I can still remember the day I was first dropped off at University in September 2015. My family helped unpack my stuff and off they went back home. For me, this was the first new beginning in a big city, Birmingham. Having read all about the events available for Aston Fresher’s, I wanted to have the best experience possible. I felt like I did. I interacted with different people from the beginning and it gave a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests or those you don’t share too much with. It was exciting to know how people got to the same University albeit arriving from different backgrounds.

I settled into student life quickly and I would describe it as being a bit of a rollercoaster only that you are in control of what turns to take or how fast you wish to go. Being a student at University is great. You’re at a time in your life where you have plenty of time. Studying, without a doubt, is the main priority and nothing should come in the way of that. But other than that, being a student means you can spend time socialising, getting involved in clubs or societies that you may or may not have an interest in, plus loads more! Student life enables you to try lots of things and I guess balancing it all is a skill you learn over time.

The course I study, Accounting for Management, has been interesting for the first two years. Being a Business School course, I have studied a variety of modules that are not all accounting related, but they have created wider awareness for my business acumen as well as being useful for someone wishing to pursue a career in the financial services sector. I believe regular attendance at lectures can help you greatly to ensure you don’t have to cram studying in the final weeks. However, I must stress that seminars are very important! They develop on lecture material by applying the theory and making them relevant to what you will be assessed on.

The thing I like most about University life is the independence and having the freedom that I didn’t necessarily have at home. For example, it would be acceptable to be sleeping during the day (on weekends) or to eat numerous takeaways if one felt the need to! But also, to find my real interests and define goals that I’ll be able to achieve in the future as well as surrounding myself with the right people. Another reason why I am very fond of being independent at University is that I enjoy being self-sufficient. I think University is really setting me up to be in a strong position for my future career.

Learning aside, the skills that are picked up are invaluable, to be able to critique and communicate effectively among many others. I am a firm believer that University can set you up for success if you also pay good attention to what the careers department has to say.  As each day goes on, the competition is increasing, therefore it is more important than ever to focus on personal/professional development.

I hope you have got a good flavour of my life during my first two years at University.