October 5, 2022
A Past Student Writes: The Journey of An LGSC Student Ambassador
Want to know more about being a student at LGSC? Read below to find out what 2021-2022 student and student ambassador, Tamir Dalal, had to say.
Hello All!
My name is Tamir, and I’m from Zambia. I studied the Economics and Management Foundation course. For most of my life, I’ve came to England on multiple holidays. But Leicester was new to me. The University of Leicester was my first choice and the only university I applied to. My mum was keen on me going to Leicester because it’s a safe and very multicultural city. I personally agree with her, and after seeing the city firsthand, I saw all the different cultures and different celebrations being held at the famous Victoria Park.
Applying here was quite a process. I was nervous to apply to start with. I thought I wouldn’t be accepted. But I took the step, and I applied through an agent. He asked for all my documents and I sent them to him. A week later I received the conditional offer, despite being excited, it was still nerve-wracking considering it wasn’t the unconditional offer. After sending back all the conditions within ten days (which felt like 10 years), I got an email from the agent with the unconditional offer. I was overwhelmed with joy. My mum was happy too, but I could tell she didn’t want me to leave. Leaving home for me was one of the toughest things, the fact that I have so many pets and just the part of leaving my family behind for so long made it hard for me. Being new to Leicester, I didn’t know where Stamford Court was and how far things were from each other. One of my close friends and I decided to find Manor Road from London Road.
Word of Advice: Use the Shuttle Bus. Don’t Walk.
Do not judge a book by its cover. When I first saw Stamford Court, like all other buildings in England, it’s got that old/vintage aesthetic vibe. But, when I got inside, I was stunned by how modern and posh everything was from the classrooms to the lounging area to the all-you-can-have coffee machines! The classes were not designed for huge bunches of students, but rather a small batch which made it a lot easier to get the one-to-one from the tutors which really helped. We had both the university experience as well as college experience, so it was I’d say a soft landing for me.
Time flew by so fast through all the assignments and exams, it didn’t even feel like 7-8 months. In between all the assignments and classes, we had a nice “around the world” themed prom. Which I obviously dressed up for in my cultural clothing 😂. I’ve never had a prom before, so I wasn’t about to miss this one.
I really appreciated how multicultural Leicester is. It really made me feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin. The fact everyone I met was friendly and didn’t come across anyone who was rude or racist. I did feel quite scared to leave my home country because I thought it would be hard to make friends or what if I encounter something dangerous? Most days I just liked going to the David Wilson library to just study and make most of after classes time to finish assignments and catch up if I had fallen a bit behind on notes from classes. Thankfully, we have a Starbucks on campus which was ideal for me since I’m a caffeine addict. Leicester has a way of growing on you. Even though I was worried at first about not getting used to it with time I just really started enjoying myself. I do miss Leicester already and I’m looking forward to the new year’s start. Which I have mixed feelings about considering it won’t be at the LGSC anymore.
I almost forgot to mention, one of the most exciting parts of my year was getting the role of Student Marketing Ambassador for the LGSC. I honestly did not think I’d make the cut. After the job role was put out, I wrote a personal statement and sent in my CV. A few days later was the interview which I was terrified about. A few days later I got the job! I had exams coming up as well as a few weeks of classes left. But with the help of all the members of staff at the LGSC, they helped me through it. My job is contacting the students who have applied and basically talking to them about my experience. I also help run the social media for the LGSC. If you have received a call about any advice and help from a student’s point of view – that was probably me 😂.
Coming to Leicester I didn’t think I’d enjoy being away from home so much. However, life isn’t what you expect, and I’ve really enjoyed my foundation year at the LGSC making friends/family for life with my classmates and the amazing staff. I couldn’t have gotten through the year without either of them.