My name is Joe Randall and I’m a BSc Accounting and Finance student in my second year at the University of Warwick.

I applied to the Foundation Year at WBS as I saw it as an opportunity to study at one of the best business schools in the world and a fantastic alternative route into an undergraduate degree, which I wouldn’t have been able to enter normally. After taking a couple of years out of education to travel and work, I thought that the Foundation Year would bridge the gap between my time out of study and a full undergraduate degree. The specific course structure and module content caught my eye as the practical and applied nature of learning was immediately apparent, and I thought this would suit my style of learning.

I think the Foundation Year successfully bridged the gap between A-Levels and higher education by integrating aspects of university-style teaching and assessment with a greater exposure to the level of independent preparation required to succeed. The Foundation Year also quickly introduces you to group work, which a key component to learning at WBS. These are both aspects of university which many first-year students struggle to adapt to quickly, so having some sort of grounding in this was a real advantage as I started Year 1. Being part of a Foundation Year cohort also gives you a fantastic, tight-knit group of friends which you carry with you directly into Year 1, and this is also a big advantage.

Collaborative, stimulating and applicable 

Accounting and Finance is taught through a mixture of lectures and seminars within which group and collaborative work plays a pivotal role. Lectures tend to deliver the content of the module, with some brief examples and theory, whilst the seminars really develop and expand on what was covered in the lectures. In certain modules, seminars are essentially run by the students and rely on preparation and the discussion which follows. In some of the more mathematical modules the seminars sometimes take a more tutorial-based approach in order to solidify theory covered in the lectures. I find that the various teaching styles really complement each other and makes the learning interactive.

I am currently President of the Cricket Club, and this has helped me develop so many skills which are transferrable to my degree and group projects. The skills I have developed in the position are also highly sought after by employers and are fantastic to put on your CV. Away from the executive side of the club, I would say that the friends I have made within the sports club are the closest friends I have made during my time at Warwick. I have been lucky enough to go on international tours to Sri Lanka, South Africa and Barbados, and I find this a brilliant release from my studies. Regularly playing sport and socialising in a society is essential to staying both physically and mentally healthy, and shaped a huge part of my university experience.

The WBS CareersPlus team is fantastic and I would encourage everybody to make use of the service, even if you think you don’t need it. It’s a brilliant way of exploring the huge number of options available to you after graduation and, if used correctly, can actually give you a big competitive advantage over your peers. I have had multiple sessions which have helped tailor my CV and cover letters to specific firms and industries, whilst also granting me exposure and face-to-face time with graduates within the firms I am applying to. It’s a fantastic service and one which many of my non-WBS friends are jealous of!

I’m currently in the process of applying to a range of consulting firms and am looking to secure a summer internship with one. I am looking forward to next year where I will have much more freedom with my module choices, and this will allow me to further identify which industries and specific firms I am interested in.