Robert Atton

BA (Hons) Design for Industry

Where are you from?

Morpeth

Why did you choose Northumbria University, Newcastle?

It had a great reputation, and also financially made more sense to stay local.

What do you think of Newcastle and our region and what are your favourite things to do?

I think the region is great, there are so many different things to do, I enjoy going mountain biking around the local areas, Kielder, Hamsterley forrest and a few others. i play badminton every week which is a great bit of exercise and is a great way to meet new people. I also enjoy the night life and restaurants available.

What have you enjoyed most about coming to Northumbria University?

I have enjoyed the course I am on and also the abaility to get back into playing more sports on a regular basis.

Who has inspired you most at Northumbria University?

A former student, Jean Paul Gregory. He currently works for Bentley and was a student here, he gave it a good reputation and enjoyed his time. Also my old college tutor who was a great friend to me, he helped me out with work, issues outside of college and helped me push to the best of my abilities.

What is your favourite place on campus?

Sports Central, because of the variety of sports available to hire and for how cheap it is for students.

Have you joined any sports teams, clubs or been involved in any volunteer projects? Tells us about the highlights?

I have joined the badminton club and enjoyed my time, I have a badminton partner and we have both entered mens double tournaments since playing together.

What is the best thing about your course?

The ability develop transferable skills to other areas of design and the ability to talk to and work with some outside contractors from companies who are internationally known.

What are the most valuable lessons you have learnt to date?

To make sure I keep a time table and to track what work is required and when.

What do you want to do in the future? What skills have you learned/improved that you think will be of most use in your future career?

I think my time management has improved the most, this will allow me to allocate my time for better use and allow me to stress less about hand in dates.

Have you worked on any projects with businesses or been on a placement? What were your most memorable experiences?

Yes i have, with Philips and another company, the best experience from this was getting the knowledge from people inside the industry so you could then apply this to a project.

If you could offer some advice to students thinking of coming to study here what would you say?

I would say, go for it. However expect to be overwhelmed at first and then ease it out over the first couple months. It's tough but the rewards will be worth it.

How do you feel you have changed as a person since being at Northumbria University, Newcastle (e.g. confidence)?

I feel I have grown in confidence and in leadership skills, I feel now as if I were part of a bigger team, and they people with issues can raise these with me being a student rep.