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Monday, 2 September 2013

BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS

Anna
After a tough but worthwhile first year, I’m about to start my second year with a bag of knowledge and self- top tips for this year. Having done the access course and my college teacher telling me the first year at university is a walk in the park; this could not have been further from the truth.

It hit me hard, the work load is heavy, the extra studying you have to do outside of university hours is a lot and going into a classroom is harder because you have to teach. The hardest part is controlling the class; when there are 30 four and five year olds wriggling around on the carpet whilst you’re being observed teaching a phonics lesson, which goes towards passing or failing your first year.

I forgot that as a primary school teacher you have to teach Physical Education, this was not my favourite subject at school; in fact I never turned up for it. But to pass the module in university, I had to turn up and I had to participate and surprise, surprise I actually enjoyed it.  I even surprised myself by getting my highest mark of the year in the Physical Development assignment. I have learnt not to doubt myself and to get stuck in rather than sitting on the side-lines.

This course is not a walk in the park but it is so rewarding. I have met so many great people and the tutors and staff are so supportive; you may hit a mental, physical, emotional block but I kept telling myself and my mum kept reminding me, ‘you’re training you’re not meant to be amazing straight away.’ You only learn from your mistakes and the best teachers don’t always stick to their plans. If things are going wrong, you have to keep calm, think on your feet and be creative; at the end of the day it’s about the children if they’re not learning, I’m not doing my job properly.

My top tips for this year are:
  • Use the library throughout the year (not just in April)
  • Do assignments when you get them, not at the last minute.
  • Plan your time (part-time jobs, university and school is a tough combo)
  • Have down time, RELAX and enjoy yourself!


BA (Hons) English

Anisa
Hi. I’m Anisa. I study English at University of Greenwich at the Maritime Campus. You must be thinking it’s a dull subject right? It. Must. Seem. Like. This. To. You. Most of my friends can’t stand English because they see the typical characteristics of it, e.g. Reading and Writing. Literally, that’s it. But with me, it’s a whole different story… I find it art, I find it something I can express myself with. I find it a tool to become who I am every day.
In my course, I've been reading many different books from different backgrounds, different time of year, basically different everything! But that’s how I learn about my interests. By attending lectures, having discussions in seminars, I was able to break down a 300 page novel to a ‘conversation’ to be able to explain the overall plot and storyline of the story. By studying various themes of stories, I discovered what kind of authors I prefer and what type of novels I enjoy. The one I recently read was ‘The catcher in the Rye’ by J.D Salinger… Love that book. I recommend you read it! Seriously, as I was in my breaks at work, I would read it, and I couldn't stop laughing. It felt like the author was speaking to me and retelling how his journey was. It’s amazing to see how a 300 page novel is retelling events that happened for about 3 days. The pace that gets built up and the description which it consists of, all pull together to create such a moving and interesting novel.
Why I chose English? I've always had this weird fetish for writing. Whether it was poems or plays or just writing, I loved it. I studied Drama in School and I achieved a 100% A* grade in it and for English I got an A! I was ecstatic with the result. In the future I would be interested to take up drama because Drama and English seem to blend well with one another and it is easily relatable to one another. Moreover the teachers that I had for English in School and College, have always been so active and bubbly, which makes me feel that I want to be part of that team, I want to be part of the English faculty! You might be thinking I’m weird right? But it’s always been my passion to become an English teacher and I’m not going to stop till I can succeed in that.
I've just completed my first year, and to be honest, I really enjoyed it. Not only were the lecturers funny (well trying to be, well… they all laugh at a joke and because we don’t understand what the joke is we laugh because of that), but they were extremely helpful with the feedbacks that they give us. They also give us valuable advice on how we can improve our marks. I’m so grateful with the friends that I have made in Uni. That’s probably the main thing that I am happy about. When I first started I didn't know anyone in my lectures or seminars or people that were even around the campus. I mean NO ONE. But I loved it. And on my first day instantly I became well acquainted with my peers. I love meeting new people. It’s a different life for me, and I feel like I become a new me each time.

