My name is Caitlin Bartie and I’m a South African Postgraduate Student studying MSc Civil Engineering Structures.
What scholarship did you receive?
I received the City Star Scholarship from City to encourage my studies.
What undergraduate engineering course did you study?
I studied BEng Civil Engineering before at City, and when I wanted to continue my academic career in the same field, I continued at City.
What has been your favourite module and what have you enjoyed most about your time at City?
My favourite module would have to be Bridge Engineering; it's very design intensive and reflects the feats of megastructure engineering that inspired my interest in the field in the first place. In addition, I enjoy meeting the people in my course that share my interests and passions.
What are your interests outside of your course?
Outside of Civil Engineering, I am a devout squash player – I joined the team at City Sport – and I like scouring the city of London for coffee shops I have not yet discovered.
What do you plan to do after you graduate?
I want to become involved with Conservation Civil Engineering. I love historical buildings and I love history. Hopefully, I can help maintain our engineering past and techniques.
What would be your top tip for our applicants?
If you are unclear which field of work you want to go into, a postgraduate degree like the one I’m in is a good way to explore your options more thoroughly. If you do end up studying something, enjoy your course! You might miss it when it’s over.
What is your proudest academic achievement?
The City Star Scholarship! I qualified because I’m an Alumna and I’m in an Engineering MSc, but I’m very proud to have achieved the highest rating for the scholarship because of my marks and I’m very thankful to City for the wonderful opportunity to continue my academic career.
How do you see your subject of study changing in the future?
Civil Engineering is a field that heavily depends on the materials available to us and on the demands of the people. As new technologies develop, we have the opportunity to take our skills in brand new directions.
In addition, the needs of the world are changing – rising sea levels, clean energy, increasing populations; I look forward to seeing how we as an industry tackle future engineering problems.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to recommend the other opportunities you have available to you at City, like City Sport, outreach programmes and many of the clubs that run weekly in the university.
I would also like to acknowledge my lecturers at City, especially the programme manager of my course, Panagiotis Mergos.
Date of interview: