What is your current job or area of study? Please give a brief description of what this entails

I work in the higher education industry, at the University of Warwick in the Student Experience department as a Student User Experience Officer. My job is to ensure that students, no matter their background, can come to university and get the support they need to build a sense of belonging, community and independence. I most recently have been focusing on the first to second-year transition (https://warwick.ac.uk/services/studentexperience/projects/secondyrtransitions), and how we can better support our students holistically (so that they can better complete their studies) through that transition period. I’m keen to help them make informed choices about where they may want to live/spend their second year if they move off campus to a local area.

Why did you choose your degree subject and why did you choose Warwick?

I chose Physics as I enjoyed maths and loved the application aspect of it. I chose Warwick because when I arrived on campus and spoke to the Physics department, I felt a sense of calm compared to the other universities where I felt more isolated/less of a connection.

Tell us about your favourite memory of your degree

My favourite memory was in our final year, we were all studying in the Physics common room, struggling through the lengthy texts and equations, trying to make up funny songs and rhymes to remember everything we needed.

How did you fill your time outside of your studies?

I was on the exec for the Women's rugby team and worked part-time either as a tutor or doing rugby tots. It wasn't always easy to volunteer, but I did what I could when I could. Mostly, I studied and spent time with my friends.

Tell us about what happened after graduation. How did you get to your current role?

I struggled a lot after graduation, having purposefully chosen to step away from Physics and a PhD. I was mostly unemployed for a year, except for doing some maths and physics A-level and GCSE tutoring where I could. I eventually started on a cyber security technical sales graduate scheme but left that to join Warwick's graduate scheme in leadership and project management.

What’s your proudest achievement so far?

My proudest achievement was breaking through what was expected of me (to find a career and ideally a high-paying one) and finding something that helped me be happy.

How did your time at Warwick prepare you for life after university? Did you learn any valuable skills? How were you supported?

Warwick helped me learn the skills I needed to live independently; my degree taught me critical thinking and how to be a woman in a predominantly male industry. I was massively supported by my friends and my final year thesis supervisor for my Master's.

What are your top tips for someone considering a degree at Warwick?

Consider what you love, what you think you can make money in, and what you're good at and try to find that cross-section. I think I did achieve that, but what I loved slowly changed - be prepared for that to happen and to weather the storm! There is light at the end of the tunnel.

What’s one piece of advice you wish you would have had when starting your degree?

To take life less seriously, and enjoy it all (it's not that deep, things will go wrong, you will find a way).