1. What you have achieved since leaving UoB, your role or studies and what it has involved
I left university with a first-class honour’s degree, which is has been my biggest achievement so far. I am the first generation in my family to receive a degree and incredibly grateful and proud to have achieved this. Since leaving the University of Bradford, I have made a successful application for a PGCE in primary education and been accepted on a PGCE course at Bradford college. I have completed two assignments at level 7 expectations. I have also completed 6 weeks at my first placement, where I have been able to put my learning into practice and learnt a lot of skills as a student teacher. While Completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Bradford, I operated a beauty page on Instagram as a hobby, where I would promote my makeup skills, make tutorials, and make general posts about life. Since leaving, I have been able to grow the page and have gained 800 followers. I class myself as a content creator and like to stay interacted with my followers on a regular basis.
I hope to have be qualified as a primary school teacher by summer 2021.
2. Do you have any advice/ tips would you give new graduates on leaving Uni, job search tips or some insight about leaving Uni and being in the ‘real world’?
I would say, do not put yourself in too much pressure. Leaving university can be overwhelming and can affect your mental health. I know that a lot of people have high expectations when graduating and it is important to have these expectations to motivate yourself to achieve your dreams but graduating during a pandemic has made me realised that things do not work out the way you plan them. Its important to have a plan about your next steps but its also important to be flexible about those plans. When you leave university, other graduates may get accepted into jobs a lot quicker than you do, so you need to remember that everyone’s situation is different and not to put yourself down for it. Do not give up and carry on. I would also definitely recommend using the careers and employability service at the university of Bradford. Without them, I would not be where I am today. They will support you through the job application process, help with interview practice, etc.
For me leaving university and going out into the real world was really overwhelming. I was comfortable with my role as being a student and was not ready to go out into the real world. I would not have overcome this if it were not for the support of the lecturers at the university of Bradford. I had to get out of my comfort zone and go achieve my dreams. We all just need to have faith in ourselves that we can do it.
3. How has your Bradford degree helped you in a personal or professional capacity?
Everyone’s experience is different, but I really enjoyed my 3 years at the university of Bradford, and I am not just saying it because I left with a first-class honour’s degree. I had a wonderful experience because I took away more than just a degree. I have taken away many skills which are going to help me in developing my career and achieving my dreams. Taking on an additional role as a student rep while studying, increased my confidence and I am now able to use my voice for issues that affect others in the real word. My professional and personal image has grown into a strong, independent, and confident woman. I had a sense of belonging and really enjoyed meeting students with different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and race.
4. Lockdown has been challenging for a lot of people – what has helped you cope and/or adapt to the changes it has brought?
I understand that during lockdown it was hard not being able to give your loved ones a hug or just have a meet up with them. Lots of people have been alone during lockdown and has affected their mental health. I am really grateful to have such a supporting, family, partner, and friends. During lockdown, when my mental health was down, I had my support network to reach out. I was able to facetime or just have a chat over the phone and just talking about how and why I was feeling low with them, really helped to release that tension in my mind. They helped me go through the changes I went through after leaving university.
Social media is another method I used to help me cope with the challenges. Like mentioned before, my beauty page on Instagram was a distraction for me and by operating that page it made me happy. I have a professional page on LinkedIn, which I post regular updates on my journey as a student teacher. Posting those updates makes my mind feel lighter from all the thoughts.
Lastly, the regular support I received from university lecturers and careers service really helped me to overcome the challenges of starting my PGCE.
This blog was sourced in partnership with Bradford Careers and Employability Service
If you would like to contribute your profile or an article to this blog please email alumni@bradford.ac.uk
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