I’m Sophie Amsata-Awani, a Business Maths and Economics graduate from the Warwick International Foundation Programme (Class of 2018) and now an Analyst at a Private Equity Executive Search firm in London.

In this post, I will be walking you through the influence of the IFP on my journey from university to my career. Firstly, I knew I was going to go into business from a young age, my passion was heavily influenced by the people around me. For example, my Grandma who ran one of the largest shoe manufacturing companies in West Africa or my Dad building telecom towers across Nigeria. I chose the IFP because I loved the structure of the business course and how it would help me understand what side of business best suited me (e.g finance, operations, marketing). Another reason is, I wanted a direct introduction to university life (which entailed living on campus and fun societies) but still have that close academic guidance necessary to developing strong practices. In addition, Warwick was at the top of my list as one of the best universities in the UK to study management and I knew going through the IFP would best prepare me for an Undergraduate degree there.

Moving from Nigeria to study in an international environment was scary but it was a relief to see the structures in place to ensure a smooth integration into what was a new academic environment for me. Starting with events, the IFP team regularly organised socials allowing students to interact with the academic team, alumni and other current students. These events provided a great opportunity to gain insight on the university experience and make friends, some of whom I am very close with today.

Next, the course was structured in a way that prepared me for my degree at the Warwick Business School (WBS). The core modules at the time such as Foundations of Business, Applied Economics and Business Maths established concepts elevant to the modules I took throughout university. For example, as part of Foundations of Business, I was tasked with creating a business plan. A similar task was presented to me in second year allowing me to apply the things I had learnt at Warwick IFP - i.e. setting up the business finances and marketing strategy - to guide my proposal. Most importantly, there were supportive modules to help students better their English language, properly conduct academic research, confidently give presentations and effectively work in groups.

Upon attending an open day organised by the University and the IFP, I decided to accept my offer from WBS further nurturing my passion for business and personal goal to become a leader in this space. I graduated in 2021 with a BSc in Management with Finance and has since been applying knowledge and skills developed overtime to my current job. Be it through creating reports, handling client communications and connecting C-level players in cool industries to their next opportunity, I see the IFP as a critical part of who I am today.