From Belgium to Palmer's to UCL!

Hi, my name is Aza and I am a third year student studying BA Language and Culture at UCL, with Dutch and German as chosen languages.

I studied Dutch, Psychology and Sociology A-Levels at Palmer’s, which was a very memorable time for me. Coming from Belgium I remember being very daunted by the aspect of applying to university and doing my exams. The friendly atmosphere at the College made it very easy to settle in and I was able to learn academic English very fast. I also had great teachers who were with me from day one and guided me through until my results.

Another great aspect of the College was the Careers department, Jonathan Black and Stash Trzeciak were the people I turned to with any questions regarding my future career and applying to university and thanks to them I successfully achieved my place at UCL.

After my current studies are complete I hope to find a job in the Civil Service or an international organization such as the UN.

This year has been challenging for me, just like it has been for everyone, due to Covid. UCL went into lockdown quite quickly last year and lectures and seminars switched to online. Meeting professors and classmates online was quite bizarre. It has been quite an experience, but it has also taught me the importance of having even basic IT skills to be able to manage everything online, even interviews! I still prefer face-to-face teaching as it is a totally different and more personal experience, but hopefully everything will fall into place in September.