Arunn studied at Aston University from 2001 to 2005 (he was on a sandwich programme)

What was your course of study?

BSc (Hons) Computing Science

What did you study before this?

Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Comp. Sc. (CBSE India)

Did you have any work experience at the time of application?

None

Any particular reasons you chose your university?

They had a solid Neural Computing Research Group, when at that time I had very strong interest in Artificial Intelligence.

What did you most enjoy about your course?

It was a balanced approach to the computer science discipline. It focused on software yet diversified on the many different software development streams from systems programming to applications programming. It also had modules that covered AI topics that were of interest to me.

What did you like the least?

I realized I am not a systems programming person. So I hated those modules.

Tell us about life beyond academics! What was/ is the social scene like? Did/does your city offer anything exciting that you’d like to tell prospective students about? Did/ do you travel much? Take extra-curricular classes?

Social life is fantastic, although it does help to find the right company. I learnt from my mistake of mingling only with international students early on, and made a huge difference when I befriended some local folks as well. I love travelling, so it was great when I got together with some friends to travel to different places nearby. Travelling does not have to be expensive; student discounts are plenty and you can get to some nice places nearby not paying much. I joined a few societies such as rock climbing, Karate and cricket. I never made it to rock climbing, had to give up karate because I could not afford it. Cricket was great, but got nowhere because academic pressures got me when the matches were played. But the net practice sessions were brilliant, helped me stay in touch and in shape.

Were you a member of any societies at university?

See above

Which university facilities did you really enjoy?

Well I almost exploited every facility I could find. They had a brilliant and cheap gym. The students union was great to help find part time jobs and for advice. The library was peaceful and had the right books. The labs were a boon as they were open all night and I spent all night in there either studying or surfing. When they finally got internet in our rooms in the final year, that made a huge difference. And the lounges in the student accommodations were fantastic. Gave us a nice place to hang out at!

Where did you stay?

Always stayed in University accommodation. Safest, cleanest, and most convenient. No worries about landlords and bills etc.

Do you remember how much you paid for your accommodation?

On average £52 per week. It went up by around £2 each year.

Any complaints about your accommodation?

None, I loved it!

How did you manage finances? Any tips for students on a budget?

I lived on a very tight budget off only what I could earn part time. Dad paid for first year accommodation and also the final term of final year. Otherwise I paid for everything living wise. So I had to be very careful with money. Food is where most of the money goes. Try to spend on raw food, and cook, that keeps it cheaper. Some cheap food such as eggs and veggies will have high nutirion value, does not always have to be chicken. When you want to travel book in advance and that always saves a lot of money. Avoid vending machines etc, they are always more expensive. Anything that makes life easy always means it costs more. So if you feel something is making your life easy, ask yourself if you can afford it. Example: Do you want whole carrots that you have to peel and dice or the diced one to save you 5 mins?

Approximately how much do you think students should budget for per month (excluding rent)?

I used to live on a budget of  approx £80 a month for food and travel. This was 4 years ago in non-London area. These days I would imagine the budget should be a min. £140 for non London, and £200 for London per month.

What did you do about meals? Cooked/ Relied on restaurants/ take-away/ microwave ready-meals/had one of your flat-mates cook for you?!

Cooked. Always Cooked. It is inconvenient but cheap. In my second year we were a bunch of 6 friends who agreed to cook one day each for everyone. This was great, because when you cook in large quantities you have economy of scale. This meant I spent 2 hours a week cooking but other days my dinner was taken care of by my friends. I used to spent about £10 and I used to be able to cook a non veg + veg + rice for around 8 people. During examination times, I used to resort to micro food or get someone to cook for me. This was expensive but I saved up for this, as at this time one needed the convenience.

What’s the food scene like for vegetarians?

Vegetarians can have a tough life outside London. The choices are limited. In London you may find a little more outlets that offer some choice. But if you are cooking on your own you will be absolutely fine. The limitations are only when going out.

Any restaurants/take-away joints in your university city/town you’d like to recommend?

None really. Anything cheap is not really great. There are a couple of kebab outlets which are there pretty much in every university town or anywhere really. My only caution is that do not overdo at these places. You definitely should experience it, but overkill can kill you even!

Any other spots in your university city/town you’d like to recommend?

I studied in Birmingham. I really loved the area around the town council in the city center; they have a lovely fountain and a nice area to sit around in. All the party happens in Broadstreet nearby in the evening. Sports bar is great for an evening if you are not really up for dressing up and would rather wear your trainers to the club. Star city is supposed to be the biggest cinema in at least western Europe, a nice place to hang out in the evening as well. They play bollywood movies here as well. If you want other woods’ movies they you have to head to London.

Did you work part-time? Tell us a little about it!

I worked part time throughout the university. I started off doing some surveys as well as door to door surveys. Tough jobs but paid well, and took up fair amount of time. Great for first year. I then worked in a couple of restaurants as a waiter and later as silver service waiter, which taught me a lot about food and dining. It was enjoyable and it paid me well! In my final year I spent some time trying my luck at telecalling and failed miserably, and later turned to teaching a student ICT. It paid me handsomely! And was totally worth it.

Which calling card did you use to call home?

It was a long time ago and I do not remember. I think it was a card call IndiaCall. There are many websites online that sell these cards which are the cheapest way of buying it. If you have access to a landline or mobile with loads of minutes, another useful website is dialnow.com. New services keep coming up all the time. I used to use msn and yahoo pretty effectively to speak to home.

Who was your mobile service provider?

Vodafone, dream service!

Were you on a prepaid/contract phone?

I was prepaid for 1 year and then moved to post paid. Post paid is great but you need to have a degree of control and discipline if you want to be sure you don’t end up with massive bills!

And finally, would you recommend a UK education to other students?

Absolutely yes!

What did you do after university, and what are you doing at the moment?

After I graduated from Aston University I joined Micro Focus as Graduate Software Developer. Following that I eventually took up a job to run the academic program for the company which boosted me to a marketing job. Now I am a Corporate marketing Programs manager for Micro Focus’ Application Development Division, and alongside I am also fulfilling the role of Country Marketing Manager for India!