Darogan Talent often shares stats about the many students who choose to study outside of Wales. But we think that the stories behind those stats are just as important. Over the next few months we will be giving students the opportunity to share their stories, and for readers to get a flavour of what it is like to study outside of Wales in various locations.
To kick the series off, we asked Heledd Powell who is studying in Northern Ireland about her experiences and heard about some exciting developments at her university…
Hi Heledd! Can you tell us a little bit about who you are, where you have come from, and what you are currently up to?
Hi! I’m Heledd, I‘m 20 years old, and I’m about to start my second year studying medicine at Queen’s University Belfast. I’m from Cardiff and am a first language Welsh speaker. As I applied as a deferred applicant, I took a gap year and worked and travelled a lot. I enjoy running and am currently preparing for my 5th half marathon in October. I also play football for the university team which is a good way to relieve some stress from the studying that medicine demands.
What made you decide to study at Queen's University Belfast?
The course mostly! It’s cased based learning which combines core scientific teaching with working as a team through cases of simulated patients. It also has placement from the first week, and Queen’s offers full body dissection, which is quite rare. I’d say Belfast is similar to Cardiff in size, as well as how friendly everyone is - so I knew I’d be happy living there. I know I want to return to Wales in the future, so I was ready to move away from home for University.
What have been the highlights of your first year studying in Belfast?
First year has flown by - and I’ve enjoyed every minute! Moving in and meeting so many new people in freshers was a whirlwind. St Patrick’s Day was so good, a right of passage in Northern Ireland…and I loved going to the Med Ball!
So… I hear that you have recently decided to start a Welsh society for Queen’s! What’s been the story so far?
Yes! So I unofficially started the Welsh Society in November 2022, in the first term of university. It took a lot of paperwork and emails, but our application was accepted by the student’s union on the 4th of May. We’ve had a lot of interest so far, and we’ve not even had a freshers fair yet, so I’m excited to get things kickstarted properly in September! I’ve got a committee who share my passion for all things Welsh, and we’ve met many times over the past year to watch the rugby and football. We have an instagram @CymryQUB and a website page on the Queen’s Students Union website. We’ve got a lot planned for the years ahead, and I’m so excited to see where things go for the society.
Why did you decide to start a Welsh society in the first place?
When I was looking at the Queen’s website during my gap year, I was disappointed to find there was no Welsh society. My friends and family in universities across the UK have been involved members of Welsh societies, so I wanted to bring that sense of community to Belfast - a home away from home. I found a few Welsh course-mates and had heard of other Welsh students at Queen’s, who shared an interest in starting a Welsh society too. It all kind of went from there…
Looking ahead to the new academic year, what do you have planned for the society?
We have so many fun events ahead, to start, the freshers fair! We’ve got lots to advertise and loads of freebies to give out, most importantly. We intend to get as many sign-ups as we can, from first years to mature students - everyone is welcome. We’ve got Welsh themed fancy-dress parties planned, as well as Welsh lessons and coffee mornings to encourage students to pick up some phrases and bring a friend along. I’m most excited for our trip to Dublin to watch Wales vs Ireland, which will be an exciting game! We’re also keen to work with a local homeless charity to cook Cawl and provide hot meals in January. We’ll definitely have a few pub crawl socials in between, and maybe even a collaboration with the Gaelic society!
Why should students in Belfast get involved?
If you’re studying at Queen’s and are from Wales, have an interest, or connection to Wales, please come and join! It’s such a great opportunity to meet new people and have a sense of belonging away from home. Moving so far from Wales can be daunting, but to have something in common with members within the community is so comforting. It’s a place to relax away from studying and socialise with likeminded people. We are always looking for new ideas for socials and are excited to meet new members in September!
And a tough question to finish! You’ve only just finished your first year (of a five year degree), so I wouldn’t expect you to have thought too much about this, but… have you thought about what you might do after you graduate? Any initial thoughts?
Once I graduate, I still have a lot of training ahead! At the moment, I think the specialties that interest me are A&E or GP - but I may find I’m better suited to another specialty on placement. I’d love to do my FY1 and FY2 years in London. I lived there for 4 months on my gap year, working as an au pair for a Welsh speaking family, and I love the buzz of a city. I know it’s cliche, but moving to Australia is looking appealing at the moment, it’d give me the opportunity to travel and work in a system outside the NHS and bring back what I’ve learnt to Wales. Cardiff will always be my home, and I know I want to live in Wales long term. However, I want to see as much of the world and work all over the UK and beyond, before then.
