51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø

Students come from all over the world to study at 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Leicester (51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø).

To mark International Student Day this Sunday, we are speaking to students who have travelled from different parts of the globe to make 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø their home.

Arjya Bhattacharya is from Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, India, and is in his final year studying Footwear Design.

This is his take on what life is like as an international student at 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø.

I read about Leicester being very, very diverse

I wanted to do a footwear design course and 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø was one of the few places to offer an undergraduate course. I had got into a few good places in India but then there was a decision to be made. Do I stay in India for four years and then come to 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø for my master’s or go straight to 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø?  So, I begged my parents to send me to Leicester!

I read about Leicester before I came here and it was very, very diverse. There are many Indians in the city. It was a very easy decision to make.

I did projects for Adidas, Dr Martens and Jimmy Choo. It’s crazy.

I love my course and the campus. I am not just saying that. I genuinely love it. When you think about design you think about drawing – or at least I do. But there is so much more to it at 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. There are so many things you can do and they are big on placements and getting industry experience.

We had three, big, big international brands – Adidas, Dr Martens and Jimmy Choo – come in to do projects with us. It is crazy. It’s absolutely nuts.

I have learned so much about the physical manufacturing of shoes. I have been making shoes for the last two years and I never imagined I would be able to do that.

It is the best felling to be able to share your knowledge

Outside my course, when I tell people I study Footwear Design they start to ask me things about shoes – even asking about problems with their feet. And I can help them. I tell them about changing their posture and so on. It is the best feeling to know you have learned things and can share that knowledge

Leicester was a bit odd at first

I am from an incredibly busy metropolitan centre and Leicester is not like that. It is much smaller. I think I managed to walk around the entire city in a day. So that was a bit odd at first. But now   I really enjoy going to the pub with friends, just generally hanging out when I have some free time. And I am hardly spending any money on transport because I can walk everywhere in Leicester from the campus as it’s so close to the city centre.

Value time, value people and value your bed!

I have work outside the course [limited to 20 hours a week for Visa reasons]. It is a great feeling to have your own job and source of income and be financially independent. I don’t think that is an experience you get at university in India. I have learned a lot about time management and money management. Value time, value people and value your bed!

I was a bit socially anxious before joining a society

I am in the powerlifting society at 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. It’s called 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Barbell. I am a bit socially anxious. I was a bit of a loner at school and when I came to 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø I did not really speak to anyone. Then I ran into a mate who started coaching me in powerlifting and now I know everyone in the society. And I sit on the committee too. It is a gruelling sport, but you need to stay on it if you want to do well. I have a competition in February and if that goes well, I can qualify for BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport). If that happens, I can say I am a ‘university level powerlifter’.

I want to have my own line of footwear

When I get my degree, I want to go into sport and leisure with someone like Adidas or Nike. Then in the long term my dream is to have my own line of footwear. May be that is 10 years down the line. But straight out of the gates of uni, I want to go into sport and leisure.

My advice to international students would be…

Enjoy your first year, make friends, be sociable and put yourself out there. Say ‘yes’ to most things. Obviously say no to the wrong things but then I don’t have to tell you that! But be as open as possible to new experiences. You never know what you can get out of it.

And if you are in design… come to 51ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. I know for a fact all the design courses are incredible and you get so much exposure to industry. In uni I can say I have been working for Adidas and put that in my portfolio. That is pretty incredible, right?