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The University of Southampton
Southampton Business School

Iyanu Adebiyi BSc Management with Entrepreneurship,  2017

Social Media Marketer for StayNorwich

Iyanu Adebiyi's Photo

Being a Peer Leader in my final year was a great experience for me. It helped a lot with building my confidence and working for the University was something I had wanted to do.

Why did you choose to come and study at Southampton and the Business School?
I chose the University of Southampton because I knew it had a good reputation for innovation and business and it is part of the prestigious Russel Group, which also attracted me. I decided to come and study at the Business School here because they actually had a course tailored for people interested in entrepreneurship. I had never heard of a course like that before and it intrigued me!

What is Southampton/the Business School like as a place to study?

As a place to study, the Business School is amazing! The library had nearly every textbook I needed and if it was not in the library, the online resource WebCat had it there. Aside from the library, the Business School had a learning centre, which I enjoyed going to most of the time to study as it was nice, spacious, and bright and was a good atmosphere for creative thinking. The lecturers were also very hands on and willing to help when I needed. They were approachable as well, which made it easier to come to them when I needed assistance.  

What were your Southampton ‘highlights’ (best experiences)?

-       Meeting my two best friends, Dami and Hope was definitely one of my highlights as we all did similar modules in our first year, which is where we met.

-       The Christmas lights every December were always amazing! The atmosphere every year was amazing and seeing all the students come together for the occasion was always lovely.

-       Being a Peer Leader in my final year was also a great experience for me. It helped a lot with building my confidence and working for the University was something I had wanted to do, so I am happy I got the chance to do that.

-       Getting a chance to live in Southampton was also a good experience! The city is amazing and I love that it is near the ports so going there on a nice sunny day was always fun.

-       Being actively involved in one of the local Churches in Southampton was also a great experience and helped in building my confidence.

What did you enjoy most about your course?
I loved the creative freedom we had on majority of the modules. I liked that I was able to pick modules as the terms went on more suited to what I was interested in. I also liked that the modules were actually related to what I wanted to do and were very applicable as well as academic. The theory was there, but I was also able to relate it to what I would do once I finished my degree.

What opportunities have you taken up within your degree programme and how have they helped your personal development?

In my final Year, I became a Peer Leader. Taking on this role helped a lot with building my confidence, as I tend to be shy and reserved. I also met new people who were also Peer Leaders and this helped too in building my confidence. Actually performing the role helped in enabling me to be more organised and manage my time better as I had to balance preparing lessons with my other modules, coursework and my dissertation. 

What other activities did you take advantage of while at University?
Things you may like to consider in your answer: fieldtrips, job placements, sports or student societies, employability events etc
I visited many different society events such as Fish on Toast, the Nigerian Society, KMCF and Bright Futures over the years in University. I also attended many employability events that the University would put on.

What are you up to now and what’s your ambition?

I am continuing on the job role that I had whilst at University, as a Social Media Marketer but I am also currently looking to branch out more into the Digital aspect of content creating for other companies. I also have some personal projects I am working on which should see me being self-employed in the near future.

What tips/advice would you give to a student starting their degree at Southampton?
I would say definitely get involved as much as possible, especially in your first year. There are so many great opportunities that the University has to offer and take advantage of all of them. I would also say remember why you are at University. As much as it is a good experience and you should have fun, make sure your studies stay a priority and try to maintain a good work/life balance.

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