Through reading other people’s experience allows to form a picture in my head and by me being able to write my experience, allows me to unleash my creative side with the journeys I have been through in life. I believe English does something that no other subject can do, and that is being able to create image through words. Everyone can now take a picture and just show it, but being able to use words in order to bring out the beauty of an image which is created in your mind, that’s something no picture can compare to. 

BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance

Currently I’m transitioning into my second year of my Accounting and Finance, BA Hons degree. I enjoyed the first year but it went very quickly. During the year I studied five modules, which included introduction to financial accounting, business and financial environment, quantitative analysis and systems, professional and personal development in addition to management accounting and ethics in organisations.

The support I received during my course was amazing as my tutors were always there to help and give me more feedback on my work.  I enjoyed studying four  of my modules especially quantitative analysis and systems mainly because it was all maths based as well as business and financial environment which I was most confident about because I knew plenty about this subject. The module that I did not enjoy the most is management accounting and ethics in organisations, because after learning most of the practical in term one along with all the theory and we were then taught what remained of the practical syllabus afterwards. As you can imagine this would be very confusing.

Whilst on the course I was introduced the employability passport which many of the business school students would know about. At first I was sceptical about taking part in it but after going to various seminars and collecting points from a range of events and activities, I was able to see what else I did during the year which was great. I joined different programmes which were offered to assist me as an accounting and finance student like the IBM mentoring scheme and the employability classes. This allowed me to learn more about my options as well as being more involved and meeting new people. 

A subject that was brought up during the year was placements. I had no clue what that meant but after hearing about other students experiences in addition to learning more about it, I was able to understand the benefits and why the business school gave many talks about the topic. After taking everything into consideration I decided to change the mode of my course to a four year programme. Now I am applying for placements and I am hoping to gain a placement with one of the top four accounting firms.

Elizabeth

BA (Hons) Business Law

Russell
I reckon my course is one of the broadest, if not the broadest programme offered by our Business School. Before making my selection I was initially confused as to what I wanted to major in, my heart was tugging towards business but my reasoning was tugging towards law. That’s when I had the pleasure of doing some research and finding out if it was possible to have a combination of the two and lo and behold, the answer lay right before me, BUSINESS LAW!!! My research served me right as I began to discover the intricacies involved in this course, and also, much to my delight, I found out that Corporate Lawyers are the highest paid individuals involved in the legal sector. That’s right, not judges, not barristers but corporate lawyer$. Let’s be honest, the large majority of us want to make it big and get money right, unfortunately it’s not always the best option to have a career in something you love because that something might not be able to pay the bills or put the food on the table for your family.

With Business Law, you have the flexibility of either choosing to either decide to major in the corporate sector, or in the legal. As far as the legal goes, you would however need to do an extra year of education known as a Conversion Degree, in order to be classified as a qualified lawyer. Both options are beneficial in the sense that you immediately become a cut above the rest due to the duo of skills you would have obtained so if you choose business for example, you will have the benefit of having a sound knowledge of some law principles so this will immediately make you a more lucrative choice for employers. All courses in the Business School offer the option of undertaking a Sandwich Year which is essentially a work based placement year(after successful completion of the second year) to gain some experience and undoubtedly attain some golden contacts and links. I recommend whoever is reading this to seriously consider this placement year because as a graduate, this is without a doubt one of the best things you can have on your CV. It will show experience and reliability in your chosen sector and graduates that undertake this placement are more likely to gain employment right out of university more so than their counterparts. I've had some graduates advise me on this matter and they said that off all the decisions they made during university, a placement year was by far the best, as it made them immediately more employable and gave them some real experience and for any that had doubts about their career choice, the year of work put it all into perspective for them. It goes without saying that one should aim to obtain placement in an industry along the lines of the programme they are studying and the career path they wish to take and for a successful year of placement, in most cases if you worked well with your employers they will guarantee you a position as soon as you finish, which banishes the fears of immediate unemployment fresh out of university. HOWEVER, if you do intend on taking a placement year, first year results will also be fairly important, don’t listen to the “First year doesn't count” banter because employers will review results from both your first and second year to assess the fact that you’re well on your way to securing a 2:1. Besides, even if you don’t end up taking the placement, doing well in first year also gives you the required momentum to take on a considerably more challenging second year so the only people that moan about second year being unbearable are mostly people that partied away their first year. Don’t get me wrong, by all means, socialise, enjoy yourself and live up the experience but remember that when it’s time to work, you knuckle-down and get on with it, pass assessments, meet deadlines. “Work hard, Play Hard” as they say.

