University of Aberdeen Online - Graduation - Nawaf’s story

Each year, we invite our online students to come to Aberdeen campus to celebrate their graduation with family, friends, and classmates.

It’s a joy to meet them in person, hear about their online learning journey, thank those who supported them, and learn about their hopes for the future.

This summer, Nawaf, who completed his MBA online, shared his story about visiting Aberdeen to graduate.

We met Nawaf at his graduation in Aberdeen after he traveled all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia, to celebrate this special achievement.

What made you decide to make the trip to the University of Aberdeen for graduation?

It has always been a dream of mine to experience graduation in person at the University of Aberdeen and celebrate the significant milestone of earning my MBA. Beyond the personal achievement, Scotland is an absolutely beautiful country to visit in the summer, and I was fortunate to have the time to make this long-awaited journey a reality.

How long did the journey take?

Coming all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia, it was quite a journey! The flight to London alone took almost 16 hours. From there, it was a 5-hour train ride to Edinburgh, followed by a fantastic road trip from Edinburgh to Aberdeen.

Our primary modes of transport were planes (for the international leg), trains (from London to Edinburgh), bus, tram and of course a rental car. The car was essential for our road trip, especially since we explored the stunning Isle of Skye.

What did you do in Aberdeen whilst you were here?

During my time in Aberdeen, I spent a significant amount of time exploring the University of Aberdeen campus, as it was my first time seeing it in person. Even though it rained on graduation day, coming from Indonesia, that was nothing compared to our rain lol so it was still lovely. To celebrate the graduation, we had a delightful dinner at Miller & Carter Steakhouse. We also enjoyed strolling around the city centre, which felt incredibly calm and beautiful.

Did you plan to visit anywhere else as part of the journey?

Absolutely! Since this was our first time visiting the UK, my friends and I made sure to explore other parts of the country. We kicked off our adventure with four days in the bustling city of London, followed by three days in Edinburgh. From Edinburgh, we embarked on an unforgettable road trip through some of Scotland’s most iconic landscapes, including Loch Lomond, the Isle of Skye (where we visited many beautiful places such as the Old Man of Storr, Quiraing, Kilt Rock, Fairy Glen, and Fairy Pools), Glenfinnan, Inverness, and Loch Ness. We didn’t encounter any actual fairies, but we saw so many beautiful rainbows along the way, which felt just as magical. After my graduation in Aberdeen, continue our trip in Cardiff, where we were incredibly lucky to catch Oasis’s first concert in 20 years. It was a truly awesome trip from start to finish.