Abbey College Cambridge Main Entrance

Abbey College Cambridge Alumni Experiences: Ben from China

17th September 19

students and members of staff and alumni

Abbey College Cambridge Alumni: Ben Shen

(Ben pictured with Abbey College Cambridge teachers and staff during a recent visit.)

‘After graduating from Abbey Cambridge, I went to Imperial College London to study EIE (electronic and information engineering). Now I have just finished my second year there.

Life at Imperial is very intensive but worthwhile. My degree focuses on information processing. We start by learning the essence of communication and computing in the first two years, then specialise in areas such as machine learning, digital system design, and communications.

The part I love the most about my life here are projects. In the first two years, I have designed PCB from a schematic, written Verilog for FPGA, and built complex projects such as C Compiler. All of these projects were fascinating, and experiencing them will really makes me stand out from other graduates.

My life at Abbey College definitely helped me get here. The college has excellent teachers who help you to get the grade you need. They also understand how to present yourself to the university and to make yourself an attractive candidate.

Apart from their efforts to help you excel in academic studies, they also have activities designed to help to broaden your knowledge and vision. This helps you to really decide what you are interested in, not just which industry gets paid more, or where your parents want you to go.

For examples, I took part in the Engineering Education Scheme at the college. Before this I was thinking of becoming an engineer, as I enjoyed solving problems, but I was not really sure where to get started. After the scheme, it became clear that the digital system was the area I am really interested in. The scheme really positively influenced me, especially considering how enjoyable I find the digital system, even after spending two years studying it.’

Ben has spent the summer working as Design & Verification Hardware Intern at Cambridge based semiconductor and software design multinational company Arm. He will return to Imperial College London in Autumn 2019 to complete his undergraduate studies.