Milan

I’m originally from Hungary and I’m in my third year of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Coming to Imperial

I came to the UK two years before starting university. I was initially supposed to come here for just one year as an exchange student, but the education system and the culture in the UK captivated me. I also wanted to go to a prestigious university, and since I was staying in the UK it felt like a seamless transition. I applied to a few universities, but Imperial was always my top choice.

Opportunities

One of my favourite things about Imperial is all the extra-curricular activities you can get involved with. I’m the founder of the Imperial College Engineers Without Borders UK society. The motivation behind setting it up was to create an environment where technical knowledge could be used to drive positive social and environmental change. Engineers without borders is a global movement, empowering engineers to drive change in their professions and solve global challenges. It felt important to bring the values of this movement to Imperial, to enable and empower more engineering students to upscale themselves to drive change.

I took part in the Professional Project Fund run by the Careers Service. I was looking into internships last year and stumbled across the scheme, where you have the chance to get a bursary for working in a non-profit organisation. This was a working environment I really wanted to explore, and after a successful application I was able to work in a climate emergency community centre for a month over the summer. I was mostly helping with strategising and improving their communications. I developed a new website for them and some internal management tools, where ultimately the goal was to galvanize the community around the community centre and the opportunities it offers.

I went to the ideas surgery at the Enterprise Lab with a project I helped set up with people from other universities, to engage young people with the European Union. I’ve also been to some of their master classes and took part in a competition, where we had to make a business proposal and pitch it to investors.

There are also so many programmes and schemes available to students to really enhance your Imperial experience, things like StudentShapers, President’s Community Fund and the Professional Project Fund. We have also organised a team of professors for a project bid to the Learning Innovation Fund. All these can be extremely rewarding and also help give you an edge, giving you the opportunity to give something back and to have an impact straightaway, rather than waiting for graduation.

Imperial Horizons

The Imperial Horizons course and the modules offered are really good. I’ve been part of Change Makers Modules for several years, which I've found really valuable. The professors are amazing, and I really enjoy meeting people from other courses and being in a more diverse community, not just in nationalities but also in our interests and passions, seeing their perspectives on the world as well as mine.

One Horizons module I took part in was the Global Village Innovation Challenge. We had to develop a solution to solve problems faced by a remote community on the Cape York Peninsula in northern Australia. That was extremely rewarding to me to be part of.

It was great to be part of a change-making community already applying their knowledge to solve real-world problems.

I wanted to make a difference and have a real impact, so it’s been great to have had that opportunity through the Horizons modules. This is also what inspired and enabled us to develop a Change Makers App with professors later that year as part of the Student Shapers scheme.

I-Explore

I chose to study Science, Policy and Power as I had a real interest in understanding the interface between engineering, politics and society, as I believe their challenges are all interconnected. We had lectures every week, and while all of them were interactive and required us to actively engage with each other and the contents, some of the best lectures were with the British Parliamentary style debate where we had to act out in the role of politicians to debate on the Haldane Principle, and the ones with guest lecturers on topics such as climate activism. I feel like the module really equipped me with a great understanding and empowered me with the agency to take action that I was so much looking for to create that positive social impact that goes beyond the contents of my electrical engineering degree.

I believe I-Explore modules are an amazing way to broaden your perspective on the world, learn how to effectively work together and collaborate in interdisciplinary teams, and to cross-pollinate those ideas and skills that we need for social and technological innovation in these turbulent times.

Adjusting to London

I found the transition to moving to London reasonably straightforward. I’m very into sports – I like to spend my time running, cycling and swimming as I’m preparing for an Ironman 70.3 that will take place in Austria autumn 2023. Swimming in the Ethos gym is a breeze, being so close to Hyde Park running is easy, it’s only cycling that is a bit more tricky because of the traffic. However, once you get to Richmond Park you are guaranteed to have a joyful ride.

Final reflections

Looking ahead, I have several paths ahead of me. One would be in a role of a social innovator working as a facilitator, coach and consultant across university, business and governments to bring forward the positive social and civilisational change we’re so much in need of. I’d love to apply the skills I gained during my life at Imperial, and while I’ve been able to gain great technical skills in my degree course, all my leadership, strategising and public speaking skills are from those extracurricular activities. This is also why I recommend them so much!

Imperial is so international. It can be really eye-opening just how differently people think in different parts of the world. Different mindsets brings awareness to my own life, knowing that people think differently and the world is not as simple as it may seem. So I’d recommend you approach everyone and every situation with an open mind and an open heart.

So, my advice to incoming students will be that when you arrive, there may be the temptation to remain with the people from your home nation. But try to make the effort to meet with and talk to people from other cultures and nations. I know it can be difficult, I also faced loads of challenges overcoming my social anxieties. But it’s 100% worth it, trust me.

Societies and projects are fantastic places to pursue your passions or find what you’re really passionate about, and also to connect with people from all around the world. It gives you that extra experience and network of amazing people who you will want to spend the rest of your lives with. And they also help to make sure that that inner fire never disappears in you that brought you to Imperial in the first place. You’ll need to work hard to get your degree, so it’s absolutely essential you take time off to do the things you enjoy, and pursuit the things that give you purpose. You’ll need that for success.