Adele Gibb: We race the Formula Student Car in July and spend the year designing, manufacturing and testing

I came to Portsmouth on an Open Day and loved it the second I got here.

I liked how close and convenient everything was. I loved that we were near a beach, but it wasn't so far away from everything else that you had to drive. The reason I chose MEng Mechanical Engineering at Portsmouth was the facilities. I remember being really blown away by all the equipment we have available here.

The Formula Student Car really attracted me so it's no shock that I've ended up on the team! We race in July and spend the whole year designing, manufacturing and testing the car before the big day. In my first year I was a design engineer.

I helped design the anti-roll bar system and the spring suspension, then as I've got further in my degree, I've moved over to the operations side to help with clothing, branding and sponsorship. I've loved being on the team and the contacts that you make are priceless.

I think the biggest challenge was the jump from A Level learning, but the University really supports you through that. They've got loads of learning support on hand if you get stuck, loads of additional classes, loads of tutorial sessions, loads of one-to-one opportunities if you need it. It got me in that mindset that if I can't do something, it's okay to ask for help.

The most useful skill I've learned at Portsmouth would be the ability to know I can deal with a tough situation. So when it gets hard, I know that I can dig that little bit deeper and know I will get through it. I think, going forward, being able to assess a situation that I don't fully understand but knowing where to get the tools to work it out will be a great help.

I've got to know so many groups of amazing people who I'll stay in touch with. I got on with the lecturers really well, and coming into my Master’s year it's vital that you have that rapport.

I did my placement with BAE Systems. I was on the naval base in Portsmouth and really enjoyed it. I was there for 13 months in total and had a vast array of experiences, not all of them engineering, which was great. I got the chance to manage an engineering conference, so I was working with some pretty senior people in the company.

That was great exposure and the engineering challenges were, for example, helping to get boats in and out of the Naval Base and making sure those systems that are hundreds of years old are still working.

My overarching plan is to go into an engineering role and work my way up. On placement I managed to achieve my Eng Tech accreditation with the IMechE - meaning that I'll graduate with professional letters. With my MEng degree I already meet all the educational requirements for Chartership, so I just need to get the experience now - so that is the next goal. I've got a job lined up, working full time for a consultancy company.