I’m excited to see what QUB Welsh soc and Darogan Talent get up to in the future! Diolch :)
Darogan Talent often shares stats about the many students who choose to study outside of Wales. But we think that the stories behind those stats are just as important. Over the next few months we will be giving students the opportunity to share their stories, and for readers to get a flavour of what it is like to study outside of Wales in various locations.
To kick the series off, we asked Heledd Powell who is studying in Northern Ireland about her experiences and heard about some exciting developments at her university…
Hi Heledd! Can you tell us a little bit about who you are, where you have come from, and what you are currently up to?
Hi! I’m Heledd, I‘m 20 years old, and I’m about to start my second year studying medicine at Queen’s University Belfast. I’m from Cardiff and am a first language Welsh speaker. As I applied as a deferred applicant, I took a gap year and worked and travelled a lot. I enjoy running and am currently preparing for my 5th half marathon in October. I also play football for the university team which is a good way to relieve some stress from the studying that medicine demands.
What made you decide to study at Queen's University Belfast?
The course mostly! It’s cased based learning which combines core scientific teaching with working as a team through cases of simulated patients. It also has placement from the first week, and Queen’s offers full body dissection, which is quite rare. I’d say Belfast is similar to Cardiff in size, as well as how friendly everyone is - so I knew I’d be happy living there. I know I want to return to Wales in the future, so I was ready to move away from home for University.
What have been the highlights of your first year studying in Belfast?
First year has flown by - and I’ve enjoyed every minute! Moving in and meeting so many new people in freshers was a whirlwind. St Patrick’s Day was so good, a right of passage in Northern Ireland…and I loved going to the Med Ball!
So… I hear that you have recently decided to start a Welsh society for Queen’s! What’s been the story so far?
Yes! So I unofficially started the Welsh Society in November 2022, in the first term of university. It took a lot of paperwork and emails, but our application was accepted by the student’s union on the 4th of May. We’ve had a lot of interest so far, and we’ve not even had a freshers fair yet, so I’m excited to get things kickstarted properly in September! I’ve got a committee who share my passion for all things Welsh, and we’ve met many times over the past year to watch the rugby and football. We have an instagram @CymryQUB and a website page on the Queen’s Students Union website. We’ve got a lot planned for the years ahead, and I’m so excited to see where things go for the society.
Why did you decide to start a Welsh society in the first place?
When I was looking at the Queen’s website during my gap year, I was disappointed to find there was no Welsh society. My friends and family in universities across the UK have been involved members of Welsh societies, so I wanted to bring that sense of community to Belfast - a home away from home. I found a few Welsh course-mates and had heard of other Welsh students at Queen’s, who shared an interest in starting a Welsh society too. It all kind of went from there…
Looking ahead to the new academic year, what do you have planned for the society?
We have so many fun events ahead, to start, the freshers fair! We’ve got lots to advertise and loads of freebies to give out, most importantly. We intend to get as many sign-ups as we can, from first years to mature students - everyone is welcome. We’ve got Welsh themed fancy-dress parties planned, as well as Welsh lessons and coffee mornings to encourage students to pick up some phrases and bring a friend along. I’m most excited for our trip to Dublin to watch Wales vs Ireland, which will be an exciting game! We’re also keen to work with a local homeless charity to cook Cawl and provide hot meals in January. We’ll definitely have a few pub crawl socials in between, and maybe even a collaboration with the Gaelic society!
Why should students in Belfast get involved?
If you’re studying at Queen’s and are from Wales, have an interest, or connection to Wales, please come and join! It’s such a great opportunity to meet new people and have a sense of belonging away from home. Moving so far from Wales can be daunting, but to have something in common with members within the community is so comforting. It’s a place to relax away from studying and socialise with likeminded people. We are always looking for new ideas for socials and are excited to meet new members in September!
And a tough question to finish! You’ve only just finished your first year (of a five year degree), so I wouldn’t expect you to have thought too much about this, but… have you thought about what you might do after you graduate? Any initial thoughts?
Once I graduate, I still have a lot of training ahead! At the moment, I think the specialties that interest me are A&E or GP - but I may find I’m better suited to another specialty on placement. I’d love to do my FY1 and FY2 years in London. I lived there for 4 months on my gap year, working as an au pair for a Welsh speaking family, and I love the buzz of a city. I know it’s cliche, but moving to Australia is looking appealing at the moment, it’d give me the opportunity to travel and work in a system outside the NHS and bring back what I’ve learnt to Wales. Cardiff will always be my home, and I know I want to live in Wales long term. However, I want to see as much of the world and work all over the UK and beyond, before then.