Back to the course itself, it contains a rich mixture of business management, ICT, accounting as well as law to give a very balanced three years of study. The first year is primarily focused on the introduction to accounting and legal principles with a larger influence from business logistics and ideologies. The second year is mainly law based, however it maintains some business modules as well to keep the balance and the third year is more or less a choice really, it comes down to the title, business or law. Either way, I’ll end up in a suit, and I couldn't be happier about that part!! The lecturer’s and tutors really get stuck in in trying to further your education and make sure that you grasp the concepts and the large majority of lecturers from the Business School either own, or have owned their own businesses so when they are teaching you and giving examples, examples are also drawn from personal experiences to give depth to lessons given. Our lecturers and tutors will support you all along the way, all you have to do is ask J.


So, all in all, I find this to be a well-rounded course and I make the cliché reference of stating that it gives a person “The best of both worlds,” you can’t go wrong with Business Law.

BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science

Monique
Hi everyone, my name is Monique and I am a fellow Londoner.  I have currently finished my second year of Biomedical Science and I can’t wait to start my third. I am based at the School of Science in Medway, Kent and the environment is calm and peaceful compared to London. I commute from the Greenwich campus to the Medway campus on the days I have lectures and it’s amazing that I get an hour for my power naps in the morning on the coach. The Medway campus is near the river which has an amazing view with its harbour and there is a shopping nearby with restaurants such as Nandos, Pizza Hut, Subway and Burger King so you’ll never get hungry. Medway Campus is like a modern version of Hogsmead (Harry Potter) minus the Shrieking Shack.

As a Biomedical student we use lecture theatres and the labs so we’re never in one place for too long and we have the longest library in Europe full of textbooks. It’s so long that sometimes I feel like I need a bike to get from one side to the other.  There are times where Drill Hall Library is full as we share it with two other universities and because we have no uniform, you can never tell who is from which university. However, I always have the option to study in Greenwich Library. Best of both worlds.
We have quite a few modules such as biochemistry, some more interesting than the other but the academics are more than happy to help with any issues. Furthermore, this course also involves opportunity for socialising, such as in Labs, where you can interact with academics and other students while huddled around a table to carry out an experiment, such as dissecting the Sheep heart in Pathobiology. However, you do occasionally get the few who faint at the sight, or even the smell of rotting blood.
In terms of socialising, we also have a Facebook group as that’s the most active social site of our generation, it’s easier to communicate to other students regarding issues that some may already know the answer to.
Studying Biomedical Science expands your knowledge in science and gives you more experience in every field of science which in the end expands your doors of opportunity for the future.

Can't Wait to See You Guys :)

BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance

Devi
Hi there! My name is Devi and I am currently studying Accounting and Finance BA (Hons) in the Business School on the Greenwich Maritime Campus. In my opinion I think the Greenwich campus is the best one to study at – no offence to the other campuses! The scenery and setting is so peaceful (unless it’s a Friday night) and the heritage buildings add the Harry Potter effect when you’re studying! Well that’s how I felt :P especially at Christmas when it snows!

