Name: Taher Mohamed Ali Mahmoud Radwan

Country of origin: Egypt

Degree: Environmental Science, PhD

College: Graduate College

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Choosing to study in Lancaster and in the UK

Although English is my second language, it was still the best decision for me to pursue my education in an English-speaking country like the UK. I was seeking to complete my postgraduate degree at one of the prestigious universities in the country, with a well-known global reputation. Lancaster was my first choice as my course has a high ranking and excellent academic reputation in both UK and globally.

When I started my journey at Lancaster, I was a bit nervous at first as it was my first time in the UK. But I actually found the historic city and the campus were nice and friendly. This helped me a lot to settle in and fully immerse myself in the local community quicker than I first anticipated.

Campus life

As a postgraduate student I live in the Graduate college; the home for postgraduates on campus. Being part of a college on campus is really nice and useful as it makes me feel at home with lots of activities and events going on throughout the year, so I never feel socially isolated.

Being a collegiate, green and self-contained campus-based university was a plus for me, and the community in the city is nice and friendly. Getting to know people from various cultures and backgrounds allowed me to interact, learn and get to know new things and I am confident to say that this has contributed significantly to the quality of my student experience.

My best place on campus, well, there are actually quite a few including the Lancaster Environment Centre, the Mill café bar and Sultan of Lancaster restaurant, but if I have to choose just one, it is going to be Alexandra Square - the heart of campus. It is quite nice sitting there while having breakfast or a morning coffee with our friendly ducks nearby. Usually, this place is the busiest on campus as it has the library, cafes and shops.

Environmental Science PhD at Lancaster

What I like about my course is that it helped me to develop a set of beneficial skills. Due to the course being a PhD in a STEM subject, skills such as study independently, time management, and problem-solving were developed substantially. Also, working with my supervisors who are expert researchers in their fields contributed largely to my knowledge and my research skills. This also opened doors for me to attend prestigious conferences in my field held in other universities in the UK, which is very useful for getting to know other people’s research and networking.

Career development and hobbies

Other opportunities I have been offered by Lancaster include being part of the university student ambassador family and I am really grateful for that. Not only because it is a flexible part-time work opportunity but most importantly because of the socialising aspect that helped me to get to know friendly and wonderful people within the ambassador team as well as campus visitors.

I also joined the table tennis club and I played for the Graduate college table tennis team, competing against the other eight colleges in the college’s league. I also acted as the college team’s captain.

Exploring Lancaster and the local area

The community in the city of Lancaster is nice and friendly. I also like how self-contained the city is with many shops and cafes, so I never felt in need of anything. My favourite places in the city are the historical city centre itself, the 1000 year old castle and Williamson Park. Lancaster is also well connected by motorways and trains, and Manchester airport just an hour away by car. So, it was actually easy to explore nearby places like the beautiful Lake District or even meet friends in Liverpool or Scotland.

Lancaster provides the support, community, and opportunities to help any student succeed.

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The opinions expressed by our bloggers and those providing comments are personal, and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lancaster University. Responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information contained within blog posts belongs to the blogger.