My 8 favourite things about Cranfield

1. Cranfield is located in peaceful and quiet surroundings – not something that suits everyone, but it does mean you are away from the city chaos! This is one of the reasons I considered it an ideal place for my postgraduate studies – I wanted somewhere with fewer distractions, that would help me to be more focused towards my goals.
2. The academic staff are very helpful and supportive and guide every student equally. Cranfield University have strong link-ups and work on projects with research partner companies like NASA, Rolls Royce, and Airbus etc (to mention just a few), where the projects from these partner companies become a part of the final thesis for MSc students here. I am very grateful to my course director Professor Pericles Pilidis and my supervisor Dr. Devaiah Nalianda for giving me an opportunity to work on one of these projects during my MSc, which gave me significant experience and exposure in the field of research and technology in accordance with the current and emerging technologies.
3. Cranfield is the only university in the UK that has its own airport and students from the Aircraft Vehicle Design and Airport Planning and Management are given the opportunity for test flights to understand the physics and technology for the aerospace vehicle design sector.
4. During my time spent at Cranfield, the most important thing I have learned is about diversity, as the university has students from many different parts of the world. I understand the importance of diversity better after one of my course modules, Management for Technology, where students from different parts of the world were put into groups together. I was a part of a team comprising of six teammates from countries like France, Germany, Spain, China and Poland. It was this involvement in a team that means I now have an insight into the diverse thought process and perception of different individuals towards business, technology and management. It was a very good, useful experience which helped me understand why diversity plays an important role for a successful business in the global market.
5. Coming from a country like India which has its three main seasons (winter, summer and rainy) divided over the period of 12 months, I was really surprised to experience all of them in a day here!
6. Exploring the local Bedford and Milton Keynes marketplaces for fresh fruit and vegetables has been very useful for managing my monthly budget – which is one of the essential tasks as a student. The membership cards (NUS extra card, National Express Young Coach card, Railcard 16-25 years old, Tesco club card, and Amazon student membership card) have also helped me to save money, as these cards offer discounts to students studying in the UK.
7. Places like Cambridge, Oxford and London are within an hour’s drive from the university and can be visited during the weekends to catch a break from studies. One thing is for certain, with lectures throughout the day on all weekdays for the first two or three months at least, studying at Cranfield definitely results in longer nights studying in the library or working on assignments (which will eventually end up with thesis work). My weekends were spent in the CSA having discussions about the current technologies and sports; having late night talks with friends or having some nightlife fun in Bedford or Milton Keynes. The Cranfield Football World Cup is one of the sporting events incoming students should definitely look forward to!
8. I took up some part time jobs within the university to earn some extra cash. I lived on campus which made it easier to work within the university but staying off campus can be advantageous as well, because you have a varied choice with respect to part time jobs. The courses here are very intensive, so I would only recommend a part-time job of a few hours a week. The opportunity to work as a student ambassador has been one of the best parts of my experience at Cranfield University. From helping the new batch of students with their admission process and queries and working together with the university’s operations and project management team, to representing Cranfield University at Farnborough Air Show 2016 (where the photos above were taken!) have really helped to enhance my skill set.

It has been an amazing journey throughout my time here. Despite some initial nerves I honestly feel that studying towards my postgraduate degree in MSc Thermal Power Aerospace Propulsion was one of best decisions I’ve ever made. I would like to end by saying that, out of all the experiences and ups and downs I’ve had at Cranfield University, the most valuable one was making friends and building strong relationships, which I’m sure I will value for the rest of my life. As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “If human civilization has to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships- the ability of all people, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world to make the world a better place.”

>> Find out more about studying Thermal Power MSc at Cranfield…