Accounting and Finance is based on a variety of topics which is why I decided to pick the course, I don’t enjoy studying or working in a specific order which is consistent and repetitive. In the first year there were five modules:
1.       Management Accounting
2.       Financial Accounting
3.       Personal and Professional Development
4.       Business and Financial Environment
5.       Quantitative Analysis
I have enjoyed studying all these modules but there were two in particular which I found quite challenging, Management and Financial Accounting. It’s important to grasp the basic concepts in the first year because once you move onto second year next thing you know you’re studying ADVANCED management and financial accounting! Yeah it’s a killer I know…
But hard work and dedication will always get you far especially in university, it’s not about who is the cleverest anymore, it’s about who makes the time for their studies and the ability to prioritise tasks.
When you go into second year you can choose one of your modules and the remaining three are compulsory. It’s nice to be able to make a choice on which module you wish to study, I chose banking as one of my modules because I want to (hopefully) go into investment banking once I've graduated from Greenwich J.  
What I love about this course is the fact that it’s both numbers and English based so it’s not always about the maths and how good you are with the calculations. There are definitely more number based modules than the English based but the coursework and some questions in the exams test you on your writing skills giving it a nice balance. The lecturers are really helpful when it comes to finding certain topics difficult, they respond to your e-mails and arrange times for meetings to discuss what you need to.
Another benefit of the programmes in the Business School is the Employability Passport which enables you to attend networking events once you have collected a specific number of points from extra-curricular activities. The Greenwich Employability Team also provides a lot of support for fixing up your CV and finding undergraduate and postgraduate jobs. The GET Jobshop provides so many opportunities for you to apply for jobs and I got one of my summer jobs applying through the Jobshop which has been a great help. Along with this, there is the option of completing a sandwich degree which allows you to gain one year’s worth of experience with your chosen company.

The best aspect of the Accounting and Finance programme is that, the staff actually takes the time and effort to train you through your degree and make sure you’re ready and prepped up when you enter the frenzied business world!

Friday, 2 August 2013

BSc (Hons) Sociology

Manpreet
Hi! My name is Manpreet and I’ve just competed my third and final year of my BA Hons Sociology course. I actually can’t believe how fast the last few years have gone! I still remember applying to the University of Greenwich and how I felt on being accepted – Elated!  

I've always been interested in the goings on of society and how it can be viewed from various perspectives and studying Sociology I was able to delve deeper into issues, as we are given the opportunity to conduct our own pieces of research, allowing us to come to certain conclusions which may never have been explored before. I came to the realisation that the study of Sociology heavily examines the ways in which we behave in society. It takes many variables into consideration in order to explain why we act the way we do.

The content of the course was so interesting and luckily all the modules had the ability to reflect on each other, meaning that I could effectively use the knowledge I had gained from one module towards the other. The lecturers are all extremely friendly and offer great advice when it comes to making choices in regards to which modules to pick and give such insightful feedback back in regards to coursework. I thoroughly enjoyed my Sociology degree and found the course experience along with general University life, helped me develop as an individual.

The course itself is consists of both coursework pieces and exams, which are most likely to be at the end of each academic year. Here’s a really good piece of advice: MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR COURSEWORK!! If you’re like me and prefer coursework over exams, let me tell you, they are a great way of getting marks which will add up nicely at the end of the year. I’d definitely say that one of the best things about this course is how clearly it is structured. At the beginning of each year, we were given a course handbook which outlines when the coursework deadlines will be, meaning that you will have more than enough time to prepare and research the area of which you wish to write about. Also, never underestimate the resources provided to you. Make the most of the library facilities and also ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLES! They are a great source to reference from as you can find up-to-date and specific articles which are more likely to focus on your area of study.

One thing which I was and will continue to be thankful for is the support of the amazing academics. Being able to speak to them about anything that I may have been concerned about allowed me to shift my focus back onto the task at hand.


Manpreet :)