Uzair Ameen Merchant, India/Dubai

I’ve always been taught with a British syllabus back in Dubai, so it was easy to choose a British university. The degree course that I am progressing to at NTU is not offered at many universities at all, so I was very keen to come to NTIC so that I could progress to this degree course. It’s a specialist area of design.

I think the preparation that NTIC gives is brilliant. In my opinion, the foundation in art and design is really brilliant. I didn’t expect it to be like this – I didn’t expect it to be this good. I have to say that it has changed my perspective a lot. It has changed the way I think and the way I look at things. It is really benefitting me. It has helped me a lot.

The programme at NTIC is very hands-on and practical. Initially it may not feel that way, but as you progress you take on more challenges. I think it is definitely helping me to progress as a designer. I think it is a good programme for anyone interested in developing as a designer or as an artist. I have built up my portfolio a lot here.

We have some very nice facilities in the College for art and design, and we can use many of the University’s facilities too. We have access to everything we need. And a great advantage about studying in the UK is that there are lots of free museums – art museums and so on – which is really helpful when you are trying to build your portfolio and study art and design.

Nottingham is really nice. It is a big change from what I am used to. It is quite small which makes it a really nice place to live in, and it has lots of university students which makes it even better. I think it’s really nice. It’s a nice place to study. It’s really so very friendly. I didn’t expect it to be this friendly. It’s really really nice.

I would highly recommend the College and the art and design programme to other international students. I know how it has changed my way of thinking and how it has helped me, and so I would definitely recommend it.