By Rochelle Ferreira, BSc Business Management (Marketing)
Working at the University of Surrey
In the first half of my 50/50 placement year I worked as an International Mobility Marketing Intern for the University’s International Engagement Office. This was amazing for many different reasons, mostly because it allowed me to build on knowledge gained from working in the team as a Peer Adviser the previous year, and also because it gave me a chance to get solid exposure into marketing and social media for business. I learned a lot about marketing analytics and event planning from supporting with logistics for the Study and Work Abroad Fair. This role gave me a much bigger appreciation for the effort it takes to manage marketing for events, and really helped me to specify the direction of work I’d like to explore after graduation.
Studying Abroad in Australia
The second half of the academic year was my study exchange at the University of Wollongong (UOW) in Australia. Wollongong is a coastal city in New South Wales which is a couple of hours away from Sydney by train, mostly inhabited by students and locals. I really liked being in Wollongong because it was much cheaper and quieter compared to being in Sydney or Brisbane, and the beach was really close to campus so I could get the free city bus there and back, which made it really affordable and convenient to visit with friends. Plus, it was so much fun hanging out by the beach watching the sunset!
I loved the UOW modules I selected which were different from what I had done so far at Surrey. I took a module in Sports Marketing which included talks from experienced sports business professionals and gave me real insight into the importance of sponsorships for sports like AFL and NBL. In addition to marketing, I also chose a module called ‘Introduction to Indigenous Australia’ which explored the history and contemporary issues faced by Indigenous Australian’s. This culturally enriched my experience abroad and made me think more critically when travelling. I saw the most incredible artwork from Indigenous artists during my in-country travels and art gallery visits, which I incorporated into my final essay for this module.
During the mid-term semester break, I decided to take a brief solo trip to Japan for a week and ended up meeting the most amazing people, including some Aussies who helped me explore different parts of Australia like Canberra, Cairns and Melbourne. Australia is massive so having friends that could drive me around was a huge advantage!
Although I’ve travelled solo before, one of things I found challenging throughout this period was balancing my travel plans with my studies. I have anxiety and often get anxious about studying and managing exams in general, so I was worried about how I would balance all the things I wanted to do with all my assignments. I personally found it really useful having regular calls with family back home, reaching out to friends I made on my exchange, and speaking to the UOW counselling team (who were really nice and supportive). In spite of any challenges I faced, going on exchange gave me the best opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and grow more as a person.
Towards the end of my exchange during a trip to Cairns, I decided to be brave and booked to go skydiving. I was extremely nervous, especially because I’m afraid of heights, but I really felt empowered to do something bold and new. It was indeed scary, but also very exciting and empowering falling from 15,000ft with spectacular views of the Great Barrier Reef.
All of my experiences this year have massively contributed to my increased levels of confidence and personal resilience.
I have been challenged in all the right ways, and feel a lot more prepared for final year and confident about applying for graduate jobs. I guess if I can jump out of a plane then I can do anything!
