Members

Student Profile

Name: Amy Watton
Age: 22
Course: BSc Business Information Technology
Year of study: 4
Hometown: Portsmouth

Why did you choose to go to university?

I knew that I was not ready to go to work full-time and I wanted a good career in the long run. I understood that having a degree would help me earn more money in the future.

How did you choose which university to attend?

I wanted to stay close to my home town and the University of Portsmouth was the only local university that had the specific course I wanted to do.

How did you decide which subject area to study?

I have always been interested in computing but not the technical aspects of it. My course shows me how to work with IT in industry and gives me an overview of business management which I feel is necessary to be a manager.

What does your course involve?

It involves looking at technical aspects such as Javascript programming and HTML code to create websites. We also look at business aspects such as accounting, strategic management and law.

What do you hope to do when you leave university?

As I completed my placement year at IBM I hope to return on a graduate scheme. I plan to go into the business area, although I am not certain on the specific role.

What are the best bits about university for you?

I enjoy the social networking mixing with people with the same interests. I also enjoy the freedom to study by doing my own research.

How did you find the transition from college to university? What help did you receive? If you moved away from home, how did you find it?

It was very smooth as the first year was giving us an overview and knowledge to allow us to progress into more detail in the second year.

What advice would you give to UP for It members who are not sure whether they want to go to university?

I would advise them to go along to preview days and get a feel for the University atmosphere. I would also suggest talking to friends/relatives who have been to university to get their thoughts.

It really depends on what they want from a career – do they want to work straight away or do they have a career in mind that requires further qualifications.