Manish Khatwani
Manish Khatwani from Tenerife has spoken about achieving First Class Honours BSc Physiotherapy at the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥.
“You probably have heard this many times being said before, I never thought I could achieve it,” he said.
Raised and brought up in Spain, English was the language that Manish said he was least comfortable with. He said: “I mean, I was not good at studying in Spanish, how was I even going to reach the minimum passing marks studying in English? The language barrier has been one of the most difficult challenges I have had to face as a student in the University and in my Physiotherapy placements.
“But yes, I never thought I could achieve it, because I had never truly believed in all of my hard work behind it e.g. being inquisitive, reading newspapers, and learning the common idioms.”
Manish, who came to Worcester through Clearing, is the first to admit that he did not know a huge amount about the City before making his application.
“Why did I choose to study at Worcester? I clearly remember being asked this question at my interview,” he said. “It was clearing day, loads of nervousness as not many opportunities arise for the last spaces on this course, and I remember saying ‘I will be honest, I did not know where Worcester was until yesterday’.”
“When I arrived it did seem like a very nice place, and it reminded me of my hometown in Tenerife,” he added.
In his final two placements, Manish achieved a rating of Excellent for his communication skills, disproving his earlier concerns about working in a second language. Since completing his studies he has returned to Tenerife, but he remains in touch with the contacts he made during his time in England.
“Having being away from my family for years, I have realised the importance of being connected and the impact that has in your day to day life,” he said. “So short-term and long-term I will be working in Tenerife, but hopefully still being connected with patients from England.”