Ahmed Afzal

I chose to study at Surrey because the MEng Aerospace Engineering course structure and facilities really impressed me and, once I’d seen the beautiful campus, I knew this was the place for me.

The elements I’ve most enjoyed during the course have been the group design projects in Year 2 and Year 3: working with like-minded people to solve sometimes very challenging problems is what engineering is all about.

I spent my Professional Training placement year at Brooks Life Sciences (a leader in biological sample management solutions) as a Mechanical Design Engineer. I wanted a role in the field of manufacturing or design, which would enable me to take on my own projects. Brooks offered all of this and was also close to my home in Manchester.

"During my placement I spent time on-site, working on robotic devices, and also working from home doing CAD design using Solidworks. The parts I designed, which had to be compatible with hundreds of different devices, have been fitted in almost every Brooks store around the world."

My placement year really helped me to grow as an engineer and become more confident in my ability to solve engineering problems in industry. I’ve also gained invaluable teamworking experience and greatly improved my communication and time management skills.

There have been lots of highlights to being a student at Surrey. I absolutely love the campus, which is my favourite place for a good walk after a long day studying. I’ve been part of the Dodgeball Society for a couple of years and have loved every session. But most of all, I’ve made the best friends at Surrey.

After I graduate, I want to be of as much value to society as I can, especially in the field of sustainable transport.

Discover our courses in mechanical engineering, including our BEng (Hons)/MEng Aerospace Engineering.