Business, Economics, Law & Travel & Tourism
Former Business, Economics, Law & Travel & Tourism students share their experiences at Callywith, what they are up to now and what they are planning on doing next.
Callywith College
- In association with
Truro & Penwith College - Truro
- Penwith
From the course
Ella
Progression: BSc Economics - Cardiff University
Courses studied: A Level Economics, Geography and Environmental Science
Previous school: Sir James Smith Community School
How did Callywith support you in your application to university?
I had lots of support from my tutor Tim with my personal statement and the whole application process. I think the process of applying and going for interviews can be quite daunting, but it was nice to feel so supported by everyone at Callywith.
I found Callywith to be a great stepping stone into university because the campus feel of Callywith almost feels like a very small uni. Time management is definitely a key part of doing well at uni and this is something I learned at Callywith with using “free periods” wisely.
Why did you choose to study Economics?
I chose to study economics at uni for a number of reasons but primarily due to really enjoying studying it at A Level - especially in second year. My economics lecturer at Callywith, Ryan, delivered really interesting lectures which is what initially encouraged me to look into studying an economics degree. I also broadly knew the type of industry I wanted to pursue a career in, so economics felt like a fitting choice that wouldn't restrict my options too much if I changed my mind later on.
How have your A Level studies helped you in your degree?
A Level Economics has really helped to give me solid foundations for studying my degree. I felt that I was able to start my degree with confidence knowing that I had given myself the best chances by studying it at A Level. Studying A Level Geography has also been useful for my degree. The human geography modules have given me great background knowledge when starting to study international development and emerging market economies.
Another really useful topic was sustainability which is something I also studied in Environmental Science. Sustainability is extremely important when looking at policy in economics and I felt that having a background of geographic knowledge helped me to grasp a better understanding of the bigger picture.
How are you finding your course / experience at university?
My first 3 years at Cardiff uni have been awesome! The pandemic definitely made my experience more challenging, but I’m looking forward to hopefully having a more ‘normal’ final year when I return in autumn.
I’m currently working as a Risk Analyst for Lloyds Banking Group on a Professional Placement Year in Edinburgh. Now eight months in, and I’m really loving it! I’m based in the Investment and Funds Team within the Insurance and Wealth division. This is my first corporate role and, although daunting to begin with, it has been an awesome environment to work in. It’s been fantastic exposure to the banking industry, and amazing to learn from specialists within their fields. LBG have been really keen to support and invest in my professional development which has enabled me to take lots of different opportunities throughout my placement - a recent highlight being presenting to senior directors and stakeholders at a Town Hall Event.
What are you hoping to do in the future?
I'm really excited to have been offered an extension with LBG on my placement over this summer. I have my flights booked to go travelling for a couple of months afterwards and then I'll be back to uni for my final year. Having had a really positive experience within the banking industry, I am looking to secure a grad scheme, and ultimately a permanent role within the finance/ investments world.
.jpg)
Aliyah
Progression: Law - London South Bank University (LSBU)
Courses studied: A Level Law, Sociology and English Literature
Previous school: Penrice Academy
How did Callywith support you in your application to university?
Callywith is full of genuine and supportive teachers who want to see their students do well, the process of actually applying for uni and the realisation of moving away was really stressful for me but my lecturers Tracey, Jen and Charlotte supported my journey which made things feel less scary.
How have your A Level studies helped you in your degree?
My Sociology A Level has played a massive role in helping me understanding law. I think it’s really important to consider all sociological theories such as feminism, crime and deviance to be able to have a wider view of the law, as well as teaching how to write critically! A Level Law obviously helped as well because I started uni knowing the basics of what I was learning, so this helped a lot with my confidence. It’s scary moving away from home and my mum and the country side to an unfamiliar busy city where I’m just off to get on with life, so the fact that I already had a basic understanding of what I was learning in first year was very reassuring – definitely not necessary though, I am the only person I have met on my course that has studied law previously and they’ve all been fine! Literature helped enable me to get used to writing essay’s minus the waffle. Being able to formulate an answer coherently is really important not only for exams but for effective notes as well.
How are you finding your course / experience at university?
I am really enjoying my time at uni. My course lecturers all really want their students to be the best they can and that shows through their teaching and support. I found myself loving contract law because of the lecturer, which is something I hated before getting to uni.
LSBU is one of the only universities in the country that has a legal advice clinic as part of the uni, it’s free to access by the public and it’s run by the students – I am awaiting an interview to be part of the advice team in my second year. It is recognised by the England and Wales Law Society and some leading solicitors also make up part of the team! LSBU is also in the heart of London, from my lecture room I can see the shard, the London eye and parliament, all within walking distance of the uni! Being so close to parliament and the supreme court felt like a good choice and I also felt like this city could offer me some good work experience opportunities. LSBU have loads of links to people established in the legal world who often come and do talks and networking activities at the uni.
What are you hoping to do in the future?
