Eirini Nikolaou MSc Sound and Vibration Studies, 2012

Engineer

The staff of the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research were always friendly and keen on helping students gather all the information we needed.

I had the opportunity to attend four universities in the UK but Southampton was always my first choice as it had the best reputation and ranking out of all my options. Furthermore, it offered great student life, excellent future career opportunities through careers fairs, interesting courses and much more.

On the course, I enjoyed the interesting new things I learned about sound and vibration engineering. The staff of the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research were always friendly and keen on helping students gather all the information we needed. I am extremely proud of gaining my MSc and finishing my dissertation in a way I had never believed I would. Every time I take a look at it I feel impressed, proud and happy, all at the same time. In addition I really enjoyed the diversity of the students of the course. They always felt like they were (and still are) another family of mine.

My ambition when I graduated was to have the engineering knowledge to apply for worldwide companies and at some point work for one of them. Due to gaining my MSc degree from the University of Southampton, I had opportunities to apply for positions and get interviewed by prestigious companies such as Ford Motors, Siemens and ARUP. Currently, I am working as an Engineer for a company in Cyprus where I produce reports, CAD drawings and manage applications in the same way as I learned on my Masters course.

Southampton is beautiful in every way. You can find quiet places to study or relax, even though it has a lot of places to socialise too! Southampton is the best place to study and have fun at the same time. It is very close to London but also close to the sea. This was important to me as I grew up on an island and this made me feel at home.

My advice to new students is to always do your best in your studies without forgetting to live a little. Try to stay enthusiastic and make sure you always update your knowledge. Engineering can be difficult but is also magical. Through engineering you can become an adaptive, smart, hard worker, well organised and dedicated to your role.