International Students at GBSH: Natasha Zulkeflee from Malaysia

Background

Age: 23 years old

Education: BSc Biomedical Sciences at the University of Bristol

Why did you decide to move to the UK for University?

More course opportunities 

The learning environment in Malaysia and the UK is very different and attractive.

How is the UK different from back home? 

Food is essential in Malaysia; I miss the food from home most when I'm in the UK.

I also miss the Sun a lot. Malaysia is a tropical country. Thus, it's always warm, so the Sun setting at 4:30 pm in winter can be challenging.

Why Biotech and Pharmaceutical Management, and why UCL?

With a background in healthcare sciences, integrating the corporate/business side of healthcare was very attractive.

I have always wanted to do a master's that is a bit different from my undergrad, and when I learned about this course, it was a perfect fit for changing from life sciences to the business mindset. 

UCL is renowned as a great university, leading in research, especially in pharmacy. It is natural to be drawn to studying at a university that cares about healthcare and pharmaceuticals. The GBSH being the first of its kind makes it more attractive as I feel like I'm a part of an organisation that wants to make a change.

How are you dealing with the workload? Has English not being your first language affected you in any way?

As an international student, the first weeks of university are always about settling down and getting used to the course's pace. 

Personally, BPM had a strong start. It took me by surprise, and I wasn't expecting a significant workload before the beginning of week 1. So, managing the workload while settling down (moving into houses, etc.) was a bit challenging for the first few weeks. 

I'm trying to be more disciplined on weekdays to allocate some weekend rest. It was not like that for the first weeks of the university as I had to juggle settling down with uni work. Thus, I always felt a bit behind. But the support at GBSH is fantastic, and during the seminars, the group work and discussions with peers have helped me a lot. 

How far away from campus do you live, and how are you finding UCL East?

UCL East, only a 10-minute walk from Stratford station, makes it very well connected since almost every underground line stops here. 

I live in Hackney, four stops from uni via the overground. The only issue I could have is when there are unpredictable delays—this isn't very pleasant when a 30-minute commute turns into an hour. 

The campus is new, so the facilities here are top-notch. The environment in One Pool Street and Marshgates allows students to study collaboratively or self-study. I love the fact that there are workspaces everywhere you look.

Are you returning home for Christmas? If so, are you coming back for exams?

I am not going back to Malaysia for the holidays

This is mainly because it's a short break and tickets are expensive during this time.

But I’m grateful to have friends and some family here in the UK to spend the holiday with. 

What do you want to do after graduation? Are you staying in the UK or moving abroad?

I’m planning to get some work experience in the UK. This is because there are more opportunities here in what we’re doing compared to back home. 

With a few years of experiential plan on furthering my career in Malaysia (where available) 

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