I’m excited to see what QUB Welsh soc and Darogan Talent get up to in the future! Diolch :)
Mae Darogan Talent yn aml yn rhannu ystadegau am y myfyrwyr niferus sy'n dewis astudio y tu allan i Gymru. Ond credwn fod y straeon y tu ôl i'r ystadegau hynny yr un mor bwysig. Dros y misoedd nesaf byddwn yn rhoi cyfle i fyfyrwyr rannu eu straeon, ac i ddarllenwyr gael blas ar sut beth yw hi i astudio y tu allan i Gymru mewn gwahanol leoliadau.
I gychwyn y gyfres, fe wnaethom holi Heledd Powell sy’n astudio yng Ngogledd Iwerddon am ei phrofiadau a chlywed am rai datblygiadau cyffrous yn ei phrifysgol…
Helo Heledd! A allwch chi ddweud ychydig wrthym am bwy ydych chi, o ble rydych chi’n dod, a beth rydych chi'n ei wneud ar hyn o bryd?
Helo! Heledd ydw i, dwi’n 20 oed, ac rydw i ar fin dechrau fy ail flwyddyn yn astudio meddygaeth ym Mhrifysgol Queen’s, Belfast. Dw i’n dod o Gaerdydd ac yn siaradwr Cymraeg iaith gyntaf. Wrth i mi wneud cais fel ymgeisydd gohiriedig, cymerais i flwyddyn i ffwrdd a gweithio a theithio llawer. Rwy'n mwynhau rhedeg ac ar hyn o bryd rwy'n paratoi ar gyfer fy 5ed hanner marathon ym mis Hydref. Rydw i hefyd yn chwarae pêl-droed i dîm y brifysgol sy'n ffordd dda o leddfu rhywfaint o straen o astudio meddygaeth.
Beth wnaeth i chi benderfynu astudio ym Mhrifysgol Queen's Belfast?
Y cwrs yn bennaf! Mae’n ddysgu seiliedig ar achosion sy’n cyfuno addysgu gwyddonol craidd â gweithio fel tîm trwy achosion o gleifion efelychiedig. Mae’r cwrs hefyd yn cynnig lleoliadau o'r wythnos gyntaf, ac mae Queen's yn cynnig dyraniad corff llawn, sy'n eithaf prin. Byddwn i'n dweud bod Belfast yn debyg i Gaerdydd o ran maint, yn ogystal â pha mor gyfeillgar yw pawb - felly roeddwn i'n gwybod y byddwn i'n hapus yn byw yno. Rwy’n gwybod fy mod eisiau dychwelyd i Gymru yn y dyfodol, felly roeddwn yn barod i symud oddi cartref ar gyfer y Brifysgol.
Beth fu uchafbwyntiau eich blwyddyn gyntaf yn astudio yn Belfast?
Mae’r flwyddyn gyntaf wedi hedfan heibio - a dwi wedi mwynhau pob munud! Roedd symud i mewn a chwrdd â chymaint o bobl newydd yn ystod wythnos y glas yn gorwynt o hwyl. Roedd Dydd San Padrig mor dda, sy'n draddodiad pwysig yng Ngogledd Iwerddon…a ro’n i wrth fy modd yn mynd i’r Med Ball!
Felly… dwi’n clywed dy fod di wedi penderfynu cychwyn cymdeithas Gymreig ar gyfer Queens yn ddiweddar! Beth yw’r stori hyd yn hyn?
Ie! Felly dechreuais y Gymdeithas Gymreig yn answyddogol ym mis Tachwedd 2022, yn nhymor cyntaf y brifysgol. Cymerodd lawer o waith papur ac e-byst, ond derbyniwyd ein cais gan undeb y myfyrwyr ar y 4ydd o Fai. Rydyn ni wedi cael llawer o ddiddordeb hyd yn hyn, a dydyn ni ddim hyd yn oed wedi cael ffair y glas eto, felly rydw i'n gyffrous i gael cychwyn da iawn ym mis Medi! Mae gen i bwyllgor sy’n rhannu fy angerdd am bopeth Cymreig, ac rydyn ni wedi cyfarfod droeon dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf i wylio’r rygbi a phêl-droed. Mae gennym ni instagram @CymryQUB a thudalen gwefan ar wefan Undeb Myfyrwr Queen’s. Mae gennym ni lawer wedi’i gynllunio ar gyfer y blynyddoedd i ddod, ac rydw i mor gyffrous i weld beth ffydd yn digwydd gyda’r gymdeithas.
Pam wnaethoch chi benderfynu dechrau cymdeithas Gymreig yn y lle cyntaf?
