Similar to a lot of students, Amalia didn’t know what she wanted to do for a career when she was at school. She loved science, maths, and design – enjoying them all, it was really difficult for her to pick between them. After researching, the option of biomedical engineering came up. This was a course that seemed like the perfect mix of all of her interests – it didn’t force her down a specific path, but was varied enough for her to specialise later on.
“Probably the best thing about this degree is the options that you have both whilst you're studying and when you come out of it. You can focus on so many different subfields – robotics, cybernetics, biological gene expression, and the lab-based side of it.”
If you are undecided on which area you want to focus on and you are interested in technology, innovation and science, then biomedical engineering at Reading could be a great fit for you.
“This course is very broad, and you can tailor it to your interests. Also, it’s the work experience that you get afterwards that can narrow down your path. Biomedical engineering gives you so many options and loads of different jobs you could apply for.”
Reading was her first choice from day one. As a student from Greece, most of her research was online. The campus and the atmosphere were big factors in making her decision, and YouTube, social media and virtual campus tours were really helpful.
“There aren't many universities that offer the chance to study biomedical engineering but looking at the campus, student experiences and the module choices convinced me Reading was the right choice.”
As an international student, it was daunting for her coming over from Greece to study in the UK. She was so impressed by how nice and welcoming everyone was, but mainly how the lecturers and even the PhD students were so helpful.
“Everyone was so welcoming. It was a great environment to be in, collaborative, not competitive.”
Amalia loved her time at Reading so much that she decided to share that with others by becoming a digital ambassador while studying. She helped prospective students make their decisions, sharing her thoughts and experiences.
Amalia particularly enjoyed learning skills in assistive technology. She loved the concept of helping to get healthcare from hospitals to more of a community setting like in a patient’s home. These skills are really helping in her current role working at Baxter Healthcare as a Value Solutions Graduate, which focuses on finding ways to transform the NHS.
“It's really exciting, working at Baxter Healthcare. What I like the most about it is how innovative the field is. I really enjoy the aspect of coming up with new ideas and ways that we can improve the healthcare system.”
Amalia agrees that biomedical engineering at Reading is a degree that can open doors, and has allowed her to enter her exciting career in healthcare.