I have recently started thinking about doing a masters and a PHD degree because I love the idea of becoming a doctor, but that would be much later in my journey!
Emilie
Progression: Finance and Admissions Assistant - Callywith College
Courses studied: BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma in Business
Previous School: Sir James Smith Community Academy
What does your role at Callywith involve?
I work as the finance and admissions assistant and am split between both roles. With admissions, I'm processing new applications for September 2022. This involves a lot of 'behind the scenes' work to ensure that everything runs smoothly before the prospective students start in September. With finance, I process invoices, create purchase orders, reconcile statements and any other tasks that are required on an ad-hoc basis.
How have you found working at Callywith / what have you enjoyed the most so far?
I have enjoyed the balance between the two aspects of the job most so far. It makes every day so different, which is challenging but even more rewarding.
Why did you decide to apply for this role at Callywith?
I knew that the University path wasn't for me, so I started looking for apprenticeships and full-time roles. Having enjoyed studying the finance unit as a student, this spurred me on to find an entry level role that would provide me the necessary skills and experience needed to progress my career. My business lecturers were very encouraging and supportive of my decision to apply for this role and boosted my confidence when I had doubts about my ability and suitability.
How has your Business Diploma course/experience at Callywith helped you in your role?
Studying business has helped me in many ways. The first year of business is very finance orientated and this put me in very good stead as my role is 50% finance. It has allowed me to develop a further understanding behind the work that I’m doing. Being a previous student also meant that I settled in a lot quicker here. It wasn’t so daunting at first as I already knew the site and lots of the staff.
What are you hoping to do in the future?
I am hoping to become a fully qualified accountant in the future. I would love to combine accountancy with my passion for foreign travel, language, and culture and soon land myself a role that involves me travelling out of the county and exploring more of the UK and overseas. Since the pandemic, there are so many more opportunities and new experiences out there that I am eager to start immersing myself in.
Brooke
Progression: LLB Law - University of Lincoln
Courses studied: A Level Law, History and Sociology
Extra activities: Academic Academy
Previous school: Liskeard School and Community College
How did Callywith support you in your application to university?
I decided to choose Law at Uni due to the way in which my lecturer, Charlotte, taught the subject at Callywith. At the beginning of my time at the College, I found that I was stuck between studying Law and History. However, after a few months of studying Law at AS, I knew that Law was the right choice for me. The broad subject content that we covered gave me an insight into what I might have been studying at Uni. Tort Law really peaked my interest and due to covering it in such detail at Callywith, I was able to come to grasp with it more easily at Uni.
My time at Callywith also eased the transition from College to University, as being at college was a complete step up from being at Secondary School. Callywith provided a sense of responsibility, which is a main feature of University life, by giving students a little more freedom than they would do at a sixth form which is attached to their old Secondary School. This freedom helped me to feel independent and pushed me to take the step to find a University further away from the South of England.
How have your A Level studies helped you in your degree?
Studying History at A level helped my essay writing skills develop, due to our coursework having to be written in the style in which is expected at university level. Louise, my history teacher at the time, really supported me and taught me skills which I still use today for my essays at University. My sociology A level also helped me tremendously as it gave me a wider view on the world and the way in which society functions. I still use content Sociology, and it was extremely useful in an essay I had to do at the start of the year regarding gender roles in the judicial system. Both of my other A levels really contributed to the way in which I approach Law as a subject.
How are you finding your course / experience at university?
As typical and cheesy as it sounds, I am living my best life. I found that my course was wholeheartedly the right choice for me and university life on a whole is amazing. The whole university experience, so far, has really enabled me to step out of my comfort zone and develop a wide variety of skills which are applicable to everyday situations.
What are you hoping to do in the future?
In the future I hope to become a practicing Solicitor in Commercial or Medical Law.
Leah
Progression: Law - University of Roehampton
Courses studied: A Level Law, Fine Art and History
Extra Activites: Academic Academy
Previous School: Truro School
How are you finding your course/experience at university?
While we weren't in lockdown for a few months at the beginning of my university experience in September, I really enjoyed my course at university, particularly when we had in-person sessions on the course.
The modules that I currently study and have studied consist of things such as Public law and Criminal law which are particularly engaging and easy to apply to everyday cases. Due to the way my uni teaches, we are able to consult our lecturers who are also all qualified lawyers as well which really help us to gain key legal knowledge we wouldn't necessarily know until later on. They could also help provide us with work experience and suggest legal volunteer work so that we can build up our skills even during our first year (before lockdown restrictions) if we wanted to.
How did your time at Callywith influence and support your choice of/ transition to university?
I really enjoyed studying Law at Callywith, and was one of the main reasons why I chose to continue studying it at uni. It has particularly helped me develop my knowledge and prepare me for my course, especially for modules such as criminal law which I am currently studying at uni and have studied at college.
I contacted the college and spoke to Charlotte (my old Law lecturer) to help me with writing my personal statement that had helped me get into uni. I found it really easy and found callywith to be really supportive with my transition from college to uni, even though I had a gap year.
