Meet Ellie Porter, a recent graduate who's spent the past four years with us in the Essex Business School. Ellie graduated with a First-Class Honours BSc in Business Management, and returned to the Essex in October 2023 to complete our MSc in Human Resource Management, which also includes a CIPD Level 7 qualification.
In this blog Ellie talks to us about why she chose Essex for both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, what inspired her, and more juicey insights into her favourite modules, and what life is actually like at Essex. It's full of first-hand insights, and Ellie shares some personal experiences about how Essex has wholeheartedly made her the person she is today.
1. Why did you choose to study at Essex Business School and what inspired you?
I personally chose to study at Essex because it met most of my personal requirements. I wanted an affordable accommodation which had lots of flatmates, so I could make lots of friends, hence my accommodation was South Towers.
I also liked the University because of its size. A lot of the universities I went to visit were either too big or too small, whereas Essex I felt was the perfect size.
Another reason I chose Essex was the Colchester Campus. There was lots of green spaces to hang out with friends, and with the beautiful lake view near the study centre, was a place I spent a lot of my time with my friends.
To be more specific to the Business School, I chose Essex over any other because of their gold standard teaching. I also got the opportunity to meet a lot of my lecturers before even choosing the University, where many other universities did not give us this opportunity. I therefore felt Essex went above and beyond others to make sure that students felt comfortable before attending the university.
Another reason I chose Essex Business school was the modules. In my undergraduate degree, I studied a BSc in Business Management. I was always set on this degree choice, however, with a lot of the other universities I visited, the modules seemed very boring and mundane. For example, a lot of the modules were very similar to what I studied at my A-Levels, meaning I would not be learning anything different. However, Essex's wide variety of modules, ranging from accounting to retail management, as well as the opportunity to specify module choices in my third year made choosing Essex an easy decision in the case of what course I would enjoy studying the most.
Finally, I chose Essex Business School – because of the business school! The building captivated me with its stunning features, as well as its ‘carbon neutral’ stance. I wanted to be at a business school which encapsulated its values represented in its physical school – and Essex University did exactly that. Many other business school buildings I have seen are very run-down and dull, and I could not see myself studying there. However, at Essex, with the schools use of plants, waterfalls and wood, it provides them with a unique experience, making their personal study time and lectures more enjoyable.
2. Why did you choose your degree subject?
I chose BSc Business Management for two reasons; the first reason was because I enjoyed it and was good at it. I was debating between Law and Business Management, however, when I had a deep think about what degree I could see myself having a true passion for, business was the obvious choice.
The second reason for my BSc in Business Management was because I knew I wanted a job in that field. At the time when I was 18, I was not specifically sure of what job I wanted to do. I therefore decided to take Business Management as it is very broad, and you can go into so many different jobs with it. Specifying in a particular degree, such as marketing felt naïve to me, because I was not sure I would ever go into this field. Looking back now, I am very glad I chose Business Management.
In terms of my MSc Human Resource Management degree, I decided to take this because I felt HR fit my skills sets very well e.g. organisation, empathy, people skills etc. However, it was one of my lecturers that persuaded me to take this postgraduate course. I feel that in the job market now, it is very competitive. I therefore wanted to push myself more to be a stand-out candidate.
I also chose MSc in Human Resource Management at Essex specifically as they offered a CIPD Level 7 qualification. After speaking with numerous HR professionals, they told me how vital a CIPD qualification having is. However, many other universities did not even offer this qualification, let alone the highest level (Level 7). The fact that the university offered this, along with a very interesting course, made doing this degree choice a very easy decision.
3. What are you most proud of in your university experience?
I have many moments I am very proud of, but to condense them down, these are my highlights:
- Receiving a first-class degree in my Bachelors. If I told younger me that I would be getting a first at university, let alone even going to it, would be in utter disbelief. I had a lot of setbacks and people who did not believe that I would ever get to where I had, so to prove to myself that I am good enough by getting such an achievement, was the highlight of not just university, but my life.
- On top of my first-class, I was put on the Dean’s List of Excellence. Again, another achievement I would never have even dreamed of getting a few years back.
- Finally, I am just proud of how I have evolved as a person. As I was living at home with my parents before uni, I truly did not have any idea really of how the world worked, such as people skills, finances and general life skills. However, after being at uni for four years, I have gone from barely being able to cook a pot noodle, to being able to cook a full roast dinner! I know they’re only little things, but I feel that I can go into adulthood with better life skills and social skills than if I did not go. Going to uni has therefore made me proud of the person I have become.
4. What are your favourite aspects/modules of your course and why?
My favourite aspect of my current course is the dissertation. Having the freedom to write about any topic that I like, and one that I genuinely enjoy, not only gives me motivation to do the writing, but also provides me with the confidence that I will be okay.
My favourite module within the course has got to be BE493 – Leading Change. The reason that I like this course is because my dissertation is on leadership, so when I saw that I had the opportunity to do a module which aligned with my dissertation project, I was very excited. I knew that the knowledge that I would gain from the module would help me with my dissertation. Additionally, I've always enjoyed leadership modules, even during my Bachelor of Science, so when I knew I had the opportunity to continue my passion within my Master of Science this made me happy and content.
5. What have been your favourite parts about life at the University of Essex and why?
My favourite aspect of life at Essex University has to be the amount of facilities that the campus is accessible to. I had a lot of fun during my first year in The Towers (accomodation) where I made a lot of friends. As well during my first year of university our experience was stifled by the COVID pandemic where we would not be able to go out and socialise with friends. However, as The Towers had 16 people per floor, I did not feel that I missed out socialising.
