What our students say

Zicheng Wang
China

In the summer of 2018, I attended LJMU’s International Summer School for a month and I fell in love with both Liverpool and LJMU. The programme had lots of fun, different activities that I enjoyed a lot, and I promised myself I would return to study here. Now, I am studying towards my MA in Mass Communication after completing my Bachelor’s degree in Shanghai, China.

I chose Liverpool John Moores University not only because of the strong academic atmosphere, but the lectures and activities designed to improve students’ knowledge and experience, such as the Luminary Lecture Series. There are lots of Student Advice and Wellbeing events too, like the city tours offered by Student Opportunities. They help me to find my way around the city better.

LJMU has lots of student friendly exclusive offers, such as free entry to the Tate Liverpool art gallery. This shows me that LJMU not only has a good curriculum, but is concerned about its individual students.

While the weather in the UK is always unpredictable, there is a spectacular sunset along the River Mersey, and that is the best thing I could have expected. Sometimes when I feel homesick, I video call my family and share the beautiful view with them.

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Stephanie Hodge
Trinidad and Tobago

When applying to study Law at a number of universities in England, I selected Liverpool John Moores University as my firm choice and completed by LLB at LJMU in June 2019. In January, I applied to study the Legal Practice Course LLM Masters at LJMU and began in September 2019.

My first few weeks in Liverpool were a bit overwhelming as I had to get accustomed to the weather and a new city, but I made friends on my course and with my flatmates, who I continued to live with until the end of my undergraduate degree. Although moving to a new country is daunting, I’d recommend viewing the new experience with an open mind. Embrace the culture and don’t be afraid to try new things. Looking back, these are some of my best memories. For instance, in my first year, I joined the Dance Society and Cheerleading Society. I even became Pom Captain and President of the Cheerleading Society. The clubs and societies at LJMU are a great way to make friends outside of your degree and they add to the enjoyment of your university experience with opportunities to travel and take part in competitions.

The support available at LJMU is also amazing. Even while I was at home, the staff were always very understanding and willing to help me over the phone. My personal tutor, library staff and health and wellbeing staff here are spectacular. They are all very helpful and it’s easy to book in a session to meet with a member of staff.

I start every day by messaging my family at home and we make an effort to video chat a few times a week. When I graduated in the summer, my parents and my sister all came to Liverpool for my graduation and I was able to show them all of my favourite places in the city and around England. It was a lovely experience.

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Aseel Alkathiri
Saudi Arabia

My name is Aseel Alkathiri. I am a student from Saudi Arabia and I am happily studying Biomedical Science at Liverpool John Moores University.

I consider myself to be a very energetic person. I am enthusiastic and social when in groups but back when I was starting out as a student, I was too afraid to show it. As an international student from Saudi Arabia, I was afraid that I would struggle because the UK is such a different environment, however, being in this university has given me the confidence to show all of these traits. As a result of my time here, I now have higher self-esteem, I have a bigger social circle and I have a strong belief in my abilities. 

For me personally, a lot of this inner strength comes from my family. They are a constant source of support for me. In my studies, my tutors also offer the guidance to help me through each semester. They make sure that my course mates and I get all the support we need to achieve our goals. 

My personal tutor saw my confidence increase as I progressed with my studies and recommended that I volunteer as a student representative at the university Open Day.

This was a great opportunity for me to speak with prospective students about my course and help them to decide if LJMU was the right path for them. I found this to be very personally rewarding. 

Over the last couple of academic years, my course has helped improve a lot of my skills such as research, essay and report writing and my approach to laboratory work.

Right now, as a second year student, I am spending most of my time at the university library. In my spare time, I like to play piano, read books and cook.

My family comes to visit as often as they can. If they are not here with me, my day cannot start or finish without a phone call home to Saudi Arabia. Keeping connections open to them at all times is a great way to relieve any sadness from travelling so far away and to keep up with all the latest news from loved ones.