Pan oeddwn yn edrych ar wefan Queen’s yn ystod fy mlwyddyn i ffwrdd, roeddwn yn siomedig i ddarganfod nad oedd cymdeithas Gymreig. Mae fy ffrindiau a fy nheulu mewn prifysgolion ar draws y DU wedi bod yn aelodau o gymdeithasau Cymreig, felly roeddwn i eisiau dod â’r ymdeimlad hwnnw o gymuned i Belfast – cartref oddi cartref. Des i o hyd i rai cyd-fyfyrwyr o Gymru ac roeddwn i wedi clywed am Gymry eraill yn Queen’s, a oedd yn rhannu diddordeb mewn dechrau cymdeithas Gymreig hefyd. Aeth y cyfan o'r fan honno...
Gan edrych ymlaen at y flwyddyn academaidd newydd, beth ydych chi wedi'i gynllunio ar gyfer y gymdeithas?
Mae gennym ni gymaint o ddigwyddiadau hwyl o'n blaenau, i ddechrau, ffair y glas! Mae gennym ni lawer i'w hysbysebu a llwyth o nwyddau am ddim i'w dosbarthu yn bwysicaf oll. Rydym yn bwriadu cael cymaint o gofrestriadau ag y gallwn, o fyfyrwr blwyddyn gyntaf i fyfyrwyr aeddfed - mae croeso i bawb. Mae gennym ni bartïon gwisg ffansi Cymreig wedi’u cynllunio, yn ogystal â gwersi Cymraeg a boreau coffi i annog myfyrwyr i bigo i fyny rhai ymadroddion a dod â ffrind gyda nhw. Rwy’n gyffrous iawn am ein taith i Ddulyn i wylio Cymru yn erbyn Iwerddon, a fydd yn gêm gyffrous! Rydym hefyd yn awyddus i weithio gydag elusen ddigartref leol i goginio cawl a darparu prydau poeth ym mis Ionawr. Yn bendant byddwn yn cymdeithasu rhwng y digwyddiadau yma, ac efallai hyd yn oed neud digwyddiad ar y cyd gyda’r gymdeithas Aeleg!
Pam ddylai myfyrwyr yn Belfast gymryd rhan?
Os ydych chi’n astudio yn Queen’s ac yn dod o Gymru, neu os oes gennych chi ddiddordeb, neu gysylltiad â Chymru, dewch i ymuno! Mae’n gyfle gwych i gwrdd â phobl newydd a chael ymdeimlad o berthyn oddi cartref. Gall symud mor bell o Gymru fod yn frawychus, ond mae cael rhywbeth yn gyffredin ag aelodau o fewn y gymuned yn gymaint o gysur. Mae’n lle i ymlacio oddi wrth astudio a chymdeithasu â phobl sy’n debyg i chi. Rydym bob amser yn chwilio am syniadau newydd ar gyfer digwyddiadau cymdeithasol ac yn gyffrous i gwrdd ag aelodau newydd ym mis Medi!
A chwestiwn anodd i orffen! Rydych chi newydd orffen eich blwyddyn gyntaf (gradd pum mlynedd), felly byddiwn i ddim yn disgwyl i chi fod wedi meddwl gormod am hyn, ond … ydych chi wedi meddwl beth allech chi ei wneud ar ôl graddio? Unrhyw feddyliau cychwynnol?
Ar ôl i mi raddio, mae gen i lawer o hyfforddiant o'm blaen o hyd! Ar hyn o bryd, rwy’n meddwl mai’r arbenigeddau sydd o ddiddordeb i mi yw’r Adran Damweiniau ac Achosion Brys neu Feddyg Teulu – ond efallai y byddaf yn gweld fy mod yn fwy addas i arbenigedd arall wrth fynd ar leoliadau. Byddwn i wrth fy modd yn gwneud fy mlwyddyn FY1 a FY2 yn Llundain. Bues i'n byw yno am 4 mis yn ystod fy mlwyddyn i ffwrdd, yn gweithio fel au pair i deulu Cymraeg eu hiaith, a dwi'n hoff iawn o wefr dinas. Rwy’n gwybod ei fod yn ystrydeb, ond mae symud i Awstralia yn edrych yn apelgar ar hyn o bryd, byddai’n rhoi’r cyfle i mi deithio a gweithio mewn system y tu allan i’r GIG a dod â’r hyn rwyf wedi’i ddysgu yn ôl i Gymru. Bydd Caerdydd wastad yn gartref i mi, a gwn fy mod eisiau byw yng Nghymru yn y tymor hir. Fodd bynnag, rwyf am weld cymaint o’r byd a gweithio ym mhob rhan o’r DU a thu hwnt cyn hynny.
Dwi’n gyffrous i weld beth fydd Soc Cymreig QUB a Darogan Talent yn ei wneud yn y dyfodol! Diolch :)