Shazia Akbar

Shazia Akbar is from Dundee, graduated in 2011 in BSc in Applied Computing.

Why did you choose to study at Dundee?

Dundee University is a highly respected institution which has a great reputation for computing. The resources and materials within the School of Computing are fantastic and the city itself is beautiful, with loads of activities available for students on campus.

What is the best thing about your course and why?

The Applied Computing course is based around self-learning so anything that you develop during the course reflects your personality and preferences. The course also offers a wide range of studies from web development to image processing and you will be presented with several real world practical assignments throughout the course.

What information do applicants need to know before starting this course?

For me it was important that I understood the level of commitment that was required when I entered university. The grade that you receive at the end of the day reflects the amount of effort you put into your work so motivation is a very necessary key skill.

What has been your best learning experience to date and why?

The best experience to date has to be Hackday, when everyone was given the freedom to develop anything at all related to computing. It was a great experience and the final presented products were very amazingly creative and were judged by Yahoo! themselves.

Have you taken part in any student exchanges/work placements?

During my third year placement, I had a brilliant opportunity to work with NCR and I would recommend this placement for every student who enrolls in this course. When you have the opportunity to go and work in the real world, it is a huge learning experience and it also gives you a taster of what you can be doing after your graduation. The skills and knowledge that I picked up within a few months at NCR have contributed to a large part of my honours year.

Do you have any advice for potential new students?

If you are passionate about computing and want to get stuck into technology that can change the way we see our world today, then Applied Computing is the course for you. In the School of Computing you will not only learn how to work with technology but how to apply the skills and knowledge that you learn within the course to the outside world.