Energy, a door to the future!
My name is Jorge, and I am a PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences, which is among the top 50 programs in the QS World University Rankings by Subject this year: Earth & Marine Sciences. I have always believed that the area of energy is one of the topics that must be fully developed in a multidisciplinary manner, since without energy there is no future!
Why I decided to study in UK?
The main reason why I decided to study in the United Kingdom is that its universities have a high academic level which allows them to be among the best universities worldwide, in addition to the fact that many of the topics they develop are cutting-edge knowledge.
In this case, my university has a program strongly focused on reducing CO2 emissions, where I had been understanding techniques and methodologies that are not yet available in Mexico and they are developing in UK. An example of this is that there is already well-developed regulations in the UK and Europe on CO2 capture, so for Mexico it represents a challenge, since an effort must be made to standardize the fields of frontier knowledge in research and in the development of public policies.
Choosing a University
It is very important to select the program that one chooses, especially due to the topic that one wishes to develop. In my case, the selection of my supervisor was made according to his background due to the breadth of topics that he has developed and the multiple multidisciplinary works that he has done, especially in areas of energy, geosciences and economics at national (UK) and international level.
Advisors and Department
It is important to have a cordial and respectful relationship with both the advisors and the department staff, since as your project progresses, the need may arise to request help from them in order to develop and fulfil the project and achieve with the objectives and deadlines of the proposed project.
Adaptation and accommodation
In my case, I was lucky to find a room in the university colleges, since I arrived late in Durham (late January), in a period when room availability was low. In this sense, my adaptation process was very fast since I immediately had to interact with locals, and at the same time interact with international students in the department.
The first two weeks were a bit of a shock, because I had some difficulty understanding English, I assumed at the time that English wasn't too difficult, but each region has a different accent and here in Durham people speak fast.
Whatever, during these days I learned to adapt to the climate (I am still adapting), identify groceries, go buy a jacket, learn to use public transportation, get a SIM card; fortunately, one of my supervisors was very concerned about my adaptation process and gave me a lot of advices. For example, contact with the Mexican society at the university. As a recommendation, always check if there is a society from your country, because it can also help you to adapt quickly and understand some additional details.
Enjoying Durham
Durham is a beautiful place with a lot of nature around, so you can get to different places just by walking! It has an Oriental Museum, a botanical garden and there are many restaurants, so you can taste many cousins. Plus, people in Durham are very friendly, so you can easily talk to local and international universities.
It may seem like it is not important, but I have seen that many of the students have a very active life linked to sports, so you will not feel strange if you like to practice them all the time, even on a Friday at 10 p.m. it can be an excellent time to exercise in this city!
- Jorge