Haaris
MRes Bioengineering
I was attracted to the location of the campus in ‘downtown’ London and the diverse population of international students, but my primary deciding factor was the excellent research conducted at Imperial.
After completing his Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Haaris wanted to continue onto a Master’s where he could be more involved in research. After a summer doing research at the University of Zurich through the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, Haaris moved to London to join Imperial. He shares his thoughts on life in London, why he chose to switch from an MSc to an MRes course and his top tips for applying for scholarships.
Why study at Imperial?
As someone who aims for a career in academia, Imperial is the perfect place for me to continue my studies. It’s a nationally ranked research institution with connections across the globe and an emphasis on education that covers more than just your specific subject, such as my Bioengineering course which combines medicine and engineering.
The Imperial name is well-known in America, so when it came time to submit my university choices to my scholarship, Imperial was at the top of my list. I was also attracted to the location of the campus in ‘downtown’ London and the diverse population of international students, but my primary deciding factor was the excellent research conducted at Imperial. The novel tissue engineering work done by Dr Claire Higgins, my Principal Investigator (PI), is an example of this groundbreaking research that I wanted to be a part of.
Applying for a scholarship
I would not be at Imperial without the Marshall Scholarship. Beyond the financial help, I have loved being able to connect with fellow scholars, who are a diverse group of individuals in a variety of fields. The scholarship programme also provided much help with difficult aspects of moving countries, such as setting up a new bank account and securing housing.
The Marshall Scholarship
The process to receive my Marshall Scholarship was quite in-depth. The online application is normally open from July and different schools have different deadlines – Georgia Tech’s was in August, so I did most of my work on the application over the summer. The application consisted of four parts, including a personal statement and three medium-length essays outlining my prior international experiences, showcasing my leadership ability, and providing a project proposal for my research in the UK.
These were first submitted to my school and after passing that stage, they were sent to the Marshall Scholarship organisation for review. In the final stage, I had an in-person interview at my local British consulate with six academics with ties to the UK.
Want to find out more about scholarship opportunities?
The MRes Bioengineering course
I started my Master’s at Imperial as an MSc student but switched to the MRes in the first week to focus more on research. The Bioengineering student offices were very supportive throughout the change.
Starting my Master’s was very different from my Bachelor’s. My undergraduate years were more structured, with fixed dates for classes and assignments. As an MRes student, I now have much more independence, which is both exciting and scary! I'm used to having an extremely structured education, but now it’s up to me to set my own deadlines and produce results. I believe having these experiences will prepare me well for my future PhD and career.
Social life at Imperial
It’s been amazing connecting with people from such diverse backgrounds and mindsets. Coming to a new country for my Master’s was a little intimidating but given that so many other people at Imperial are experiencing the same thing, I feel right at home in this global community. There are organisations representing nearly every one of my identities, from my religion (Islamic Society) to my ethnicity (Pakistan Society) and nationality (USA Society).
As a devout Muslim, I was happy to find that Imperial has a large Islamic Society on campus. I was selected to serve on their board as their International Representative this year and have made friends through the events and lectures they host.
I also do jiujitsu and judo classes at a local gym, boulder at a local climbing wall, and play pickup basketball at a few courts. Imperial has lots of activities to choose from, and I’m grateful that there are so many active organisations I can be a part of.
Social life at Imperial
It’s been amazing connecting with people from such diverse backgrounds and mindsets. Coming to a new country for my Master’s was a little intimidating but given that so many other people at Imperial are experiencing the same thing, I feel right at home in this global community. There are organisations representing nearly every one of my identities, from my religion (Islamic Society) to my ethnicity (Pakistan Society) and nationality (USA Society).
As a devout Muslim, I was happy to find that Imperial has a large Islamic Society on campus. I was selected to serve on their board as their International Representative this year and have made friends through the events and lectures they host.
I also do jiujitsu and judo classes at a local gym, boulder at a local climbing wall, and play pickup basketball at a few courts. Imperial has lots of activities to choose from, and I’m grateful that there are so many active organisations I can be a part of.
Find out more about the Imperial community and why we draw students from across the world.
Life in London as an international student
I enjoy the variety of everything in London – the people, food, architecture and more! Having lived in multiple places around the US, I would say London is most like northeastern cities such as Boston or New York. I was surprised by how spread out the city is, but public transport makes it easy getting around even without a car. Everything I need, from groceries to a mosque and gyms, is within walking distance from my house. While costs are a little higher and the limited sunlight takes some getting used to, my experience as a university student here isn't radically different from the US.
My favourite thing about living in London and the UK is the ease of travel. In my hometown of Dallas, you can drive for 12 hours and still be in Texas, but here, you’d be in Scotland! So far, I’ve visited the south coast, nearby towns like Bath, countries like Austria and Spain and can’t wait to explore more over the next year.
If you’re thinking about moving to the UK for university, be sure to check out all the online guides that help students prepare for moving to a new country. I used a few of these to make a checklist of things I needed to do before flying over. You can actually do a lot of things before you move, like setting up a bank account, signing up for certain memberships, and finding roommates and accommodation.
My plans for the future
I’m excited to plan and do a year-long independent research project. I aim to pursue a PhD and career in academia, so this project will give me the opportunity to get experience with generating results from long-term research.
I'm currently sending out PhD applications to multiple institutions in the UK and USA including Imperial, while also completing an Islamic Studies degree (Alamiyyah). I haven’t started looking for jobs yet as I know I want to do a PhD first, but I feel secure knowing an excellent resource like Imperial’s Careers Service exists for when I start looking for employment.
Careers support from day one
Our Careers Service can help sharpen your competitive edge in a world top 10 city for graduate employment (QS Student Cities 2025).
“If you’re thinking about applying to Imperial, my advice is to just go for it! The benefits you receive from studying, working and being part of Imperial will uplift you throughout your career and future.
“If you’re thinking about applying to Imperial, my advice is to just go for it! The benefits you receive from studying, working and being part of Imperial will uplift you throughout your career and future.
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