My journey to Cranfield

Hey, my name is Joseph Kobina Ofori, and I am a Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Ghana, West Africa. Back home in Ghana I have always loved the idea of studying in the United Kingdom. I had been contemplating on which university to pursue my masters degree for some time until one day, while I was scrolling through a web page in Ghana, I came across Cranfield University!

Upon searching Cranfield University’s website, I developed an enthusiasm to study an MSc in a food related course. I believed that, studying an MSc at Cranfield University was a great opportunity for me to broaden my horizon and attain the knowledge of the highest in terms of the nitty-gritty of food sciences. This was also an opportunity for me to interact with world class Doctors and Professors. I saw that Cranfield University’s reputation was one of the best in the UK with high educational standards in postgraduate studies. Furthermore, they have substantial research expertise in food coupled with wide range of career opportunities.

I applied to study an MSc in Future Food Sustainability as well applying for a scholarship too. A few weeks after applying I received a letter from Cranfield University informing me of my offer, I was amazed because of the fast pace in which my application was processed. I got nominated by Cranfield University for the prestigious commonwealth award which would help me pursue my MSc, although there were a lot of potential students also competing for the same award. Thank you Cranfield University and Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for selecting me as the winner of this award!

I arrived in the UK, on 30th September 2019, I felt a breeze of fresh air on the campus and I said to myself “Wow! I am finally at Cranfield University!!”. My first week on campus was an induction, and it was full of fun activities. I was privileged to be part of the Welcome Event for all fresher’s at the Sport Hall. It was a meeting of students from all walks of life with different cultures and backgrounds, this was a chance to interact and make friends. The event was interesting and there were games we played to get to know other students in the Agrifood department. My course and Programme Directors were so friendly and interactive. I won by being the first student to know everyone using a simple questionnaire. The induction week made me feel very exhilarated, welcomed and excited for the year ahead.

As part of our induction week, we visited G’s Naturally Fresh. We were given the opportunity to learn through practical’s, several processes in food production through food engineering to the finished product and how critical it was to abide by Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in food production chain. Moreover, I understood sustainability strategies that they have adopted to ensure that the company produces food in a more sustainable environment.

So far, my first week on campus has been fulfilling and I hope the modules also continue to be the same.

Click here for more information for Ghanaian students wishing to study a postgraduate programme at Cranfield University