My name is Darina, my background is Russian, so I’m bilingual. I’m currently studying to become a radiographer. After graduation I hope to either continue advancing in radiography, or continue to study medicine with the hope of becoming a radiologist.

I believe I have quite a broad range of interests. I’m always open to learning something new. I love learning about and emersing myself in different cultures, so I’m big on travel and have a life time goal of learning Spanish fluently(ish).

When it actually comes down to choosing a course at uni, we are all unique individuals with our particular needs/wants, likes and dislikes; however, it is worth to ask yourself questions like these:

• Is the subject right for me?

• Is the structure of this course, at this particular university right for me?

• What are the rankings? - consult major ranking tables and the calculated averages. There are some which will give you a general ranking, but others may have separate tables for each subject. For example, maybe the most important data for you is student:staff ratio. The lower this ratio is, the better because in smaller classes you can ask questions and understand the topics more easily.

• What sports and societies are on offer?

• What accommodation (halls or private) are available?

• Physically put these questions on paper and write the answers next to them. Don’t keep all of this information in your head, you’ll need that head space for exams.

Diagnostic Radiography is a diverse, ever changing profession. That in itself was enough to attract a young ambitious individual like myself to pursue this career. I wanted to study this subject somewhere where I could experience the full potential of this profession, and feel supported and valued along the way. University of Plymouth ticked the boxes. Plymouth was the first university open day I attended during my school years, and I was so pleased to feel welcomed and heard already at that stage. People had time for me, to listen to me, to answer my queries. No university that I then visited could match this. I felt wanted by the university, and still do to this day.