Keele Student Blogs

During February, I had my interview, and not long after, was told I had been successful and my neuroscience placement would be coordinated with USM. A lot of details have changed between that day and writing this now, not least most of the project details. That being said, change is not necessarily bad! Below you can see a not so flattering photo of myself and two of my fellow Keele travellers awaiting our plane from Kuala Lumpur to Penang.

I’m writing my first entry on this adventure (and believe me, it has been and is an adventure!) from my hostel room on campus at USM. For someone that has never flown long-haul before (and whose skin burns in Wales), it was definitely going to be an experience adjusting to 33-36˚C temperatures, a humid environment where you are constantly sweating, new foods and flavours, and an entirely new culture. Suffice it to say, all the online tourist guides, messages from Malay friends and information out there couldn’t prepare me for what it’s been like. Just over two weeks in and I could easily write several blogs on the last fortnight, between lab work, excursions, meeting amazing new people and so on. And I probably will! 

Pictured above is the first meal I had when we arrived and our USM buddies (the Malaysian versions of Keele Mentors) took us to a local Indian restaurant for our meal (less than an hour after getting off the plane after a 14 hour journey from the UK, over 10,000 miles). I have to say – for someone as fussy with food as myself, it was actually delicious, and I’ve gradually become more adventurous with foods, as you’ll soon discover.

Whilst the food is an element of interest – as above; this Hong Kong fried chicken noodles was definitely one of the best meals I’ve ever tasted - the people are without a doubt a more prevalent focal point. Asian culture is rich in history, respect and warmth, and putting aside all twisted media stories, misconceptions and otherwise, I can honestly say after two weeks I already feel like this place will always be a home to me. We have explored Penang with our USM buddies, including the famed Georgetown, where we have seen some of the street art, and have met fantastic colleagues in our respective laboratories, individuals who I’m privileged to know, and have illustrated below:

You have to put aside fear of mosquitos and the dangers surrounding you (not to ignorant of them, but to maintain a focus on enjoying the experience). Trying the street food, meeting the locals, and in my case, testing my mandarin in the Buddhist temples (which has ended up getting me in some complex conversations!) has been a delight, and certainly an eye opener. Had you asked me before I left if I thought within two weeks I’d have made fantastic friends, got amazing photographs of Monkeys on the beach (sitting as close to them as one may sit to a desk whilst working) and been approached by my supervisor to work on a publication, I’d have said you were nuts.

Add to that me – Mr Fussy – trying shrimp, crab, chilli dishes, a range of curries and so many foods I can neither name nor describe, it is truly surprising. Whilst over here, I’ve also received some positive early marks from in-course assessment, been featured in Keele University’s TV Advert, received an expensive biscuit ‘bribe’ from a local supplier left on my desk whilst I was in the lab and am so lucky to be working with such amazing people.

The adventure is endless, and indeed, requires a secondary update (see part two for more!)

If you have, you’ll have come across someone like myself! I am a Student Ambassador at Keele University, specialising in Campus Tours, Heritage Guide Tours and Student Life Talks amongst various other functions. Since joining the ambassador team, I’ve been involved in numerous Open Days, Offer Holder Days and Outreach events. A few weeks ago, I was one of the ambassadors assigned to a Higher Horizons event, a national collaborative outreach programme which Keele University is part of. The Higher Horizon team, and the event specifically, actively provides a higher education taster for individuals in Secondary Education (and above), giving them that extra motivation to push for their dreams. The opportunity was an excellent experience, where I got stuck in tutoring some of the students in mathematics alongside teachers from Ormiston Horizon Academy. It was a rewarding experience showing the students around campus, giving them a flavour of university life and giving back to individuals just a few years behind where you are now.

As it happens, I heard back from the school not long after, where I was requested to work with the students again following my exemplary work the time before! Equally, as Student Ambassadors, we are also involved in Outreach promotion videos, acting as ambassadors for lecture series such as the Institute for Liberal Arts (ILAS) lectures. Ambassadors are a key part of open and offer holder days and have various other roles, all of which you can hear more about in my next post. Stay tuned!

For more information on Student Ambassadors:

The past three years have flown by and I can honestly say I have enjoyed every minute of it. Everyone I have met has been amazing and I have, to use the often cheesy remark, made friends for life. I’ll be graduating with a BA in Geography in less than two months and having always wanted a degree and to study even further this is a dream come true. Keele constantly rates high for student satisfaction and courses ratings and when you are here it is obvious why. As a small campus university away from major cities people may think there isn’t much to do but Keele has lots to offer.

Keele Hall

The iconic place in Keele is of course Keele Hall, a 19th Century mansion house and grade II listed building formerly owned by the Sneyd family. The Hall was requisitioned by the Army during WWII and in 1948, with funding, the Keele estate was purchased from Ralph Sneyd for the establishment of the University College of North Staffordshire, which in 1962 became Keele University. When it is warm Keele Hall and the gardens fill with students and is the best place on campus to enjoy a sunny day relaxing with friends. The series of lakes stretch far and are an enjoyable walk. I have spent numerous days there after exams with friends relaxing, reading and listening to music. I even wrote part of this post there. Not only is it a great place to relax but it is also where Keele students attend academic course balls, sports balls and events. The public can even get married there!

