Justin is French.
After a Bac S at the Ecole Jeanine Manuel in Paris, which he obtained with honors, he was admitted to UCL in Mechanical Engineering.
Read his testimonial below and find out more about his university experience at UCL !
Profile
FIRST NAME : JustinNATIONALITY French
French NAME OF COURSE FOLLOWED : BEng in Mechanical Engineering UNIVERSITY NAME : UCLBACCALAURÉAT TYPE AND RESULT Bac S with honors (15.74/20)NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL : Jeanine Manuel School
Why did you choose to study abroad?
Which courses did you apply for abroad (in the UK and elsewhere)?
Why did you choose this subject/curriculum for your Bachelor’s degree?
I applied to several mechanical and aerospace engineering programs because my future goal is to work in aeronautics or space.
Then I chose to enroll in the mechanical engineering program at UCL because it’s quite similar to the aerospace engineering program, but has the advantage of being more versatile (an advantage if I ever change my mind about my future career).
What other universities did you apply to (in the UK and elsewhere) and why did you end up choosing this university?
In the UK I applied to Imperial College London, Bristol University, Edinburgh University and Glasgow University.
In France, I applied to Sorbonne University and Troyes University of Technology.
They’re all very good universities, highly rated in their field, and it was very difficult to choose.
In the end, I chose UCL because I felt that, considering both the infrastructure, the level of education (and international reputation) and the opportunities offered for further study or career, UCL offered me more than the others.
I was also attracted by the fact that I would be living in the UK for the first time and discovering life in London. 
Why did you choose this particular university?
If you haven’t already done so, I would recommend that students applying for Mechanical Engineering at UCL check out the modules that make up the programme.
It gives a very good overview of the topics covered during the course Apart from that I’d like to say thatUCL has incredible facilities like the Institute of Making which gives students free access to workshops where you can work on academic or personal projects.
There are also several engineering clubs such as UCL Rocket, UCL Rover, UCL Eco-shell marathon…
These are great opportunities to gain experience and work as part of a team.
Have you been influenced by the rankings?
Do you think students should look at rankings to choose?
University rankings were indeed one of the criteria I considered.
I believe it reflects the quality and reputation of a university, and is therefore a guarantee of a better education and more relevant opportunities for the future.
That said, rankings should be approached with caution, and should not be considered as absolute. You need to check the ranking criteria used, which from one ranking to the next favor one university or another.
What’s more, I think we should focus on what suits us best.
Just because a university is ranked 10th from an academic point of view does not guarantee that it will provide us with a better learning experience than a university ranked 50th.
Did the content of the curriculum at your particular university influence your choice of university?
Yes, really, when I looked at the details of the program I was very excited, it was really what I wanted to do! 
What do you think of the campus and the city in which it’s located?
The UCL campus is simply fantastic, there’s no other way to put it.
It’s quite unique.
It’s a mix of historic and modern buildings in the heart of London! My experience in London has been great.
There’s an abundance of different people and cultures.
It’s a great place to live, despite the high cost of living.
What are the 3 things you like best about your university and the 3 things you’d like to improve?
I like: the access to online courses given to students, the quality and modern infrastructure, the support offered to students such as personal tutors and the extended reception hours of the teachers’ offices.
I couldn’t be better at UCL, my experience so far has been amazing, no disappointments!
Do you have any international friends (French or otherwise) at your university?
Are there many international students at your university?
How easy do you find it to integrate and make friends at your university as a foreigner? There are indeed many international students at UCL, in great numbers and with great diversity.
Personally, I was surprised by the number of French students.
In a way, this makes the first few days at university easier, by allowing you to get closer to people or cultures with which you are familiar.
The potential problem with integration into the wider UCL community is that some students prefer to stay with students from their home country. 
How was your student residence in 1st year (comfort, cleanliness, proximity to the campus…)?
I’m really pleased with the accommodation I stayed in during my first year.
The common areas were well maintained and it was a comfortable, quiet place to study if I couldn’t get to the library.
But the best thing about university accommodation is thesocial aspect.
It allowed me to meet a lot of students of different nationalities who were studying totally different programs from mine.
I have to admit that this was the most important factor in my social integration at UCL. How far from the university are the halls of residence?
Where do2nd and3rd year students live? My student accommodation was only a 5-minute walk from UCL, which is super convenient especially when you’re not yet familiar with the campus environment and the neighborhood.
Second and third year students have to find their own accommodation in the city, often sharing with other students.
Camden is a very popular area for UCL students. What’s the food like in your residence and in others?
Is it possible to cook for yourself? Not all halls of residence offer meals.
It depends on the choices you make when applying for accommodation.
Overall, I’m satisfied with the meals served in my residence.
The menus change every day and there’s a wide choice of diets (such as vegetarian or even vegan). What was the process like to get a place in a residence?
Which student residences would you recommend to French or international students at your university? I applied for accommodation through the housing section of the UCL website, as accommodation is guaranteed for first-year students.
I didn’t visit any residences other than Ramsay Hall, but all my friends housed elsewhere were satisfied, and there seems to be a great diversity of students in all the residences.
Could you describe your experience at your university?
How many hours of lessons do you have each week?
A minimum of 20 hours depending on the semester.
How much work?
The workload is highly variable.
Some weeks he has more homework than others (courses are independent, so deadlines can coincide).
But the workload depends above all on the individual.
UCL encourages its students to work independently.
In other words, if you want to do well, you have to do as much work as possible outside class hours. 
Do you have exams once or several times a year?
Twice.
Are you involved in any student associations at UCL?
I’m a member of the UCLcompetitive swimming team, and will be captain from the start of the new school year. Is there anything about the university system in the country where you studied that you’d like to improve? I have no negative comments to make after my first year.
However I understand that it may be different for some, especially students who prefer to have more class hours and find it difficult to work independently.
Do you have any other comments or advice for students interested in applying to UCL?
My advice to prospective students would be to above all look for a university where they will feel comfortable according to their personal criteria (social, lifestyle, environment etc…).
I don’t see the point of going to the best university in the world if you don’t feel good there, for whatever reason.
