By Charlotte North
Alexandra Smith studied BSc International Business and has recently secured a role at a major international consulting firm.
‘I was one of those students who didn’t quite make the grades to get into my choice of university, which at first was close to my hometown of Derby. I had to apply through clearing and look at different courses at the very last minute.
Kent Business School was one of the first I made because I was really drawn into the University by what I saw online. I thought it looked friendly, supportive and the campus was green and beautiful. International Business really appealed to me, because it offered such a breadth of knowledge.
Arriving on campus, I felt instantly ‘home’ and that same sense of support and wellbeing that I got from looking online. Kent felt inclusive and somewhere you could thrive. That feeling stayed with me, throughout my years of study.
I started that September, living in Parkwood with some incredible housemates – we loved socialising on the lawns outside and having a laugh.
The initial teachings began with the real capstones of business, which at first felt a little general, but as I moved through the course, I realised how integral they are to business education.
Things really began to make sense to me by second year, the Emerging Markets module was fantastic, I had a lightbulb moment of feeling like I could really apply my expertise and began to think like an international businessperson.
Socially, I couldn’t have asked for more. I had made an excellent group of friends thanks to ice-breaker sessions held by Kent Union to settle us into university – fun things like being put into teams and going out on tasks that really worked well. I did foam parties and joined salsa dancing and lacrosse clubs. I even tried out fencing!
My final year was most transformational for me. The modules that I have loved the most are European Business and Global Strategy and I feel deeply involved in the study and research required for my dissertation, which was on analysing technological innovations in agriculture. I found out recently that I got 72 in my dissertation, which was amazing.
I am over the moon to have secured a role as a Service Delivery Analyst at Capgemini, a consulting firm in application management that I started in August 2022. If a new company is interested in our services, I prepare a proposal for them that offers solutions to their needs. It requires a great level of data analysis and communication skills.
Capgemini is a huge international company with over 360,000 employees, so the opportunities are endless. The business really invests in their staff and I can choose the direction I want to go in.
I’ve been amazed at how relevant my course is to everything I do within this role, particularly the analytical skills built during my three years of study. I also find that the modules I took on strategy really play a part in my working day.
I am so thankful for the path I took at Kent as without my course, I’d never have found my dream job so quickly.’