Business and Management with a Year in Industry
My course has helped me to achieve so much more than I knew I was capable of.
Business at Kent ranks consistently well which initially drew me towards studying at Kent Business School. I visited the Canterbury and Medway campuses and seeing the facilities KBS had to offer cemented my decision to join KBS.
My course could not be going better. I have engaged with so many interesting areas of business, which has given me the confidence to have valuable conversations with many people both inside and outside the university. Now in my final year, having completed a placement year in industry at IBM, learning is more enjoyable than ever. Everyone is far more engaged and willing to speak up, debate and share personal experiences in seminars and lectures which adds a lot of value to the course.
I have been taught by some truly inspiring and engaging lecturers who are clearly passionate about their subject and have a wealth of knowledge to share. Here at KBS Medway, we are in a particularly fortunate position where the staff to student ratio is extremely good for students. Lecturers and students know each other on a personal level and it is very easy to reach out and gain support with regards to studies. I have attended numerous optional workshops alongside my course which are aimed at improving study skills for success for example essay and report technique workshops.
I have honestly got so much value out of every module I have studied, but if I had to choose my top module from each year it would look like this. In my first year, I took a module that covered economics for business. Having never studied economics before I dreaded this subject, but the module was so engaging and my perception completely changed when I realised how easy it was to apply theories to real-world examples.
In my second year, I studied digital information systems, which was tough at first, but became very interesting and it played an integral role in helping me get a placement offer from IBM. In my final year I studied European business which was fascinating; the lecturer was great!
My fellow students are the best! After three years of studying together at Kent Business School, we have become incredibly close and are always there for each other. There is a real community feel among final-year students at Medway which is great. It is going to be tough to go our separate ways after university.
I spent my placement year at IBM’s London office on the South Bank. What a year it was! It is difficult to explain just how valuable it has been in my personal development both professionally and academically. The placement year helped me in so many ways. Working at IBM helped improve my organisation skills massively and being exposed to business leaders who are ridiculously busy, I was able to pick up some great tips for managing my time and prioritising work. This has meant my final year at university has become far less stressful and far more enjoyable.
The facilities are brilliant here at the University of Kent. Although my course is based in Medway, I make the most of the free and frequent campus shuttle between the Medway and Canterbury campuses so that I can make use of all the University’s facilities. On both campuses, there are dedicated buildings for Kent Business School and both buildings are either new or have been recently renovated. Both campuses are based on truly unique and stunning settings with the Canterbury campus overlooking the city and the Medway campus at the Royal Historic Dockyard. Not once since I have been at the University of Kent have I felt like I have been missing out on something that another university has.
The social life here is whatever you want to make it. Here in Medway, there is plenty of things to do outside university life from going out for drinks or dinner at the dockside outlet centre to heading to the running track or gym either on campus or at Medway Park. My friends and I have done several trips to London and Canterbury as well and we are always around each other’s houses for dinner and drinks, so we have a great social life.
Absolutely! Anyone would be crazy not to make the most of the Careers and Employability team. It is one of the things that has completely exceeded my expectations and I can’t express how grateful I am to the team for the support they have consistently offered when applying to placement jobs and graduate jobs. They held several workshops, both compulsory and optional, aimed at getting students set up for the working world and, having spoken to friends at other universities who are given nowhere near as much support, it is clear that this is something we are very lucky to have here!
I am in the very fortunate position where I have secured a graduate job working at Microsoft. Having completed a placement year at IBM and studied modules on digital information systems and critical thinking for contemporary business, I discovered my passion for technology and am delighted to have found my dream job so early in my career. The Business and Management course has helped me to achieve so much more than I knew I was capable of and I will be forever grateful to the University for everything they have done for me.
I would recommend giving 100% in your first year as although the year does not contribute towards your final grade, the fundamental knowledge and momentum you gain from this year will carry you through second and third year nicely. Do not waste your first year! Also, make the most of the dedicated Careers and Employability Service. They are so helpful and can offer so many techniques and suggestions which will set you up perfectly for a placement or graduate job. Lastly, manage your time well. Prioritise university work and other extra-curricular activities to build you as a person but make sure to have fun too because that is so important at university in my opinion.