Clockhouse

‌The clock house was built in the 1830s, and it is likely that the clock was installed about 10 years later. It was made by G&F Cope of Nottingham, a firm which was founded in 1845. The clock was located above the arch leading to Clock House Drive, with the face over the arch on the courtyard side. There are lots of myths about the clock house as its clock hands disappeared and no-one knows how (read the myths here), however, a new clock face was installed just last year. The clock house is at the top of the old driveway and is now home to music related degrees. It is nice to walk along the drive and around the clockhouse and it is a famous place for dissertation related pictures.

Keele Observatory

The observatory was founded in 1962 to host a refractor dating back to 1874. It has since undergone significant refurbishment in 2009. The observatory has played host to many events including the Stargazing series on BBC with Professor Brian Cox and Dara O’ Briain and has public opening times. I find the observatory the best part of Keele, the walk to the observatory is great and there are statutes for the planets in the solar system and facts about them. Even better is that they are at a correctly scaled down distanced from each other too. The view from the top of the hill which the observatory sits is incredible and you can see far over the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

Keele has been three of the best years ever, words can’t describe how great it has been from eating Chancellor’s breakfast to watching Varisty, my Keele experience has been awesome. I have met so many people from all over the UK and have genuinely enjoyed my degree so much I am going to do a masters at Glasgow University. The good thing is that some of my friends are staying so I’ll definitely be back soon!

Thanks, Jamie Arathoon Twitter and Instagram: @JamieArathoon

I will be mentoring for the School of Life Sciences given my Neuroscience background, though I will also be working closely with the Psychology Senior Mentors given I am also dualling with Psychology. As an additional component to the role of Senior Mentor, we also provide input into the handbook used as guidance for Keele Mentors. This is a handy advisory resource which helps when mentors need to advise mentors on key issues or signpost them to further support, such as from Student Services.

That’s it for now – check back over the summer for more blog posts from me, including a likely update on the Senior Mentor side of things close to September!

Essay-writing, reading up on material and writing lab reports has been a fascinating challenge this year. Whilst my first post discussed how challenging moving from Higher to Further Education is, I can assure you there is a good jump from the First to Second year in terms of the Undergraduate workload! That’s not to say the material isn’t intriguing and it’s not an enjoyable experience, but the stress of exams couples with finishing lab reports and planning a summer placement abroad has been very hectic.

This summer I’ll be engaging in research in Malaysia, working at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) to explore the physicochemical properties and blood brain barrier permeation of phytochemicals using in vitro PAMPA model. In short, I’ll be investigating the properties of potential drug molecules derived from plants that pass across the blood brain barrier (BBB), which may be useful for treating neurological disorders. I’ll be blogging about my experience over the summer, so you’ll likely hear more and see some photos! (I hear the food is to die for, so we shall see!).

In addition to the research I’ll been engaging in Malaysia, I’ve also been involved in some research at Keele with colleagues in the Department of Psychology, investigating models of facial recognition and familiarity. Similarly, I’ve been running focus groups for various committees (I stand as representative for a dozen committees, which always keeps me busy, and is very interesting!). These have been a good opportunity to explore the international student experience in Psychology at Keele, and more recently, how all Psychology Students perceive Gender in the school (in line with the school’s Athena Swan Charter).

If you want to hear more about my recent work both inside and out of Keele, keep an eye out for Part Two! Equally, if you want to keep track of my other professional exploits, follow me on LinkedIn below:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rastanyard/

Mentors are flexible; we can be more than just an e-mentor, we often meet with our mentees face-to-face whilst they settle in, checking in and showing them around the university, giving top tips. For many of our team, our mentees stay in touch well beyond the first few weeks, though this varies from individual to individual. Sometimes it’s straightforward, for some of my home mentees, it was a simple case of answering their questions, meeting up a few times and ensuring they had everything they needed to start their adventure. With one of my international mentees, a bit more face-to-face time was needed to help their confidence and show them around so they could feel better immersed in the Keele Bubble (our local student community).

Regardless of the length of time we are needed, Keele Mentors are a great helping hand for students when they are settling in, and having had one myself when I started and now having been one for over a year, I’d strongly recommend it. Mentors make you matter, and that makes a difference. You start on the buzz you should, able to enjoy university a little more stress free. Overall, it’s great to be part of a voluntary team giving back and helping the next cohort settle in (and it brings back many pleasant memories of when we all were first settling in as well!). For more information on Student Ambassadors, see our website below: Keele Mentors - Keele University

If you’d like to hear about my promotion to Senior Mentor this year, and the role I’ll be playing as a Senior Mentor for Life Sciences at Keele in the next academic year, stay tuned!

