BA (Hons) Business Psychology

Denise

When I started looking at universities and university courses, I decided that, as I had always been good at Business Studies at school, the logical thing would be to do a business-related course. I saw plenty of “Business Management” and “Human Resource Management” courses across a number of universities, until eventually I stumbled upon Business Psychology at the University of Greenwich; there are two main reasons that I chose this combination:

One: I was born and raised in South East London, and, having made several trips to all over the world (from Shropshire to America, Eastbourne to Russia, etc.), the idea of living anywhere else but London was unthinkable to me. Greenwich is perfect; close enough to home so my mum doesn’t worry too much, yet very close to central London and a multitude of transport links should I ever wish to escape for a while.

Two: Despite having never studied psychology, it is definitely a subject that always interested me; Business Psychology is comprised of 25% psychology and 75% business – the perfect balance of what I’ve always found interesting and what I’ve always been good at :)

So, now here I am, third year in and I feel the course has been well designed overall :) All of the courses within the programme link together logically, and the psychology we are taught gets applied to business situations so the relevance is always clear :)

At the risk of stating the obvious, I must say that third year is far more intense than the first two years; the workload hits you right from the first fortnight and you are never at a loose end looking for things to do to pass the time! However, by this stage you should be fully prepared and able to organise your time effectively (remember, you will have had two years’ experience by this point!), so whilst busy and, at times, a little stressed, you shouldn’t feel too overwhelmed.

One thing that I do find sad is the fact that as this course is so new (when I enrolled, it was the first year that the University of Greenwich was running the course and there were only eight of us in the class!), it doesn’t receive nearly half as much interest as the older, more established business degrees. This is unfortunate, as because Business Psychology is such a new degree, I believe it is likely to stand out more to potential employers.

This degree is stressful like all others, but if you have a passion for business, a love for psychology and a willingness to work hard, this degree is definitely for you :)

BA (Hons) Events Management

Cristy

I had never been someone who thought they would go to university and to be completely honest with you when I finished my GCSEs; I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I decided the best option would be to stay on at sixth form and do A-levels in order to keep my options open rather than a more specific college course which I had a place for. Whilst in sixth form I was given various talks and meetings with higher education advisers which really opened my mind to degree options I could choose, being the first in my family to go to university it was a learning curve for us all.  

Whilst looking through many prospectuses for many different universities I kept coming across the Events management course. After a few more enquiries about the course, and ruling out a few other courses, I decided this might be the course for me. So off I went to various different open days getting all the information I could so I would be able to make that important decision. I then visited University of Greenwich; I got the chance to have a really long chat with the head of the course about what they could offer me and instantly fell in love with the beautiful campus. I wanted to choose a London university for the vast opportunities I would be able to experience within the sector and knowing that the Olympic Games were coming to London when I would be studying. It was decided that Greenwich was where I wanted to study. All the hard work during my A-levels paid off and I got a place on the course!

Going straight from my A-levels into my degree seemed like a daunting thought, I had never lived away from home and the prospect of having to fend for myself seemed terrifying. But, the day came and I was going to be moving into student halls, my parents packed up the car and off we set. After getting all my things into the room and waving off my parents I went to meet all my new flatmates properly, and off we went for a night at the SU. Moving away, for me, was a really positive experience, although I miss my family and friends at home it has given me the opportunity to learn some vital life skills, most importantly how to cook, and be a much stronger independent person.

My first year of Events management was a real eye opener to the industry of events and the theories that are involved. We went through the basics of planning an event, the types of events, theories involved and had the option to choose one of are modules. On top of that we learnt important professional skills we would need. As well as help academically my tutors always encouraged us (and still do) to gain as much work experience as we can, and point us in the right direction for many opportunities available. With this help I was able to get experience at various different events including the World Skills London and the Bupa 10000. I learnt a lot in my first year which only made me keener for a career in the events industry.

My second year has been equally as rewarding, the work load did increase but we were able to further our knowledge and again choose one of our modules from the options list. We had some big projects in the second year which really pushed us and taught us how working life would be out of university. I have also been able to gain further work experience including work at the London Marathon, Nike run to the beat and an amazing opportunity to work at the London 2012 Olympic Games, which was an opportunity found through University. We worked closely with a hospitality provider of the games who came in and lectured us throughout the year. We were interviewed and attended training sessions with all of the games time staff from the company. My second year has really given me vital skills which will benefit me in the future and created some further opportunities in my next year of study.

So now I look to my third year, a mixture of excitement and nerves, I have already considered what my dissertation topic will be and I also get the option to choose one of my modules in the third year, so I have been looking at all my options carefully. As well as continuing with my work experience. I have really enjoyed my time so far studying Events management, and would recommend the course to anyone who is interested in Events. The course is diverse and gives you the knowledge to work in many different industries related to the field. For me, I haven’t quite made the decision on which area I will choose, but by doing different types of work experience I know I will find that area I most enjoy.

Cristy

P.S I did work at the Olympic Games and it was a fantastic experience!