“Before university, I spent a gap year travelling and working; I spent five months in what locals describe as ‘a small rural town of a million people’ in China and had a fantastic experience but I couldn’t wait to come to university.

Geography was always my favourite subject at school, which is why I wanted to pursue it at degree level. I am interested in the global aspects of geography and was particularly attracted to the Human Geography modules offered by The University of Nottingham.

One of the course’s greatest strengths is the community feel it generates in the department. Through the compulsory fieldtrip in your first year, you quickly get to know the other names and faces on the course and everyone sticks together across the years. Another strength is the opportunity to travel further a field on later fieldtrips to places like Paris, Berlin or, more locally, the Isle of Mull in Scotland.

The department has a dedicated resource centre, although most Geography journals are now or soon will be available online too. The resource centre offers maps of the world, a 24-hour computer room and GIS facilities.

The staff are friendly and approachable. I am currently President of the Geography Society and also a member of the Staff Student Consultative Committee, which means that I act as a liaison between staff and students to ensure good communication between the two.

I have recently spent two months in Honduras researching land rights for my dissertation. When I graduate, I plan to return to Honduras in the short term to participate in a UN development programme before doing a Masters degree.