My second year of university I spent predominantly at the Student Union and Sub-Zero, but I also used a lot of my time in the study centre when I knew I needed to get some work done. As mentioned previously, during my second year of university I made a lot of use of the universities green spaces. I used to sunbathe with my friends by the lake and have barbeques, but also get down to work when it was sunny. And as COVID started to settle down, I used a lot of the universities food markets, Buffalo Joes, and Fusion when I was too lazy to cook!
During my third year at university, I was not staying on campus and was living in a private accommodation in Greenstead, so, I spent a lot of my time at Essex making use of Colchester town where I would go out for drinks with friends and do some other leisure activities such as the cinema and the roller rink.
During my fourth year of university when I started my Master’s I was unfortunate because a lot of the friends I made at Essex were finishing their Bachelor’s degree and headed back to their hometown. At this time, I felt quite lonely because I had no friends, so I started going to a lot of the events that the university held such as themed nights. From one of these nights, I made a very good friend who I feel will be a friend for life. I also decided to become a student representative when I made even more friends, as the Uni used to help hold social events for the student reps.
So, to sum up as a whole, my favourite aspect of university based on the four years I have been there I would say is the university's accessability to making friends, to finding new hobbies and to get students out of the house by trying new foods and experiences.
6. What guidance have you recieved during your time at Essex?
- Careers support
- Interview skills
- CV support
- Presentation skills
The assistance I found most helpful was the presentation skills. I was never an unconfident person, however, I used to stutter a lot when I was talking in front of people, and I would sometimes talk too quickly to get the presentation finished. However, for one of my modules, I had to present to around 100 people. My module leader therefore provided me with some support and constructive criticism so during the real presentation, I could put on a good performance. Because of the support that I was given, not only did I end up receiving a first-class grade in that presentation, but I also feel that hit has improved my presentation skills beyond my university experience.
Explore our study skills support within EBS, and across Essex.
7. Tell us a bit about your experience on your work placement
I was lucky to be offered a work placement at a company called Herts Catering Limited in Hertfordshire. This company provides children with school dinner meals and also provides meals to external facilities such as hospitals.
During my time at this company, I played the role of a Human Resource Generalist. As this was my first job out of the retail industry, I was very apprehensive about how working in an office would be. However, I found the experience to be more exciting than I originally thought it would be.
I was given a variety of tasks provided by the Human Resource Director of the company which ranged from accounting to procurement to marketing and admin work. Not merely did this provide me with the vital skills that I will need after my MSc, but it also gave me a good understanding of how the office culture will be when I do get my own job.
The experience was very enjoyable not only because it gave me a well needed break from my studies but also provided me with something for my future. Furthermore, having this work placement on my CV which specified in HR as well as my Level 7 CIPD in Human Resource Management made me a stand out candidate in the current competitive job market.
Additionally, I have made voice to connections within the HR field and have been offered other jobs because of these connections. I was also lucky enough to be offered a job in December from HCL. I would recommend anyone who has the opportunity to do a work placement to do one, not only to gain some confidence in your industry, but also to have that extra qualification on top of your university studies which makes you stand out.
Find out about placements
8. What's your advice to anyone considering taking on an undergraduate or Master's degree?
Since graduating from my undergraduate degree, I jumped straight in and started a Master’s degree. I would recommend anyone who wants to do a Master’s degree to really think about what their passion is. A Master’s degree is a huge jump from undergraduate with honestly a lot more stress. So, on that basis, choose a degree that you are passionate about as that will be the main motivator every day to get you out of bed and persevere through the hard times of a Master’s degree.
I would also encourage anyone who decides to do a postgraduate degree to get involved with as many extracurricular activities as possible. One of my biggest regrets during my undergraduate degree was that I was solely focused on getting a first class, however, because of that I missed a lot of opportunities such as sports, finding a new hobby and volunteering to make my CV better.
If you have to take one piece of advice from anything that I've said, yes, study hard in your degree and do the best that you can, but make sure that you're getting a good work life balance so you can still continue doing the hobbies that you enjoy.
9. Why did you decide to stay at Essex for your Masters degree after completing your undergraduate studies at Essex Business School?
Firstly, I decided to stay at Essex Business School because of the foundations that I built there in my undergraduate degree. For example, I had a very stable part time job in Colchester. I would have worried that if I went to another university to study a Master’s degree, that I would struggle finding a job.
Secondly, I made very strong connections with some of my lecturers, in particular Elaine Yerby and Tony Holt. I knew that these same lecturers would be teaching me during my Master of Science in HR, and this filled me with confidence to the quality of teaching I would be receiving within my MSc.
Thirdly, I decided to stay at Essex Business School because I had confidence that the quality I've teaching I get would be guaranteed. To me it was a no brainer staying at the university because I was very satisfied with the quality of teaching that I had during my previous three years.
Finally I decided to stay at Essex Business School as mentioned previously because of the facilities that the school provided. Not only was the physical aspects of the Business School immaculate but I feel the quality of care that I received during the first three years at the school was high. If ever I had a complaint it was appropriately dealt with, oh if there was anything I was struggling with I could rely on the full support of my peers and my lecturers.
Essex university generally care about you and your progression, and to any undergraduate student who is considering staying at Essex, take it from me that it is something you will not regret.
A huge thanks to Ellie for this wonderful post. If you're considering studying a degree within the Essex Business School, take a look at our undergraduate and postgraduate webpages to explore the areas you might want to study. Courses are also available in Clearing if you're considering joining us in October!
