My student journey so far

Starting an MSc during a global pandemic is a weird experience for everyone yet there’s many of us who decided to pack up their lives and move to Cranfield this year, me being one of them!  Moving to a new area for me is a pretty standard occurrence as I studied my BSc in a different city, took part in Erasmus exchange and a year in industry, all in different areas. However, none of that is the same as moving to a small village in these crazy times.

One great thing about being in Cranfield during these times is all the nature that’s surrounding us. As I live in Cranfield village, a bike was a crucial purchase for me to get to campus without relying on the buses whilst getting in a bit of exercise. But I didn’t realise there are so many beautiful places around which are easily reachable even by someone who hasn’t rode a bike in many years. So now, despite the majority of lectures being online, my bike has found a new use of exploring the local areas during study breaks which are much needed after being sat in front of a computer screen all day every day for a week.

A few of my favourites so far are pictured below; Newport Pagnell, Marston Moretaine and Willen lake in MK.

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I was fortunate enough that I have had some face-to-face lectures at the start of the year which made it much easier to get to know people and find some people willing to join me on our covid-friendly allowed exercise outdoors!

Although there are some aspects which have been more difficult as a result of Covid, such as not being able to assist each other in person with software problems or getting together for a beer at the CSA at the end of a long week, these are things I am hoping will slowly become normal again in the new year. I can’t believe semester one is nearly over and I’ve been a student at Cranfield for nearly 3 months now. I am looking forward to what I consider a well-deserved break over Christmas back home in Kent but I am excited to return to my new home and see what the new year brings, including the scary thought of completing my MSc.