Interview with Zahra Sheikh —
BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy
About you
“I am originally from Zambia — a country
in southern Africa, and a far cry from
Scotland!”
Why did you choose to study speech
and language therapy?
“I chose to study speech and language
therapy as there is a huge need for
health professionals in Zambia. There are
no available degrees at the local
universities and after looking into what
speech and language therapy was, I
decided it was something that would not
only benefit my country but it would also
be a great fit to my personality. “
Why did you choose to study in
Edinburgh/ QMU?
“I came to Edinburgh in the summer of
2010 for my older sister’s graduation and
fell in love with the city! I was keen to
study here, so was very excited when I
applied for the BSc (Hons) Speech and
Language Therapy at QMU and was
accepted. Not only would I be studying
at one of the best universities for the
course, I’d be doing it in such a beautiful
place.”
Living away from home
“Living away from home was hard for the
first few months — I didn’t realise how
much I had depended on my mum! But it
is great once you get the hang of being
on your own and depending on yourself.
Living in the city with my friends means
that I am never short of laughs or
shoulders to lean on in times of need.
“Living in Edinburgh is amazing and I
urge all students to make the most of it!
Go on walks without knowing where you
are going, go into all the cool little cafés
and, most off all, appreciate how
beautiful it is — it never fails to take my
breath away, even on the rainiest of
days.
“Moving away from home was a very
hard thing to do, especially as I moved
so far away and there was a huge culture
shock, but I made good friends who
gave me top tips on how to adapt to
living in a place which was much colder
than home.”
The course
“The highlight of my course so far has no
doubt been the placements that I’ve
been on. The different exposure to a
range of clients has provided me with an
insight into the health system, the
different service users and the positive
impact I will potentially have on
individuals.
“To potential students, it will all eventually
make sense. Stick with it! In the
beginning you seem to be all over the
place learning all sorts of stuff that
doesn’t seem speech-related, but they
are and it will all come together
eventually!”
Life as a student at QMU
“QMU is a small university, so it’s easy to
make friends and see each other often
enough. I have enjoyed bumping into
people throughout the day in-between
classes and stopping for a chat. I am
also a part of the Snow Sports society
and have really enjoyed spending time
with the group, going out and doing
social activities. Looking forward to this
year’s trip to the Alps! My top tip would
be to remember that everyone is just as
shy as you are. Be confident and talk to
people and by the time Year Four comes
around, you’ll be wishing you hadn’t
wasted so much time being shy!”
What do you hope to do when you
graduate?
“After graduating I’m hoping to pursue a
master’s degree in audiology.”
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