Across the Pond made the UK application process an absolute breeze.

Coming from North America it is difficult trying to navigate the application systems of another continent, but my advisor made it easy. She was helpful through the whole process and a fantastic sounding board for my personal statements.

I would recommend Across the Pond to anyone, especially if you are new to application processes in general.

I most appreciate Edinburgh Napier University’s commitment to provide its students with the best learning experience possible. This is exemplified in my mind by the layout of the libraries at Edinburgh Napier. When you walk in to any of the campus libraries, you can see students hard at work on their studies in spaces that are designed to meet students’ needs first. 

Of course there are physical and electronic materials for students to access and check out but the library is more than a storage location. There are group learning spaces that encourage collaborative work and the creation of new knowledge between students, solo work spaces that allow students to deeply engage with studies, and quiet spaces that help students hear their own thoughts as they process their ideas.

I chose the masters film course at Edinburgh Napier because of its commitment to preparing students for careers in the film industry. Many film-related masters programmes focus almost exclusively on the film director’s practice as an art. Edinburgh Napier’s MA Film programme is unique in that it trains filmmakers across several specialisms, more closely reflecting film-making as it is practiced in the industry.

In addition, the course modules are taught by tutors who are practitioners in their respective fields. In seminars and one-on-one tutorials, the tutors at Edinburgh Napier are adept at fielding student questions and pinpointing areas for improvement in student projects. Because filmmaking is largely an exercise in problem-solving, it is important to have tutors who have hands-on experience with what they are teaching.

I feel like Edinburgh is a bit like the wardrobe in Narnia or the TARDIS in Doctor Who – bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. For practical purposes, Edinburgh is a small city. I am surprised how quickly I can get between radically different areas of the city. When I arrive in a different area (often just by walking for a few minutes) there is so much to do and to see that it feels like I’ve stumbled on a city within a city.

I came to the master film course at Edinburgh Napier from a job working at a university as an occasional part-time lecturer of Film Appreciation. Before coming to the MA Film course, I envisioned earning the masters and going on to earn the MFA Advanced Film Practice and returning home to look for full-time teaching work. Now that I have spent some time working with my fellow students on collaborative projects, I can say that I will want to be more involved in day-to-day film production than I originally planned. I know that I still want to teach so I am currently exploring Creative Practice PhD programs in Scotland.

Even though I have been to the UK many times and stayed for a few months at a time living in the UK was a completely different experience. Making friends and getting settled was easy at Durham, everyone was friendly and helpful and the city center I live near has all the amenities I need, however sorting out my banking in the UK was extremely difficult. I highly recommend you look into getting a letter of recommendation (which you need as an international student setting up a bank account in the UK) ahead of time, and look into booking an appointment at the bank of your choice to set that up as soon as possible, because it took me nearly 3 months to get things sorted and it was incredibly stressful.

I chose Durham partly because of its beautiful location and setting, its world renowned reputation and for the unique and multi-disciplinary program it offered, International Cultural Heritage Management. The professor who runs the program also has a varied and rich background and has proved to be vital in giving us as students a great background to the industry and well as setting us up with great contacts through the placement module. I haven't found any other program like this and I cannot be happier with my choice to come to Durham. Its a collegiate university as well, and the college I am a part of has given me such a supportive and rewarding life outside of school; I was able to get involved with the postgraduate student society and its again one of the best decisions I have made here. 

I have also had a lot of opportunities to volunteer and get experience in my field and build a network that I could use to get a job after this. There are several museums in the area and tons of opportunities to present research or papers, or participate in conferences, or even publish in my college journal. I can't stress enough to go out and take advantage of every opportunity you can, to make he most out of your experience here

I live in college accommodation, and while its a little more expensive than private renting in the town, the location is close and setting up the lease, having things around the house fixed and other issues are never a worry to me because I can simply go to the college and have it sorted out.

The cost of living is higher than in Canada, but thankfully my friends, family, the university and my advisers at Across The Pond all advised me of this ahead of time so I was able to budget accordingly. You have to be careful when deciding to eat out or not, but since I am a good cook I usually offer to host potluck dinners or lunches, which cut down on the cost of eating but still allow for socializing.

I haven't been able to do a lot of travelling as my course keeps me busy, but I have flown to Dublin and have enjoyed a number of visits within the UK with my program. You won't be short of willing travel buddies however if you need to go further out into Europe, and flights are usually pretty cheap, you just have to shop around for the best deals and make sure you plan ahead for hostels or hotels.

That's really all I have to say I think, other than saying that one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life was coming to the UK to study, and choosing Durham to study in was second.

Why did you choose City, University of London?

I chose City for the location and the academic reputation. City is located in the heart of London, which meant I would not only get to live in one of the most central areas in London but I would also get the opportunity to travel around Europe easily. City also has a tremendous history and very notable alumni, which was very appealing to me!

What is your favourite aspect of your course?

My favourite aspect of the course is getting to choose elective modules for third year from a wide range of courses that are rarely offered elsewhere. It allowed me to explore different areas of law, such as aviation law, medical law, family and child law, Canadian corporate law and Canadian constitutional law. 

What’s been the highlight of your time at City so far?

My highlight at City has been making friends from all over the world - City is home to students from over 160 countries. I have friends from the UK, Spain, Turkey, India, America, Canada and many other countries. I feel like I have learned so much about different cultures and countries by having friends that belong to these countries, and it also gives me a chance to be able to visit them one day. 

How is City helping you prepare for your chosen career path?

As a Canadian student studying law, my goal is to go home and practice law in Canada. City has helped me by providing personal tutors as well as a Career Services department. City assigns personal tutors to students, allowing them to get the guidance they need in terms of their whole university career. My personal tutor has always been available to answer questions and guide me in the right direction. City’s Careers Service has helped me polish my CV, prepared me for interviews and assisted me in finding jobs and internships. 

I used Across the Pond's services to help me apply for my Journalism MA in the UK. I remember asking over and over again if it there was a fee to pay because I couldn't believe such a great service was free of charge. From the very start, my adviser was there to guide me.

He helped my explore program options all over the UK . When I decided on a few, he helped me prepare my application for each school and went through it to make sure it was accurate. Then after receiving my offers and choosing a school, my adviser helped with my student visa application, residence application, and even suggested a few places to check out in the UK when I'm there! He answers any questions I have via email within 24 hours or on Skype.

I would recommend this service to anyone interested in an education in the UK. I fly to London in less than a week to start my MA and that wouldn't have been the case without the help of my great adviser!