Adina Temirkhan

Name: Adina Temirkhan

Age: 19

Home: Kazakhstan

Degree: BSc (Hons) Architecture

Campus: Dubai

Adina Temirkhan, a 19-year-old student from Kazakhstan, says joining Global College at Heriot-Watt University gave her “a secret advantage.”

“I feel students like us who went through the foundation year at Global College are more prepared for our undergraduate course than people who applied to enter first year at university straight from school,” Adina says.

“We already know how the system works and how hard you should work. Basically, we have a secret advantage.”

Global College offers degree entry programmes to prepare students for university degrees in subjects including engineering, management, design, computing and psychology. Adina completed a Degree Entry (Foundation) Programme in Design Studies at Heriot-Watt’s Dubai campus and has now received an unconditional offer to enter a four-year Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Architecture at the University.

“The main reason I decided to apply to a foundation year first is because I wasn’t sure about the major I wanted to study,” she explains. “I was certain about choosing a path in a design field, since I consider myself being an artistic person. But I was still debating on a career that I would want to choose.”

Her time at Global College helped Adina make up her mind.

“During my Global College course, I realised I have a passion towards architecture and everything that relates to it,” Adina says. “So, after I finish my Bachelor, I hope to become a great architect.”

Adina is thankful for the respect and friendliness of her Global College tutors, and for the classmates she met.  

“My classmates made this year of study so easy and unforgettable,” she says. “They are the funniest and coolest people to be around. I am happy to share so many memories with them.”

Studying at Heriot-Watt University, which is based in Edinburgh in the UK, was also a great opportunity to learn English. The Global College degree entry programmes combine academic English and study skills with discipline-specific learning.

“As an international student, I found it a great opportunity to practice English daily,” Adina adds.

“Plus, I always wanted to study abroad. So I was really happy when I received my unconditional letter.”