Boosting your confidence

Laure Montangerand (BSc Anthropology) is a French national who grew up in Paris. She left the city of light for her university studies after attending an open day at UCL.  

She says: “The lecturers were passionate and deeply knowledgeable, and the students I met all had this open-mindedness that was exactly what I was looking for. I had also visited London before and knew it was the perfect place to study!” 

From spending a summer interning at the US Embassy in France to a year studying in Singapore, UCL has presented Laure with some life-changing opportunities. And alongside her studies, UCL’s extra-curricular clubs have proved extremely valuable in a personal sense.  

““I love the weekly salsa and kickboxing classes and I made some close friends there,” she says. “I also made a lot of friends at karaoke night at Mully’s! It’s the best way to de-stress after a long week.” 

During her time at UCL, Laure has also supported her fellow students in a more formal way. She’s held several student representative roles, first for her course then within the faculty. “Being a student representative has really given me the confidence to pursue my goals after I graduate. It’s taught me how to express my opinions and ideas in front of different audiences,” she says. “It’s amazing how much goes on behind the scenes at the university and it’s even better to be able to have a positive impact on the process.” 

Now in her fourth year, Laure has moved into a Student Ambassador position for the Student Recruitment team so she can engage and inspire other students who are considering coming to UCL. It’s also given Laure time to look back on how far she’s come, both personally and academically.

“As a Student Ambassador, you have a responsibility to reflect on your experience at UCL, and this has made me realise how much I’ve grown since my first year, how my studies have widened my point of view and the number of things I’ve learned.”

UCL has an active and valuable European community, with over 5,600 students, 2,200 staff and 35,000 alumni from EU countries. And as we move forward, we’re committed to creating a welcoming environment for students from diverse international backgrounds.

For Laure, coming to UCL was a natural choice, and she'd like to ensure others are open to the same experience.

““At UCL, you become a part of a huge community of students whose interests are so varied that you will find yourself discussing five different disciplines in one evening. Everything you could possibly want to do in addition to your studies you can find in the clubs and societies, and you’ll graduate with a wide range of knowledge. “You will not experience the same level of diversity anywhere else.”