There are things I wish I had known before I started my masters however, and as it gets to the time of year where most people apply for masters I thought it would be best to share it with anyone thinking of doing a masters degree, either at Keele or elsewhere (although obviously, I would recommend Keele).

Making friends with the people on my course at Keele was the best thing I have done so far. It was reassuring that there were lots of people on my course who hadn’t done their undergraduate at Keele, or had taken a year or two out before starting their MA, as I had been worried that everyone else would have already known each other. This was not the case, and everyone wanted to get to know everyone from the first day onwards. So far, my course mates have been amazing, advising me on everything from what the tutors are like to how the KLE works. Social media can be a great way to meet people from your course as well as keeping in touch.

While doing a masters degree has its stresses, so far it has above all been incredibly rewarding, as it is more focused than at undergraduate level and so I have been able to really hone in on what I find interesting and wish to study further. I have learnt lots about myself as well, and most of all the importance of time management and working on my own as well as conducting research more efficiently. These are skills I can take forward into my career.

I would highly recommend studying further at Keele, so far I have really enjoyed the whole experience and found the staff and tutors at Keele to be very helpful. You might think that doing a masters degree isn’t for you because you don’t plan to do a PhD. I toyed with the idea of doing a PhD after my MA, but one term in, I have decided that it’s not for me. There are lots of options for after your masters so you don’t need to feel pressured or limited.

The University

It's so different in so many ways. The campus is veeeery big. It has a lake and a forest, and a big sports area. But, depending on one’s study and leisure activities, the student life will mainly concentrate on just a few buildings, whereas is Lüneburg you have to rush from one building to another, or even to another campus if you're unlucky. There are quite a few stands for bikes but definitely not as overcrowded with them as in Lüneburg. The library reminds me a lot of the Bib back home, the only difference is that it is open 24/7 which I think is just amazing!

Food

I knew a bit of the British food culture before I arrived, such as the traditional breakfast and their love of tea. What I feared was that I wasn't going to find a lot of veggie stuff, but to my surprise, the English supermarkets offer more things than the German ones. And it's not even expensive! They also have a good range of candy, chocolate and potato chips, even if the latter is often packed in ridiculously tiny packets and these packets are again packed in a bigger plastic bag. Still, what I extremely miss is super delicious German bread (they only have toast here), proper coffee and pastries like Franzbrötchen.

The weather

I've stalked the weather for a long time before I came to Keele. I was pretty sure that the weather was the same as in Hamburg. But, even though the temperatures here are (slightly) above 0 degrees, there is this extremely cold WIND, which makes it feel 20 times colder. My clever mind would assume it is because the landscape in England is hilly, whereas in northern Germany it is all flat so the wind doesn't speed up? Yeah, and also, I now live in a more rural area ­and not in a big city, where the buildings kind of shield you from the wind. Another difference is the fog. It has been foggy on a couple of mornings or even days. It is a bit depressing with so little sun, but I'm used to cloudy skies! And I think fog is amazing.

Football

I hoped I'd meet some crazy fans that would bring me along to a Manchester United game (or any other Premier League game), but I haven’t been that lucky yet. But I will be going to a match for sure, no matter what.😌 Meanwhile, my lovely home club @hsv is playing better than before I left, I wish I could see them in the stadium. Also, I find myself quite lucky for playing for the Keele University Women’s Football club. I haven't had so much fun at playing football for a long time, thanks for that.

English

Besides that I love denglisch sayings (which Germans with humor find hilarious), I indeed made some similar mistranslations. Sometimes I translate things too literally or just assume one could say this or that. Also, when I'm in the flow of talking, I use the past tense a little too often ("What did you bought?" and so on). But I'm pretty happy to say that I already got better in speaking and understanding. In the beginning I was only good with other people that speak broken English like I do, Americans and Canadians were okay but I had a lot of trouble with the British accent. Now I'm much better. Some people do have to repeat things multiple times but in the end I'll be fine. Next to my translator I found a new best friend: the urban dictionary. Every English slang is found there and even if sometimes I don't find the right meaning at first, it helps me understand so much better. The only thing that makes me a little sad is that I find it very difficult to be funny in English. But maybe I'll find a way to translate my German humour in a proper way.

The Student Union

The freestyle skier competed in the single and dual moguls, reaching 12th ahead of World Cup and Olympic skiers.

Sam said: "I competed against some of the very best in the sport and learned a lot, especially about being calm under pressure and how to perform in front of big crowds. Competing in the games alongside some of the world’s best mogul skiers and numerous Olympians was a great experience and certainly inspired me to continue skiing with the hope of reaching the Olympics one day.

“It was a huge event - over 2,500 athletes from all around the world were there. Without the Key Fund I would never have had that experience as I pay for coaching and everything myself.”

Sam's long-term goal is to compete for Great Britain in the 2022 Olympics and to join the World Tour as a freestyle skier and moguls specialist.