INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Veronika Raszler is an undergraduate BSc Science Communication and Policy student on Faculty Award for Excellence scholarship.

I attended an English-Hungarian bilingual high school back in Hungary, where I completed the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, so continuing with my studies in an English-speaking country was kind of a given. I decided to move to the UK, more specifically to London, and given my priorities (I was looking for a highly reputable university, at the forefront of social science fields as well as natural sciences, promoting an open-minded world view), UCL seemed the best university in London, and possibly the best university in England. Since then I have seen my original impressions justified – UCL is the perfect place for me to be doing my undergraduate studies.

I am studying Science Communication & Policy at the Science and Technology Studies (STS) department. I applied here because the course seemed to combine my wide-ranging interests for natural sciences, humanities, art. From an early age I found it difficult to focus solely on something very specialized. Courses at STS give students the freedom to get a taste of all of these, presented from a different and often stimulatingly critical angle. I attend lectures given by the most inspiring, knowledgeable and helpful professors, and I belong to a friendly department that has always made me feel welcome. All of these aspects helped me develop a real enthusiasm for STS as a field of study, and convinced me to carry on with my studies once I graduate.

I have been awarded the Faculty Award for Excellence. Winning it was a tremendous honour, and I have to say, the result of teamwork – I will be forever grateful to my department for encouraging and supporting me these past years, and for nominating me for this scholarship.

UCL attracts students from all around the world, and this multicultural atmosphere seems very fitting for a London university – not to mention how much easier it makes it on us, students from non-UK backgrounds, to feel “at home”.

Besides core studies, attending a course at the STS department at UCL has helped me in many, many other ways. I have made friends for life, and I have made very important contacts to help me further my academic and professional career. Thanks to Dr Jane Gregory, I’ve been given the chance to participate in the internationally renowned, multidisciplinary project/competition iGEM, and thanks to our head of department Professor Steve Miller, I have been working with an EU-funded scientific organisation Europlanet RI, where I have had the chance to organise meetings and a high-profile event inside the European Parliament. None of these incredible opportunities and experiences would have been available to me, had it not been for the STS department and University College London.