September is here and the weather in London is flipping backwards and forwards between hot summer and an autumnal chill. The season is about to change…..
Colleagues are returning to work after their break – I hasten to add that many of them have been working hard over the summer in a range of activities from our international summer schools through to individual research. The business school is alive with discussions about research projects, summer schools, papers written and also holidays with families and friends. We are welcoming 12 new academics.
A new academic year is about to start and I always find this an exciting time of the year. We are all very busy preparing for the arrival of new students as well as the return of continuing students. It is a time of openings and new opportunities. New students will be arriving from all part of the world as well as more locally in London. They will be thinking about accommodation, making new friends (we organise lots of events and activities to help everyone to get to know each other) and then settling down to their studies. Students who are returning after their summer break will be looking forward to the next stage of their course. Hopefully, many of them will have used the summer period to gain additional experience e.g. through internships, study abroad, paid employment, volunteering or travelling. Many students use this time before their courses start to get into study mode.
Study@WBS will help you. There is lots of useful information here and you will be able to watch video clips of staff and students.
Another useful source is TRIBE. This provides lots of easy access to information and video clips on business and economics. If you are new to studying these subjects then you will find it a good way of familiarising yourself with the field.
In these days of newspaper headlines about graduate unemployment or underemployment then how can our current students help themselves to gain professional employment when they graduate? There is no magic prescription but here are my suggestions:
- Obtain the best quality degree possible. Aim for high marks at all times.
- Capitalise on being in London! Network widely and get involved in the many opportunities available here.
- Develop your confidence and inter-personal skills – there are lots of ways of doing this e.g. join a student society, create a student society, join in the many activities and events organised by the business school and university.
- Take up international experiences (for a week, fortnight, month or semester).
- Take up opportunities to gain professional experience through a professional placement, work-based project, internship or voluntary work.
- Enjoy what you do and follow your interests.
- Be open to new opportunities and change.
I wish everyone an excellent 2014/15.
