Reuben Simon

1st year

Reuben, from London, is studying Brewing and Distilling.

What made you choose Heriot-Watt University?

I was drawn to study at Heriot-Watt because of its unique course offerings. And I really wanted to live in Edinburgh. I visited the city for the first time when I was fourteen years old, and I just felt that this place had a vibe that was so me. The architecture in the city centre, the Old and New Towns, are so pretty you can lose yourself exploring. But there's also so much that Edinburgh offers in the way of arts and culture. Year round there seems to be every kind of live music playing from folk and trad in teensy little pubs to sell-out gigs in stadiums and concert halls. Then the city turns itself inside out every August with the Fringe Festival, it is insane how much goes on.

Another reason why I chose Heriot Watt University academically was that I felt so welcomed by the university staff. I visited the Edinburgh campus in May before I began my degree here, quite spontaneously, I didn't sign up for a tour or an open day (although I hear those are very good) yet the staff on reception were super friendly and helpful, they gave me a map and told me where my course's department was. Once I got there an academic who I think was otherwise going to leave for the day gave up his time for me to show me around the pilot brewery and distillery and speak to me more about my chosen course and studying here. It really made me feel secure because I was treated as an individual and that I was making the right decision.

What programme are you studying and what's your experience been like so far?

I study Brewing and Distilling at undergraduate level. I'm not going to lie, some of my modules have been challenging, but I enjoy rising to the challenge and overall, I find all that I'm learning new, exciting, and interesting.

At least for my course I like the balance of coursework and exams and there's a real variety of how I'm assessed. It's not just all meaty essays or all long exam papers. A good example is some groupwork I did last semester, now collaboration isn't everyone's cup of tea I'm sure and the hardest part surprisingly was getting our schedules together. To me it makes sense as it is good preparation for the working world.

The lectures have been great too, I've sat through some classes in the past that have bored me out of my skull. But at Heriot Watt it feels like at some point they all sat in a room and had a think about how they can maximise how engaging lectures can be: they are made accessible for all learning styles; there's audience participation through polls, quizzes, or surveys; and the key takeaways are clearly signposted at the beginning and summarised at the end.

Circling back to Brewing and Distilling, what I study. It's important to point out that Heriot-Watt is the only university in the UK that offers such a course. I am interested in working in the drinks industry and so Scotland feels like its natural home. You can't move for whisky here. Doesn't make you so much fun at parties. Being snobby about flavour profile when everyone's chugging the stuff.

How did you find transitioning from high school to university?

The transition from a study-skills standpoint has been a little tough. I took a gap between leaving school and coming here where I worked a bunch of different jobs and lived independently. So, I was set for university life. But, my A-levels were disrupted by the covid pandemic, so now has felt like the time to knuckle down and learn to be a student again. Thankfully it would seem that the first year of university has provided an introduction into all the key topics I'll be learning, so with enough effort I've been able to grasp the material and revised study skills like preparing for exams, effective notetaking, and revision practices.

How did you find settling in at university?

I transferred from another university before coming to Heriot-Watt, the programme here suited me better. I found settling in quite easy as I'd done it before, and the process is mostly the same. My advice to a fresher would be to pace yourself. There are so many exciting opportunities that Heriot-Watt offers. Absolutely try as much as possible and throw yourself into new experiences in Freshers week but make sure that your schedule is manageable in the long term. If you commit to a gazillion different societies, sports teams, and extra-curricular activities you'll find it unsustainable, so think about what you enjoy most and prioritise the few over the many. I've found the societies that I've joined at Heriot-Watt to be the best places to meet people, make friends with shared interests and get advice from older years on my course (mainly, to stick it out it gets better the more work you put in).

When I have struggled settling in, I found my Personal Tutor to be super helpful. It's important to establish a good relationship with them and to clearly communicate when things are going wrong, and they will go wrong. Suffering in silence is far worse. The advice hub was also a fantastic resource. I find navigating university websites when looking for support to be a labyrinth (I suppose the silver-lining is that they are so many specific pages for different types of help). But the advice hub is a physical place with lovely people who were able to point me in the right direction for my mental health and wellbeing and to give me advice on filling out a mitigating circumstances form. It really does help being on a campus for that kind of stuff too, as all those places like the wellbeing or student success offices or the maths hub are all on-campus and easy enough to find. Previously I was at a “city” university. So, if I wanted to go from a class to in-person wellbeing support, it could be a trek across town. Most of it was online anyway. Here you have that choice, whichever's best for you. And the student union is there for you.

