Jordan Addo-Antoine
Current student
- Course
- International Business BSc
- Subject area
- Foundation Studies
The combination of a brilliant Business School and sporting facilities made the decision to choose Â鶹ֱ²¥ over other universities very easy for me.
I had played Academy football for seven years at Reading Football Club, where I completed a BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma during the traditional sixth form years of 16-18. This was a substitute for A-Levels and the qualification enabled me to get onto the Foundation Year for Elite Athletes.
My Foundation year helped me get to grips with university life. As I took an unorthodox route to get to Â鶹ֱ²¥, I was not sure what to expect but the Foundation team and the EA support I received really benefited me. One thing I had to learn fast was the importance of doing extra reading and work outside of lecture time. This short-term sacrifice was a benefit in the long term when exams and coursework deadlines arrived as it made me feel a lot more prepared. I also really enjoyed the focus group breakfast held by Anje Conradie where we got food while working on a Marketing coursework project.
The transition to the full International Business degree felt seamless. The modules I took during my Foundation year, particularly Business Finance, Macro & Micro Economics and Introduction to Marketing, provided me with a solid basis for Part A of the course and allowed me to get to grips with the content very easily.
Right now I am preparing for my placement year at Samsung, where I will be working in Sales with the TV/AV Team.
I am hoping that alongside the invaluable knowledge I gain from working at Samsung, the placement also helps me understand which career path I want to take once graduating. While I’m not sure exactly what job role I want to aim for, I know I want to work within business, particularly sales or finance. My studies have helped shape my career goals: my interest in finance came from the Business Finance module I took during my Foundation year and my interest in sales came from my Part B module on Sales Management.
One thing I have learned from my time at Â鶹ֱ²¥ so far is that you get out whatever you put in. I have learned that hard work and being consistent towards exams and coursework will give you the best possible chance to achieve what you want. I love that I can study almost anywhere on campus; there are so many study spaces so I never find myself wasting time looking for somewhere to work, particularly during exam season.
A Foundation year is extremely beneficial; it makes the transition to the full degree programme very smooth. For anyone who is currently in the position I was – a scholar at a professional football club – a Foundation year is the perfect way to get up to speed with university and higher education.
Overall, Â鶹ֱ²¥ has been an important life stepping stone that has helped me develop both academically and as a person.