I've discovered my biggest passions thanks to my year abroad and maybe I wouldn't have done that otherwise.

Why did you decide to study abroad?

In the academic year 2023/24, I went to Rolla in Missouri to study aerospace engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (aka Missouri S&T). When I was applying for university back in 2021, the option to study abroad was one of the main things that motivated me to apply for this course because I've always wanted to go to America. In terms of aerospace engineering, there's a lot going on there especially with NASA, for example.

What were your top three highlights whilst studying abroad?

During my year abroad, I was part of a student-led satellite research team on a project in collaboration with SpaceX. Essentially, we created a satellite and then it was sent up in a Falcon 9 rocket and released into orbit. It was an incredible experience! I hadn't taken part in many student-led projects before then so it was a completely new experience, but everyone was friendly. The students were all incredibly smart and the project supervisor used to work in the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, so he brought a lot of knowledge with him and guided us in the right direction through the whole process of creating a satellite from initial concepts all the way through to manufacturing, testing and, eventually, launching. They are constantly coming up with new projects at Missouri S&T, so whilst I was there I was also working on another satellite, which hopefully should be launched within the next three to four years.

Besides that, I enjoyed travelling around with friends I made there. It's very hard to get around in the US unless you know someone with a car or you have one yourself, so I was lucky enough to meet some really nice people with whom I went to places like Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago in cars. That was a brilliant experience and we're still in touch now. I think these are the kinds of friends you meet and then know them for life. 

The third highlight for me would be when my friend visited from the UK in May, as we were planning a big road trip after all my exams had finished. Unfortunately that fell through because you need an American driving license to rent a car if you've been there for longer than three months, which applied to me, so we just flew around instead. We got to see places like San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Texas.

Did you receive any financial support to help with your year abroad?

I received some funding for my year abroad through the University of Sheffield's International Opportunities Fund, led by the team in Campaigns and Alumni Relations (CAR). It was a huge help and allowed me to travel more than I would have been able to otherwise because it can be quite expensive to live in the US. It helped me to do things that I actually enjoyed, instead of just sitting in my room and going to lectures.

What is the one thing you wish you'd known before you left?

I would have maybe prepared myself slightly better for not knowing anyone when I got there because it was a bit difficult for the first few weeks. I had housemates who I talked to but being on a new continent by myself took some getting used to. If I could do it again, I'd join more teams and societies sooner so I could start meeting people earlier on. During my first week I wanted to go back home but once I started talking to people it was great. 

What would you say to someone who was unsure about spending a period abroad?

I think it's a brilliant opportunity and you won’t get too many chances like this in the future once you settle down and get a job, unless you have a job that lets you travel around. It's very rare to find the opportunity to live in a completely different culture for a year.

There was a bit more variety in the modules that I got to choose whilst I was abroad. There were more modules related to space, which I personally find more interesting. So, when applying to study abroad I would recommend looking at the course list on the host university's website and seeing if there are modules you'd like to take part in.

What are your plans following graduation?

My main plan is to do a PhD next, and I'll most likely be staying in Sheffield with my current masters supervisor. I did a few training courses with the European Space Agency in Belgium recently so I may potentially be able to get a year-long contract with them. If that happens, I'll do that and then come back for my PhD. The European Space Agency runs a training course on space weather, which is very related to my masters dissertation topic, so I sent in a motivational letter and reference. I was lucky enough to be accepted, so it was a great experience and I don't think I would have gotten in had I not had the experience from my year abroad.

How do you think your time abroad has shaped your experiences and opportunities as a result?

At the beginning of my course, I thought I maybe should have chosen a degree with a year in industry so I would get some real-life, practical experience but instead, getting research experience, a published paper, and working with the space and satellite team, all as part of my year abroad, has really helped me. It's pretty much doubled the length of my CV and whenever I apply to anything now I have plenty of experience to discuss. I think I've discovered my biggest passions thanks to my year abroad and maybe I wouldn't have done that otherwise. 

I also met a professor whilst I was in Missouri that I have been doing some research with and this is something I probably wouldn't have been able to do if I had not gone abroad because in the US, they are a lot more open to collaborating on research with undergraduate students and presenting any published papers with them at conferences, for example.