It's heritage in Aerospace - Cranfield University

The primary reason I chose the university was its legacy in the field of aerospace. Being an aerospace engineer, I wanted to apply to this university whose aerospace school is 75+ years old. The research done by the university and the curriculum offered was the other main reason behind my choice. The course I have applied for a course that aims at training the students through practical courses instead of just teaching theory. The industrial linkage of the university was another reason.

As mentioned earlier, the curriculum of the course is based more on practical methods rather than theory. For example, one of the courses which is Flight Experimental Methods - required us to conduct in-flight experiments (we had about 7 flights) and process the data collected to study aircraft performance. We had several guest lectures conducted by hands-on people in the industry who could give a clear picture of what is expected of us when we enter the industry. The research project which runs in the second half of the course was a major learning curve for me during the course tenure. It requires you to step out of your comfort zone and push your limits to the fullest.

Most courses require the candidate to complete a minimum of one English language test. Score requirements are different for each coursework course and taught course. For taught courses, the score requirements are IELTS: 6.5 (overall), Cambridge English Scale: 180, TOEFL: 92, and Pearson PTE Academic: 65. I took the IELTS (UKVI) - IELTS for students wishing to study in the UK. Some UK universities have a specific requirement that a student must take IELTS-UKVI only and not accept IELTS-IDP. I scored 8 (overall) in IELTS.

In the UK, the opportunities for post-study placement are minimal and would require the student to stand out of the crowd to bag one. However, there are many research opportunities that one can apply for. With the existing Covid Crisis and recession running in the UK, the country may not be the best option if you intend to stay back and work in the country. However with the name of the university, one can bag opportunities in other countries, especially in India and other Asian countries.

I worked as a student ambassador at Cranfield University during my course tenure. The process of getting into the role was similar to applying for any other job. The first round of screening was through a job application written to the university where I had to justify why I needed to be chosen as an ambassador, following which there was a formal interview where my communication skills were tested and my capabilities to meet the requirements of the role were tested. I was paid about £8/hr with about 3-6 hrs of work every week in the pre-Covid times.

The campus is beautiful spread over 70% of the village it is situated in. It has multiple recreation places that help the students unwind over the weekends after a stressful week or week full of a high workload. It has a sports club that also has a gym for those who like to play sports or work out. There are two libraries situated on 2 different campuses (Cranfield campus and Shrivenham campus (for defense-related courses)). It also contains research papers that help a lot while doing the literature review for our research thesis. The library is open 24/7, and accessible to students through their ID cards in the evenings and nights.

£20,500 is the program fee.

No, I didn't receive any scholarship.

Most courses have multiple electives and the faculty to student ratio varies with each elective. It can vary from 1:60 to 2:10. The faculty are extremely learned and are willing to help when approached. Since the university only has post-graduate and PhD programs, the faculty are used to being approached when help is needed and not spoon-feeding the students. One of the faculties that I will remember for life is Dr. Alastair Cooke, who worked in the Defence for multiple years, was extremely disciplined and expected the same from us. His expectation from us while presenting our research/assignment reports (in terms of presentation and explanation provided for research) was very high and that helped us make sure we give in our best all the time.

I lived on campus. There are various types of accommodations - various types of residential halls (catered and self - catered) that have shared kitchens and separate rooms (with or without shared bathrooms) and shared houses. I lived in a residential hall that had flats with 7 en-suite rooms ( that have private washrooms) and one shared kitchen (big enough for 7 people to cook comfortably and has 2 bug refrigerators, a microwave oven and all necessary gadgets and cutlery (including cooking utensils). I paid about £145 per week.