and settling in, to life on campus, academics, and career insights, he offers a full view of student life.

This is the first of three blog posts in the series:

• Part 1 – Landing at Cranfield: First-term experiences and life beyond the classroom
• Part 2 – Inside the Air Transport Management MSc: Classes, assignments, and group project work
• Part 3 – From classroom to cockpit: What’s next after Cranfield?

What was your first term like?

The Cranfield Students’ Association organised several small events and icebreaker sessions that really helped us get to know one another. They even arranged a nature walk that took us around not only Cranfield University but also across the airport to Cranfield Village and back. It was a lovely walk in the cool winter evening and helped make my transition much smoother. It definitely helped that I was able to make friends early on, and it made living here for the three winter months much more bearable.

The first term honestly just flies by. You don’t have much time to think about home, once induction week ends and lectures begin. Things get busy quickly, and by the time the first term ends you’ve already got a nice group of friends. You’re planning your Christmas vacation together – maybe going to Scotland or somewhere else – and just having fun.

We were lucky enough to witness it snowing twice, which I heard hadn’t happened for the past six years. Seeing snow on campus was wonderful. The mornings were especially beautiful – if you’re staying in Baroness Young Hall or Chilver Hall, you cross the cricket ground on the way to classes, and when it has snowed it looks like a perfect white sheet across the field. It’s a lovely sight, and of course, we also had a few snowball fights. It was great fun!!

What was your entry route and experience prior to Cranfield?

I actually came into the course with no industry experience. I joined straight after my undergraduate degree, which wasn’t even in aviation – it was a BBA in Business Analytics. Looking back, the main thing I would tell myself a year ago is to come in with a lot of passion. People who choose Air Transport Management are usually passionate about the field, but sometimes when you meet your course mates, you realise they may have more knowledge or more to contribute in class. That can feel intimidating at first and make you feel a bit out of place.

But it’s all about doing some background work and using your passion to keep yourself engaged. Read news articles, stay up to date with the industry, and keep yourself informed. That really helps, both in class participation and in building your confidence. Once you start doing that, your nerves settle and it becomes much easier to focus.

“Assignments are case-study based and grounded in real industry problems… it’s much more research-oriented than undergraduate study”

How does postgraduate study at Cranfield differ from your undergraduate experience?

I think the biggest difference is the context in which assignments are given. You can definitely carry forward a lot of the soft skills you gained during your undergraduate degree — for me, coming from Business Analytics helped, but the nature of postgraduate assignments is quite different.

At postgraduate level, assignments are usually case-study based. You’re expected to make real-life, well-researched recommendations, analyse industry scenarios, and provide thoughtful suggestions. Because the assignments are so practical and grounded in real industry problems, the work becomes more research-oriented than what you would typically encounter during undergraduate study.

Cranfield may be a postgraduate-only university, but there’s no shortage of opportunities to get involved on campus.

What do you do when you’re not studying?

Cricket is definitely the main thing for me. It goes on throughout the year — even when the outdoor season isn’t running, we have indoor cricket. There’s a small informal tournament within the cricket club that runs for about a month, with matches every weekend.

Once the outdoor season begins, it becomes even more enjoyable. You get to travel around Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes, playing at different grounds against other teams, with a proper leather ball and full kit. It’s a proper league, and it’s great fun.

“The sports hall on campus is fantastic too. There’s a gym and a large multi-purpose hall where table tennis, basketball, badminton, volleyball, football, and pickleball. There’s always something happening, even over the weekends, and plenty of opportunities to get involved in sport and physical activity.”

There are also various clubs and social activities. On Fridays, for example, there are board games sessions, and every Friday night the Cranfield Students’ Association hosts a party. It’s a nice chance to go out, have a beer, and meet other students. The CSA also has two billiards tables, air hockey, foosball, and console games, so there’s lots to do if you just want to unwind.

Cranfield is a postgraduate-only institution, after all, so the atmosphere can feel a bit different compared with what friends at other universities might experience. But even so, there are definitely things to do on campus. Many students buy bicycles and go for rides with friends, either around Cranfield Village or all the way to Milton Keynes. It’s a wonderful way to spend your free time.

Tell us about your accommodation

This is an upgrade story, and it was purely down to luck. My original accommodation allocation was Lanchester Hall, but for reasons I’m still not entirely sure of, I was upgraded to Baroness Young Hall — I’m definitely not complaining. It’s one of the best places to live on campus!

The rooms may seem small at first because they’re designed for one person and they have an en-suite, so the bathroom is part of the room space itself. But the kitchens are huge. Each kitchen also has a socialising area with a sofa, so you can hang out with your flatmates, play board games, or just enjoy cooking together. It’s a really nice communal setup.

Next up: How Cranfield academics really bring theory to life — from classroom modules to real-world group projects.