Ridhima
BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Imperial’s stellar reputation and location in London made the decision easy as I was excited to live in a big city where the energy and opportunities feel limitless.
Keen to study a course that matched her academic interests and to benefit from the career opportunities available in London, Ridhima from Singapore chose Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial. She shares her experiences of settling into life at Imperial, finding her community and exploring everything London has to offer.
Why did you decide to apply to Imperial?
Academically, Imperial’s reputation is stellar and after looking at the course specifics, I was convinced it would be an ideal fit for me. Its location in London made the decision even easier as I was excited to live in a big city where the energy and opportunities feel limitless.
London is also a city with major technology and financial sectors, making it an incredibly convenient location to find internships and a wide range of career opportunities after graduation.
I found the application process quite manageable. Understanding UCAS and what UK universities look for in a personal statement was relatively easy to do through all the resources available online and the university website. There was also lots of practice material available for the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) I was required to take, despite it being the first year it had been implemented. Imperial also recognised the International Baccalaureate (IB) – the curriculum I followed – and it was easy to find entry requirements for the different courses on the website
Did you receive any financial support?
Yes, I received the International Baccalaureate (IB) Excellence scholarship. I was very happy to be recognised as a high-achieving student in the IB diploma programme.
The scholarship allowed me to worry less about these expenses and focus on my academic life and other activities at the university.
Receiving the scholarship payment monthly helped me cover my regular expenses like food and transport, which can be quite expensive living in London. It’s always helpful to have savings in case of unexpected or emergency expenses.
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How did you meet people when you first started?
I was lucky enough to become close with my flatmates in first year accommodation and enjoyed hanging out with them in the kitchen, supporting each other in our activities throughout the year and meeting their friends to expand my circle even more. My course cohort was also quite friendly, and I was able to bond easily with them, especially during lab sessions and smaller problem classes
Despite knowing them for less than a year, I truly feel like I have found my people at university.
The South Asian community at Imperial is quite large and the Indian Society actively organises many events, especially for first year students. Joining Imperial’s Just Bollywood team in the first term allowed me to see the same group of people regularly, who eventually became some of my closest friends.
Between my dance team, coursemates and the friends I made living in Woodward Buildings, one of Imperial’s largest student accommodations, my community is a diverse group of people which is important at a university where people’s schedules tend to be very busy.
What do you do outside of your studies?
As a dancer, I was glad to see such a large dance community at Imperial, encompassing styles from all over the world. After trying out a few, I eventually decided to continue with Bollywood dance by joining Imperial’s Just Bollywood competition team. Through that experience, as well as performing in the Indian Society’s cultural show, East Meets West, I was able to explore the breadth of South Asian dance styles. In fact, I will be on the first ever committee of the new Dancers of South Asia society at Imperial.
Apart from that, working as an associate with 180 Degrees Consulting Imperial allowed me to explore career paths beyond those directly related to my course. I was able to gain consulting experience, working with a real client and in a professional environment with a team of people from various academic backgrounds.
Getting involved with societies can help you find a community of people you share a common goal or passion with, making your time at Imperial much easier and more fun to navigate.
The best place to start is the Welcome Fair in the first week. All the clubs and societies have stalls where you can talk to representatives to get more information about the club or join their social media channels. Many societies will often advertise taster sessions where you can try out their activities before committing to society memberships. It’s fun to go for as many of these as you can to identify what you’re truly interested in and commit to it.
What do you enjoy most about being at Imperial?
The density of fascinating and well-rounded people. Conversations when meeting new people are never dull as everyone has had so many interesting endeavours, from pursuing their talents to academic achievements.
The baseline level of passion and ambition I have found in everyone here is genuinely inspiring and energising.
Everyone is very open and willing to share their paths and interests which has given me exposure to many different viewpoints and ideas. Many of my friends and acquaintances are incredibly passionate about such a wide range of things and being able to support them in all the activities they took part in at university was one of my favourite parts of the year.
What's it like living in London?
Coming from Singapore, I was used to living in a city, but there were quite a few differences. The weather was a significant challenge for me to adapt to, since I'd only ever lived in tropical climates before. But the Christmas lights and festive atmosphere during the first term made my first experience with cold weather much more pleasant than I had expected.
The sheer variety of neighbourhoods and the distinct character of each area I could visit in London is one of my favourite aspects of living there.
Even after a year, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of everything the city has to offer.
One of my favourite things to do on the weekends is take a friend and explore a new area. Some of my favourites are Notting Hill and Chelsea, which are full of places for shopping and great restaurants and bakeries. I often feel like a tourist, marvelling at the wonders of central London whenever I get the chance. And finding Indian neighbourhoods, grocery stores and restaurants helped me shake any feeling of homesickness.
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What's it like as an international student?
As Imperial has a large population of international students, there is considerable support offered with tons of information available on anything from visa applications and navigating the NHS to finding storage space for the summer.
Several of the cultural societies at Imperial are quite large and prominent and have events designed to connect international students or people from the same ethnic background with each other.
At no point did I ever feel alone in any of the struggles or complications that come with being an international student.
What's your advice for someone thinking about applying to Imperial?
Imperial is an academically challenging university, but if you’re someone who genuinely has the drive and passion for the course you’re applying for, it will be an amazing environment where you will truly believe that you can do and become anything you want to. The most important part of the application is making sure that your genuine curiosity and interest in the course comes through from the personal statement and/or the interview. I'd also suggest focusing on the admissions test when applying as it can be tricky and often in an entirely different format from tests in high school.
It's been challenging, but more fun and rewarding than I could have ever expected.
To prepare for starting the first year of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering course, focus on strengthening your mathematical foundations and programming can be very helpful to ease into the course. The steepest learning curve would be in the lab work, especially for those who have not worked with oscilloscopes or breadboards before, so I would recommend learning a bit about that beforehand. Also, the range of modules you take will help you hone and narrow down your specific interests so don’t be afraid of applying if you are not exactly sure what you want to pursue.
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