KiranAt school, I did an Arkwright National Engineering Scholarship, so that’s how I started to hear about engineering. It incorporated all the subjects I liked - the sciences, maths and design - so I thought ok, why not.

When I started the course, it was a massive jump up from school.  Mechanical Engineering obviously had a high boy ratio which everyone likes to joke about, and as I had been to an all-girls school before, everyone said it must be quite crazy to adjust. However everyone was really nice and I just got used to it in a very short amount of time.

The third and fourth years have been the highlight of the course for me, because that’s when you start adapting the course to what you like doing.  For example I’m a big tennis player, so in my final year I did a project on tennis tribology (focusing on the friction characteristics between a tennis shoe sole and court surface).

Inside class it’s a very intense course, so time management is key. I’m in a lot of societies, but in order to continue in mechanical engineering you have to stay on top of your work. 

To any prospective students I’d say it was important to know what you’re coming in for - fully look into all the different types of engineering, as what you study in mechanical engineering is very different to what you study in, say, civil engineering.

I’m actually not going into engineering, I’m going to work in a bank as a trader. I wanted something that’s a bit more fast-paced but still very mathematical, so it’s the right career for me.