The first time I saw the Warwick University campus was on the first day of term, as I had not been to a previous open day. As I was getting ready for my first day at university, I was not to know the amount of information I would have to take in during the first term. The first term went by extremely quickly, but it seems as though I had been through a lot already. A lot of people will tell you to make the most of university. The only way to do this is by making the effort to get to know as many people as possible. This was the first task that I had to face. You will obviously make friends from your corridor in halls, as well as those on your course, but it should not end there. There are a number of societies for a student to get involved with. I am part of the Economics, Warwick Banking and Finance, SIS, Kempo Ju-Jitsu, Hindu and Cricket Societies, as well as playing 5-a-side football. From these, I have managed to meet and make friends with a lot of other students. After you have settled in, the next step is to start thinking of your career. Yes, as early as the first term! I found out that a lot of people on my course already knew what they wanted to do after graduation (mainly to go into investment banking). As this field is highly competitive, a number of people started making preparations to get a head start. One way to do this is by participating in activities that will develop some transferable key skills that you can use in the future.
Now that I knew I would be facing a lot of competition in the field of investment banking, it was my turn to start thinking of how I can get a competitive advantage over the other people in my course. Therefore, I started to do some research and found out that a lot of major investment banks were holding Easter internships for first year students. I applied for these, thinking that if I was successful it would look good on my CV for one, but also that I can get a first hand experience in the field that I wish to pursue as a career. I found out quickly that I was not the only one who was thinking ahead! A lot of my friends from my course applied for the same programmes. This reinforces what I said about the fierce competition! Unfortunately I was not successful in gaining an Easter internship. At first, I was quite upset, especially due to the fact that a lot of my friends were successful. I kept thinking 'what is wrong with my application?'. However, I realised that this minor set back should not deter me from finding experience. After two and a half terms of university, I have realised that the only way you will progress is if you make the effort yourself. You have to be 'on the ball' all the time.