Callywith are also really supportive to those who choose to have a gap year, providing suggestions/options after college so that there is a plan in place for students like myself.
What do you enjoy in particular about studying Law?
Law is very intriguing and particularly at my university is an engaging course to study.
Some of the topics we cover at A level cover some of the content we studying at uni which is very useful to help gain knowledge and understanding on the subject.
I enjoy law because I find things such as legal development because of a change in societal views to be interesting, and want to carry on a career in it.
How have your A Level studies helped you in your degree?
Law in particular has helped me to expand on my knowledge at university, however, because I also studied History, it has been extremely useful for when it comes down to me writing my essays. This is because many of the skills on writing and referencing are things that you just transfer at uni.
What are you hoping to do in the future?
I've not fully decided but have narrowed my choices down to being a legal executive or a Barrister in the future.
Michael
Progression: Soccer Scholarship / Accounting and Finance at West Virginia University, USA
Courses studied: A Level Business, Geography and Economics
Extra activities: Football Academy, Cornwall Schools Cross Country, Geography trips and Future Elite Sports
Previous school: St Joseph's School
How did Callywith support you in your application to university?
I started Callywith College with a plan to study finance, but I never imagined this would be at a university in the USA. I played for the 1st football team at Callywith and the College invited Future Elite Sports to speak to Football Academy students about sport scholarship opportunities on offer in America and how we could apply.
Callywith helped me massively in achieving this as the College provides great facilities, great coaching from Football Coach Tim Nixon who was also a great role model and influence to me over the my two years at Callywith.
.jpg)
Angeline
Progression: Business and Digital Marketing - Falmouth University
Course Studied: BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Business
Previous School: Launceston College
How are you finding your course/experience at uni?
Initially I was really nervous but the course leaders and lecturers make sure that you settle in nicely, they are always a massive help. My uni experience couldn’t better, people here are very approachable.
How did your time at Callywith influence and support your choice of/transition to university?
I really enjoyed the environment around Callywith and especially being in Cornwall I just knew I wanted to go to a university here. Transitioning to Callywith from secondary school also really helped me become familiar with the experience of moving to a different setting which helped ease some of the anxiety of moving away from home as I learned to be more independent.
What did you enjoy in particular about studying your Diploma?
I never thought I would be picking a diploma in business until I came to Callywith and I don’t regret it at all. I enjoyed every aspect of studying business; from the modules to the amazing lecturers that taught them. It really broadened my understanding of the business world and how companies stay on top of the competition within their industry. I also had so much fun going on field trips to gain an in-depth knowledge of companies, especially being able to go out and experience it first hand.
Why you chose to study your uni course?
I chose to study Business & Digital Marketing because I really enjoyed the marketing module in my diploma so I thought why not go further. I wanted to learn more about how businesses decide to market their products or services and what channels they use. It fascinates me how much social media has grown and used to promote almost everything, and so far I couldn’t be happier with my choice.
How has your Diploma helped you in your degree?
As I mentioned, in my first year of Callywith I had fun with the marketing module which led to my keen interest in learning more about marketing especially in the digital aspect. Having prior knowledge of some analysis tools and models has really helped with some of the modules in my degree. Because most of my work in my diploma consisted of assignments, that has given me more than enough experience in essay/assignment writing which is very useful for my degree as it is mostly coursework based (similar to my diploma).
What are you hoping to do in the future?
In the future I hope to lead a career in digital marketing, probably starting off with an internship and making my way up. As I’m still on my first year I was considering potentially doing a masters year to really hone my marketing skills. Developing my skills and abilities is my top priority for the future, but there’s no rush to make a decision as I still have a long way to go studying at university.
Joe
Progression: Airline and Airport Management - The University of West London
Courses studied: Level 3 Travel and Tourism
Previous School: Launceston College
How are you finding your course/experience at university?
My experience at uni has been tough yet enjoyable at the same time, as there is a lot of content in the course modules. I have made many new friends and learned new skills that I didn’t know I had before.
How did your time at Callywith influence and support your choice of/ transition to university?
My time at Callywith College majorly influenced my decision to continue education, as the college and the course gave me a breath of fresh air to continue learning about things which I am passionate about, and subsequently opened the doors to studying a unique course at a great university.
What do you enjoy in particular about studying Airline and Airport Management?
I personally enjoy knowing and learning about locations and countries, and why they are attractive to tourists. It has led me to want to visit different places and learn about cultures and lifestyles of other people and studying airline and airport management in such a diverse city, is another step forward to achieving this goal.
How have your A Level studies helped you in your degree?
My qualifications have helped me in my degree as I was offered my course with a placement year, which is what I hoped to be offered from the outset. The Level 3 qualification also prevented me spending a whole year doing a foundation year before the first year at university had already begun.
What are you hoping to do in the future?
In the future, I am hoping to use my degree to get a position at the airport, whether that be in the air, controlling ATC or managing an airline.