Equally, there's a good balance of social activities on-campus and in the heart of Edinburgh. As I live off-campus, it's nice knowing that there's a Heriot-Watt student community in Edinburgh to socialise with.

What extra-curricular activities have you gotten involved with?

I regularly go to the gym. The Oriam team are fab. Having the same friendly faces wishing you a good day each time you train cements the routine and makes me want to keep showing up. I've signed up to my course's relevant societies: the Brewing, Whisky and Chemical Engineering societies. These are a great way to hear other students' experiences of university and get personal, relevant study advice. But not in a classroom, over a drink in the pub or a fun social. You quickly find your circle and then realise you all have a lot of mutual friends from other places. Funky friendship Venn diagram. I took up music last semester, I played in the orchestra and sang in the choir for a bit. It was nice to keep that side of my interests going. I'm only sad to say that as I got busier closer to exams I couldn't keep it up. I would like to get into a sport next year as I hear there's nothing better for that mix of camaraderie and feeling like you're achieving something more than yourself. What's holding me back is feeling that I'm not good enough for a sports team. Which is ludicrous I've been told a dozen times that the sports societies are welcoming at all levels.

What's it like on campus?

It's perfect. I get in each day, put the hours in and feel satisfied that I've done a full day's work when I return home (rush-hour traffic's a pain but that's reality). On campus I'm close to all the facilities I need. Everywhere's in walking distance from eachother, and they're great walks too. I love how green the campus is, when I have a break or need some time to decompress I am so close to one of the nature trails or woodland walks that are on campus. It's a bit silly but it does make me smile that when the weather's nice I can take a shortcut outside and see loads of birds, squirrels and other animals. Green over grey anyday.

Where are you living this year? What's it like?

I live in a private flat close to the city centre, which on the one hand isn't ideal for my morning commute but I take it because I like spending my evenings and weekends somewhere where its buzzing. I count myself super lucky that I have a car. I know that it's a luxury not everyone can afford so I have offered my services to the university's ride-sharing forum. I've taken the bus a couple of times too and am fairly impressed with the convenience of the services. If you live somewhere in town close to a 25 or 35 stop you're set, because these basically work like shuttle buses to uni and they whizz along the Calder Road bus lane (something my car can't do in rush-hour traffic) but if you live two buses away from uni like I do it's usually the connecting bus that's the hassle-y one. Luckily there's an app for that. Edinburgh Bus and Tram so you don't miss a bus. And get yourself a Young Scot card stat.

What's your experience of living in Edinburgh?

Edinburgh is the perfect pace city. I'm from London so I get jabs about being a city rat trying to escape, all in good jest. When I'm not in uni you can find me down the pub with friends. There are too many to choose from and every kind of style from quiet real-ale boozer with a pub quiz or board games to sleek student deal bars with live DJ a couple of times a week. Food is good here too, at any budget or any cuisine. At the weekend I try to get out and explore. There are green spaces like the Meadows, Holyrood Park, Water of Leith, or Botanical Gardens that I love and keep coming back to. Equally there are markets and different neighbourhoods with their own unique village feelings to them. When you get away from the student housing areas you can marvel at the Georgian architecture in the New Town or Stockbridge (the way the housing ladder's going no way anyone under 65 can afford there without several mortgages). The Portobello beach or Leith makes for a good daytrip too. Where I live there are some great independent cinemas like the Cameo or Dominion I believe they do student tickets. And if you have varied taste in music, I couldn't recommend more Summerhall, The Queen's or Usher Hall.

Did you travel home often?

I try to get home for a weekend at least once each semester, excluding the summer and winter holidays. Consolidation week mid-semester is a good opportunity for that. I mostly take the train as I find it most convenient and least-hassle. But often flying is cheaper and quicker. Door-to-door they're about the same timewise, as a Londoner if you live close to Stansted or Luton flying would be preferable as these are much cheaper flights than Heathrow. My encouragement towards taking the train would be that you can get a fair bit of work done from your seat (or watch a movie I'm not stopping you). When I flew, although quicker I was on the move a lot, taking the bus to/from the airport or walking through security etc. So that's why I prefer taking the train (not even mentioning the environment). Seatfrog is a handy little app where you can bid to be upgraded to a first-class train ticket, feels pretty comfy. Equally trainline with a 16-25 railcard reaps benefits.