Personal details
Paolo Valenziano, BSc in Multimedia Studies, Italy, 22

Career history
Paolo moved from Italy to London more than two years ago, with the ambition of finding a perfect job, but soon realised that without a degree he lacked both the credibility and skills required to get employed in the fast moving and highly competitive world of Design. He attended an Open Day at the Docklands campus of UEL and fell in love with it.

Settling in
When I started at UEL, I was worried about my limited English, as I had only spent a few weeks in London, but, to my surprise, this did not hold me back at all. I was able to understand almost everything in the lectures since all the lecturers spoke clear, understandable English. The availability of online notes was also a great help: I usually downloaded the pages before the lecture, and followed the lesson from there. My written English has improved greatly as well, thanks to the constant help of my tutors. I never felt like an outsider because of my nationality, especially as UEL has so many other European and international students.

Studying
I have also found that the higher education system here is more accessible and easier to understand than the model used in my country. In Italy there is an oral exam for each module, which gives the overall mark for that work. In England, work is marked via several assessments; these may be essays or practical projects. If there is an exam, it is usually written rather than oral, which I find much less stressful! The learning process is also easier here, because there is a lot of variety. Lectures are where you listen and take notes, seminars are where a small group of students, with a tutor, discuss the lecture's topics and workshops involve more practical work. The level of practical work depends on the type of degree you study, but I found the workshops most beneficial for learning how to use the computer programs I'm now using for my professional and academic work.

Extracurricular activities
I like Architecture, it is my hobby, and there are places like Canary Wharf, Southbank, the river, and so many amazing structures like all the buildings at Canary Wharf, the towers, or Tate Modern. I love Southbank. That's more central, but it is still the east side of London - and I love Canary Wharf. Canary Wharf is a great place to look at, but it's a place to go out to as well with bars and resaurants and a cinema by the old West India Quay. You can get the DLR to it from UEL's Docklands campus and it is well-connected by tube as well.

A great experience
Since coming to UEL everything has simply got better and better: I am constantly learning new techniques and broadening my skills and am now capable of things I would never have dreamt of doing before. UEL has gone way beyond my expectations! Studying here is a great experience, because the level of facilities is excellent; the teaching staff are friendly and supportive and the programmes offered are very interesting! In addition, I get enough time to work part-time, support myself with some extra freelance jobs.