Biomedical Engineering in Liverpool

I am a 4^th year Biomedical Engineering student from UTS. I have applied for the UTS Global Exchange Program to learn different teaching methods and subjects, as well as to make new friends from other countries. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study at the University of Liverpool (UoL) in the UK. The subjects I have selected at UoL were Musculoskeletal Biomechanics, Cardiovascular Bioengineering, Tissue Engineering and Enterprise Studies. The first three subjects listed are electives and were chosen because the subject outline intrigued me. The final subject was a direct equivalent subject that I had to do in my 4^th year – Entrepreneurship. In UoL, Biomedical Engineering is a Master’s degree, unlike UTS where it is a Bachelor’s degree.

University of Liverpool

Being that the subjects I have chosen are at a Master’s level, they are completely at a higher learning stage than the previous subjects I have done before at UTS. Even though I may struggle to understand some content of the subject, I am in fact enjoying it as it is very interesting. All the subjects have lectures ranging from 1-2 hours. Apart from that, I have two tutorials for two subjects and no practical. The teaching style is quite similar to UTS wherein group work for assignments is encouraged.

Life in Liverpool, UK has been extremely fun and fulfilling. I have opted to live within the campus, rather than having accommodation outside of the university. I am glad that I have chosen this option because living with other people has been a thrilling experience for me, one which I have never done. The accommodation I have chosen is self-catered. Some may see this as a downside, but with the friends I made on this exchange, making food together has been overall the best experience.

Making Food Together

It is absolutely so fun to make food with people because you experiment if it’s actually edible or not, while chatting up on how everyone is doing. Meeting new people is definitely a frightening situation and one may not know how to initiate it. UoL held a bunch of orientation programs such as a Welcome Night, a UoL Accommodation Formal and a faculty induction. These events enabled me to meet almost everyone on exchange and form solid friendships. Now about the city of Liverpool. There are a lot of activities to do such as bowling, live karaoke, sight-seeing, clubbing, and going to the pub. One benefit to living in the UK is that you are literally a train ride or 1 hour flight away from Europe. Compare that to Australia. For instance, with Dublin Ireland being 1 hour flight away from Liverpool, my friends and I spontaneously decided to fly there for St. Patrick’s Day. I mean who other than the Irish can say they celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Ireland.

Trip to Dublin Ireland for St Patrick’s Day

I encourage everyone to apply for Global Exchange as I believe it is a once in a lifetime experience that I will forever have fond memories of. My tip for any takers is to always say YES. Whether it be to going to an event, accepting an invite, joining a society, or grabbing free food provided by the university, just do it. Trust me, it’ll definitely be worth it in the end.

Marie Aguinaldo
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice
Biomedical Engineering at University of Liverpool, United Kingdom