Congratulations to Afia Ahmad, 2nd Year Accounting and Management student on becoming a member of the ACCA Global Student Advisory Board. Afia shares her student experience at the School of Business and Management (SBM) here.
1. Where are you from?
I am from Wimbledon, South West London.
2. Why did you choose to study at Queen Mary?
I chose Queen Mary because it lets you be who you are. The focus was to choose somewhere where you do not have to compromise on your personal values. Queen Mary supports you professionally and personally and gives you the satisfaction that you won’t be discriminated against. This inspired me to apply for a place here.
3. Why did you choose to study Accounting and Management at Queen Mary? (SBM)
Queen Mary has an inclusive environment. It is one of few universities that offers and Accounting and Management degree. I did not want to limit myself to just one subject area and Queen Mary facilitated me in pursuing a degree, which nurtures both sides. You are not only a number cruncher; you are an undergraduate who is equipped with the knowledge and skills to perform your best in your destined career.
4. How has your degree programme helped you with your career aspirations?
It prepares you for both sides. The analytical and the theoretical. Accounting prepares you for numerical figures and how to interpret data and critically analyse data. While management works on your professional development and you acquire skills that are essential to have in your working field. It gives you that balance and makes you an all rounder.
5. How has the school and university helped you to develop your career?
The staff at SBM are so supportive, so encouraging. Words cannot describe how much they have supported me through thick and thin. I was always encouraged to explore my potential and challenge myself for the better.
The Career Service helps you at every stage, the difficulties you might face in the application process for jobs and internships. There are free CV clinics and psychometric tests, market interviews and video interview facilities at the school for interview practice.
There are many opportunities to get involved with the school and the university. This helps to build up your CV and gives you a variety of skills that you may not get otherwise. For example, being an accounting student, I would not have thought of getting a place in Public Relations but the knowledge I have gained from my joint degree made me an ideal candidate to do a 6-month placement in the university’s PR department.
As for accounting, the skills that I gained helped me in being selected for the ‘ACCA Global Student Advisory Board’. This would not have been possible if our course did not have ACCA professional exemptions. In this role, I will be working with twenty students throughout the UK to advise the ACCA executive board in developing strategies to tailor accounting programmes and innovative assessments for students. We will meet the board 2-3 times per term and it is a long-year tenure. I am excited to be representing my university. It was a very competitive process, I feel very lucky to be supported by Queen Mary to do this and to be studying here.
Queen Mary is my home. I feel blessed to be selected here to come and study. A special mention goes to Ishani, Ripa, Androniki, Iain and Paul. I see a bright future ahead and one I would not be able to dream of if I was not at Queen Mary.