Summer School stories: Yanniek Nitescu

Yanniek, from the Netherlands, discusses his experience using state-of-the-art MRI technology in his studies and making ‘unforgettable memories’ on the Sussex campus.

‘I’ll never forget the memories I made’

I took the course ‘Medical Imaging with Hands-on MRI Experience’. I study medicine, so a course about medical imaging was perfect for me. 

I really liked that we were able to participate in actual experiments, and to use the MRI ourselves. I’ve never seen such a complicated piece of machinery as an MRI, let alone be allowed to put someone inside of it. 

The classroom experience was amazing. We only had five students in our class so everyone got individual attention. We all had a tight connection to the teacher, which made the atmosphere in the classroom very pleasant. Everyone felt supported by the teacher and each other. 

I attended almost all of the social events and Friday excursions. I particularly enjoyed the trip to Arundel Castle, where we saw beautiful gardens and learned about British history. I also really enjoyed the karaoke night on campus, where we made some unforgettable memories.

During the three weeks I stayed in Brighton, everyone went to a pub called Hobgoblin on Monday, for the so called ‘Hobmonday’. This is also where I met some amazing friends that I still talk to even months after the program ended. Another nice place to go is the beach. Me and some friends went to see the sunset, play some frisbee and walk along the coastline. I would recommend going to the beach at least once to everyone.

My coolest memory of the Summer School is when we went to the King and Queen pub during the soccer match between England and Sweden in the Women’s Euros, which England won in a very close penalty shootout. Being there with all the friends I made during the Summer School, along with the atmosphere from England winning, made it an amazing night.

I’ll never forget all the superb memories I made and all the friends I met during my stay at in Falmer. I will take away that going abroad is not as scary as it once seemed, and that it is actually very refreshing, especially when the courses are as good as they were in Sussex.

The ‘Medical Imaging with Hands-on MRI Experience’ module is now called ‘Exploring the Brain: Hands-on Neuroimaging’.