Why did you choose Warwick?

When applying for my bachelor’s degree in the UK, I had offers from 4 other universities and given my focus on accounting and finance, Warwick Business School was one of my top two choices. I had the opportunity to visit both of the universities on my list in the spring before I started university. As soon as I visited the Warwick campus, I immediately knew this is where I pictured myself being for the next 3 years. Looking back, I have never regretted the decision. It's a very modern, clean and well-maintained campus that provides a great community sentiment given it’s not in the middle of a noisy major city. As an 18-year-old safety and feeling a sense of belonging were very important factors to set me up for success and feeling like I could survive in a foreign country miles away from home. The campus had a diverse mix of people, the grocery shop having Indian ready meals and the library cafe doing lunch meals that were healthy and budget friendly. Lastly the campus was green and full of nature which made me feel the next three years would make me feel a sense of calm and be different from my childhood having grown up in a busy city in India.

What are you doing now?

I'm currently a strategic growth analyst at QS working with the company management on transformation initiatives.

What motivates you to do what you do? 

In the middle of Covid lockdown when I was in my third year, I was helping a friend navigate the application process when I realised the lack of unbiased advice for international students and over saturation of agents in markets and eventually co-founded a start-up. However, given the financial practicalities, family beliefs, the reputation I had gained post-graduation from WBS, I decided that the best course was to pursue my interest in mentorship and international student community as a hobby and went on to do various roles in finance at Citibank, Goldman Sachs and eventually joined McKinsey full time. Coming to the present 2 years later, I came across the role at QS, and now use my skills to create impact in a sector I’m passionate about. As an international student myself, I have faced several struggles and my biggest motivation for my role is that I have the chance to bring my experiences and perspectives to ultimately benefit the quality and experience of education for the international student community.

How has your time at Warwick influenced what you do now? 

Warwick Business School was a very inspirational and humbling community given that I quickly realised everyone around me is equally or more brilliant in their unique ways. As a result, it created a desire in me to constantly grow. I believe the community was a perfect balance of being inspirational enough but not overly competitive where it can be draining. Whether it’s aiming to start your own business, get into a top tier bank or consulting firm, or working towards global issues, I believe mentorship and learning from others’ experiences is the best way of learning, and Warwick provided that environment for me.

Favourite memory? 

Though I had several pleasant memories during my time at Warwick, the most memorable one was when I returned to Warwick at the end of 2022 during the WBS consulting fair organised to help educate and connect current students to industry professionals. I was surprised to see what the 3 years at Warwick had done to my personal brand and confidence even though I had never specifically paid attention to this. I had blossomed from a shy 18-year-old scared to speak out in lectures to a confident 22-year-old sitting in front of 200+ current students offering advice about how to help them navigate their career. It made me feel grateful and realise that sometimes when you're in the process you almost don't realise the extent of your growth but when you leave the setting and come back you realise all the growth you have accomplished, and having reflected back, it wouldn't have been possible if I wasn't given the friendly atmosphere, quality education and inspiring people around me.

Best thing about the Warwick community?

The best thing about Warwick was the community it has given me. Most graduates from Warwick who are in the UK end up in London and you will always bump into friendly faces on the street and even make new friends and connections with people you might have never spoken to on campus, but you might have seen each other around. Given it's a large campus university but secluded from major cities, everyone lives in Leamington Spa/Coventry and takes the same buses, goes to the same social events etc., so when you move out to London or anywhere else it's always easy to connect with any alumni even though you didn't actually know each other during your time at Warwick. I have friends who studied at universities in London/Manchester and their experience in terms of this post-graduation community seems quite different to mine. The second thing is all Warwick graduates eventually end up doing brilliant things in their own ways around the world, so it's provided me a great networking community when I'm trying to reach out to someone in any profession, in any part of the world, there will always be a Warwick connection somewhere.

Favourite place on campus?

The library – it has a café, vending machines, a good set up for group discussion, as well as dedicated quiet areas and that's where a lot of friendships were formed!

Devika Ghosal

BSc Accounting and Finance, 2021