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Meet our first Instagrammer in Residence for 2019/20, first-year Computer Science BSc student Vachagan Melikian...
We're inviting UCL students to be a UCL Instagrammer in Residence for a week this term. They'll share their experiences of studying at UCL and living in London with their visual and written perspectives shared through our social media and digital channels.
Our first Instagrammer in Residence for the 2019/20 academic year is first-year Computer Science BSc student Vachagan Melikian, who captures some of UCL’s most fascinating hidden (and less hidden!) gems through his Instagram feed (@the_great_deutschbowl). Here, Vachagan tells us about his favourite study space at UCL and top museum to visit in London.
1. What made you decide to study at UCL?
What made me want a British education as opposed to an American liberal arts education is the depth and specialization of the former. UCL as a British university ticked off all the boxes for me: world-leading, a giant research powerhouse, at the heart of London, and international too.
2. What are your three favourite things about studying at UCL?
- The international student community here is really cool. I hadn’t met many people who spoke over two languages before coming here; at UCL, it's not out of the ordinary at all.
- The Student Centre: it’s a meditative study space – and great social hang-out spot too.
- The opportunities for having a global impact on an international scale are abundant here.
3. What is it like living in London?
It is quite normal to see the pub-goers outside my dorm window imbibe themselves to the point of confused violence but besides the dipsomania, it's an evolving mix of old and new, British and international.
4. What is your most memorable experience at UCL so far?
By far my most memorable experience at UCL has been almost getting run over by a bus while biking over Tower Bridge.
5. What do you love about photography?
When I photograph architecture, I capture an incremental step toward a utopian, urban future through the camera lens. When I photograph people, I get to permanently capture ephemeral human society. In other words, I can capture a vision in a laconic, visually veracious medium.
6. Best piece of advice for students who just started studying at UCL?
Go to all the volunteering and society events, meet everyone in your halls, and explore London.
7. You have a free day to spend at one place in London. Where do you spend it?
Probably visit the V&A Museum and roam around South Kensington.