Samir Hamzah
Samir Hamzah
(BEng Communications Engineering)
University of Portsmouth
I chose to come to the University of Portsmouth as it has an articulation agreement with my home university, University of Iraq. I want to become a communications engineer and having the opportunity to study abroad is definitely a great advantage. The Department has a range of modern laboratories and there is a lot of support for international students. So far coming to Portsmouth has been the right choice for me.
I have also started learning French through the university's IWLP programme. It's a great way to mix with students from other nationalities and the courses are absolutely free. What I like most about the city is the beach. I enjoy walking along the seafront or playing football with my friends in the Common.
Samir
Zmnako Awrahman
Zmnako Awrahman
(MSc Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology)
University of Exeter
One of my highlights in 2007 was getting accepted to study evolutionary and behavioural ecology, here at the University of Exeter Cornwall Campus (UEC).
In 2001 after I completed High School and went to the Technical Institute of Sulaimaniyah, where I was awarded a first class honours Diploma in Clinical Pathology. I then went on to get my BSc in General Biology at the University of Sulaimaniyah. In 2007, I got my BSc in General Biology. My ambition to be a researcher and get a degree from one of the best universities in UK led me to apply to the University of Exeter. Evolutionary and behavioural ecology is not very well known in Iraqi Kurdistan, and there’s a lot of damage to wildlife. I hope to help my country when I return, and I was pleased and honoured that the University of Exeter gave me a scholarship to help me.
Exeter offers a wide range of academic, health, and social support to their students. I'm really enjoying my time here, and I strongly recommend the University to students from Iraq in general and Iraqi Kurdistan in particular.
Karzan
University of Nottingham
As a graduate student, I have been completely absorbed in thinking of furthering my studies at a place with a congenial learning environment, supportive of my desire to build my future.
Unfortunately at present, the state the Higher Education system in Iraq cannot facilitate my desire. Iraq suffers from insufficient resources and a lack of specialized faculty and educationalists, and an academic environment that is not as congenial as students would wish.
I translated my ambitions into tangible actions and set my sights on the aims that I enthusiastically wish to achieve.
The University of Nottingham was my choice! Is it the best? It depends on how you measure “best”. For me, it is the best. It's no wonder that students feel this way. Nottingham's helpful staff provided me with support and assistance from the start of my application process back home, to the cordial welcome upon arriving to the UK.
The University of Nottingham is one of the top universities in the United Kingdom, characterised by an international reputation and presence. The University is solution-orientated and the availability of resources make it an excellent entity. Add to that, the city of Nottingham is hospitable and lends a feeling of home – people here make you feel welcome and invited. It's really worth living here and helps students from feeling homesick!
Of course, there can be initial difficulties that hinder the process of applying the universities in the United Kingdom. However, in my case, it must be mentioned that the Nottingham's International Office staff helped me tremendously at ever stage to tackle arising problems.
I would like to list some of the major stumbling blocks in the course of my application and give reassurance that they can be overcome.
Due to the lack of services such as post and absence of facilities related to corresponding with the universities in the UK, students usually find it very difficult to get on track with their applications and can have difficulties proving the authenticity of their degrees and achievements in terms of official hard copies of their documents.
It should not be that big deal, at least for the initial stages. Alternatives are always available! It is possible to send supporting documents to the University in scanned format by email and an offer can be made conditional upon original copies being submitted before registration.
International students whose first language is not English are required to prove their proficiency in the English Language. IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is mandatory to prove language proficiency (each school has its own criteria for admission in terms of the minimum required score in either IELTS or TOEFL).
I experienced difficulties in taking the IELTS exam as there are no centres in Iraq to provide facilities for students to take the IELTS. However, IELTS or TOEFL tests can be arranged and taken in either Jordan or Turkey.
Your university can support you in many ways, but one of the most important forms of support is financial. I realise that this could be awkward and embarrassing for both parties (you and your local university)! Yet; if you do insist on making it happen then you should never give up.
Some students may be denied financial support in the last moments of their application, and to cover the tuition fees on your own plus living costs can be very hard. But have you ever thought of lending yourself to a promising future? I have done so! I could not get funding from the Higher Education authority in my home town, so I sold my valuables to help fund my education.
But to study at one the top UK Universities was so irresistible for me to keep expecting something that may never come… support from the Higher Education!
UK Visa - In our scenario, again, we should resort to a country where Iraqis can apply for a UK visa since the British Embassy in Iraq is not facilitating visa application services due to the security instability Iraq is experiencing today.
This time, the option of Amman-Jordan becomes an obligation and the only choice. (Iraqi students cannot make visa applications in Turkey unless they reside there) Let us presume that the issue of travelling to Amman is well sorted out. The visa application process starts and you already have all your documents with you at the Visa Centre.
You will need to prove two major matters for the British Embassy along with your visa application; your unconditional acceptance at the UK University and evidence of having sufficient funds to pay the tuition fees and support yourself during the period of study.
Last and by no means the least, in spite of all these hardships, nothing at all can deter a student from reaching a higher purpose and a noble end. All he/she needs to do is giving a try backed by a resolve to make it. As my typical example, The University of Nottingham really wants to help… then the whole thing depends upon who really wants the help?! "Step by step things seem to be falling into place - let us hope they continue to do so!"
Karzan
Mahir
University of Exeter
My interest in research led me to come to the UK to improve my academic training. I obtained an MSc in Politics and Sociology at Birkbeck College, of the University of London, in 1999 and then chose to study at the University of Exeter. For me the great attraction of Exeter was its noted expertise in the field of Middle East Studies in general, and Kurdish and Iraqi studies in particular.
After contacting Dr Gareth Stansfield who specialises in Kurdish politics at Exeter's Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, I registered on a full-time PhD under his supervision in 2004. The facilities for research at Exeter are excellent, in particular at the University's Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, which has a dedicated 'Middle East' library collection, in addition to there being several staff working on my area.
My PhD is about national identity in Kurdistan-Iraq. I am looking particularly at Kurdish nationalism and the conception of young educated Kurds toward their national identity.I am really enjoying my time here at Exeter, and would recommend the university to anyone from Iraq or from Kurdistan.
Mahir
Mostafa Aladami
University of Leeds alumnus now working at the Iraqi Embassy in
London
Mostafa Aladami
University of Leeds alumnus
Mostafa studied BA (Hons) Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Leeds and graduated in July 2004. He was born in Baghdad, Iraq and now works for the Iraqi Embassy in London.
"I came to Leeds in 1985 as a refugee from Iraq. My English language ability was poor but I was determined to work hard to improve my English and get a good job. Gradually my language skills improved through mixing with the local community but it was applying to Leeds University in 2001 which really changed my life. I applied to join the Department of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies to study BA (Hons) Middle Eastern Studies. The professors in the department helped me a lot, giving me study support and helpful advice. I will always be very grateful for the help and support that I received from everyone throughout my studies. My English language ability improved further at the University and I even wrote articles for the student newspaper about my personal experience and the political situation in Iraq. Graduation was one of the proudest days of my life."
"After graduation I was offered a job working for the Iraqi Embassy in London and which I really enjoy. Within the next 12 months I will be promoted to become a diplomat. I know that having a degree from Leeds helped me to get this job as it is a well-respected university among employers."
"Throughout my time spent living the city of Leeds I found that it is a great place to live. It is a very welcoming city and I made a lot of friends there. I am still in contact with many of these friends and with the professors from the Department of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University. I would definitely recommend Leeds as a great choice to any students from the Middle East wishing to study in the UK."
Mostafa