Case studies: University of Leeds: Evan Fakhoury

Evan has just completed an MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds. Originally from Lebanon, he has enjoyed his stay so much that he plans to study for a PhD in Leeds.

I decided to pursue a postgraduate course for more than just one reason. My main reason is that I want to do a PhD in a field that I am both intrigued in and excited about. Secondly, I also wanted to strengthen my engineering knowledge and skills for future jobs and opportunities. Above all, I wanted to study abroad, see new people and have new adventures.

I chose the University of Leeds because of its excellent research power and quality. As I was still undecided on the area I wanted to specialise in, I found this course to be perfect as it was so broad and offered a wide range of subjects. I really believe that this is a university that can take me to the highest levels.

I actually found it quite easy to settle in here. Everything is available to me and life in the UK is not hard or complicated. People are friendly and Leeds itself is a great city with lots to see and do.

The university does all it can for international students, such as providing induction days, bus tours around the city and assigning personal tutors to meet with if we have any problems. All staff members are very welcoming and everyone does their best to help out the students.

We were required to pick a minimum of seven modules and I decided to make sure that my choices were quite broad and covered many areas, as I didn’t want to specialise straight away. Each of the classes had a project. In the energy systems engineering module I created an efficient, realistic and functional phosphoric acid fuel cell power plant via Cycle-Tempo software.

The course has helped me in a lot of ways. I have had to learn three new software programmes in order to work on my projects, which is extremely beneficial for my future career. One of the main things I have learned is how to cope and get along with different people from different backgrounds. I developed new social skills that I didn’t have before and I am now more confident than ever of what I want to do next. This programme has helped me to find myself.

In the short term I am hoping to continue my education in the UK by taking a PhD at the University of Leeds. It is such a calm and peaceful city that it is perfect for studying. As for jobs, I could go anywhere from finite element analysis for an automobile company to a design engineer for a car chassis or aerospace company. I really don’t know, but I think I can do anything now.