International student Jess moved from Canada to Aberdeen to study at RGU and reflects back on her experience as she finishes up her MSc (pre-registration) degree in Physiotherapy.
Making the move to study at RGU
I received my undergraduate degree in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in Canada back in 2021. I knew I wanted to be a physiotherapist early on during my undergraduate education and despite some rejections from Canadian universities, I never gave up.
Upon finishing my undergraduate education, I spent time volunteering and working reception at various physiotherapy clinics where I found out about RGU from a co-worker.
At the time, the thought of moving across the world to pursue a master’s degree was daunting to say the least. I spent countless hours looking at schools in the UK to see which one was the right fit for me.
As an international student, it was critical for me to pick a programme with equivalent curriculum to Canada, that was widely recognized and that made sense financially. RGU ticked all those boxes for me.
My experience of the Physiotherapy course
The programme overall has been challenging and incredibly rewarding at the same time. There was a good balance of practical classes and lectures where I gained all the necessary basics to head into placements.
I had the opportunity to grow not only my clinical skills, but passion for physiotherapy in settings ranging from musculoskeletal to acute stroke and even cardiothoracic surgery. I still don’t know what aspect of physiotherapy I want to do, but I do know I have the right training to excel in any setting I choose.
The friendships I have made from this course are ones that will last a lifetime. If someone reading this is worried about being lonely, know there are 40 other people in the course feeling the same way.
My advice is to get involved as much as you can. I played volleyball for the Aberdeen premier league and the UK beach volleyball league, worked at the local ice arena, took on the role of class representative and spent lots of time at the RGU gym (which is free for students by the way).
Not to mention countless trips around Scotland to keep me busy. I highly recommend the Isle of Skye. I can genuinely say I feel fulfilled by what I’ve accomplished both in and outside of the course.
My time at RGU and in Aberdeen has been some of the best years of my life and I hope this blog inspires other potential students to join the course too.
Jessica Looije
Related blogs
My experience studying a postgraduate course in Physiotherapy
Studying Physiotherapy at RGU to start a new career
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