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"Commuting can be perceived negatively - but I love it!"

Valentina Vlasich moved to the UK from Argentina without ever having visited the UK. But she’s made lots of friends on her BA Film and Media course and has even found an innovative way of making the most of London.

Valentina Vlasich

I moved to the UK without ever visiting before!

Moving to the UK from Argentina was the best decision I’ve ever made. I moved last September – it was exciting and nerve-wracking. 

I met lots of lovely people

I made friends quickly and easily. As soon as I started attending lectures, I met lovely people who had the same interests as me, and I even began to understand the British sense of humour a bit more!

London is such an exciting city

I travel to lectures from Milton Keynes to save on accommodation costs. Commuting is sometimes perceived negatively, in that it might affect your social life, or you’ll have to spend hours on a train. In my experience, none of this is true. I find commuting helps me make the most out of London because not living there makes it more exciting to visit. It also forces me to have a more established routine and helps me make the most out of my day.

I feel very supported at Birkbeck

The academics are very helpful, especially with assignments, and lectures are interesting because students are encouraged to interact with each other via group activities.

Birkbeck offers people a head start in their career

I applied to Birkbeck because I could study in the evening, giving me the flexibility to develop my career in the daytime before I finish my degree, and because the College has a global reputation for research and is part of the University of London.

Exploring is my favourite thing to do

I love making the most of living in the UK, discovering all its popular places and hidden gems – many of which are just around the corner from Birkbeck, including the British Museum and Oxford Street. Studying in London, a huge global city, and having so many opportunities, gets me excited for what my future here will look like.

Think you’re too busy to change your life? Think again.