Being a Londoner, when the time came to choose universities, it was important for me to select an institution which was located outside of the capital, featured in the Russell Group and held a good reputation for studying Economics.

The knowledge I gained from both studying the course and living away from home for the first time helped me build a solid foundation upon which I was able to launch my career after graduating. For example, almost all interview processes involve a competency element where you are required to recall a previous experience to demonstrate a certain ability; I used my involvement in societies to demonstrate my willingness to learn and add value in a number of those interviews. Moreover, I was able to directly apply course knowledge when studying for the CFA programme.

After graduating in the summer of 2012, I took a year to deliberate where I wanted to work and what I wanted to do. Whilst I was doing so, I interned in Finance for a small start-up for a few months to ensure my CV had some experience I could fall back on. Eventually, I secured a job at KPMG, who have continued to support me in my personal development, which includes an opportunity to study for the CFA programme. They are also supportive of internal mobility, which was great for someone who was not quite sure exactly what they wanted to do after university; demonstrated by my move to Makinson Cowell, an equity advisory practice, acquired by KPMG in 2013.

The advice I would give to current students is to fully immerse themselves into the overall university experience; during and outside of lectures and classes. Get yourself involved in societies, sports and other socials too. UoB is a great place to do that and it is a university that is constantly looking to grow and develop so that students are best equipped for life after graduating.