Shubh's Journey at WBS: From Fresher to Finalist

Final year student, Shubh shares how his journey at WBS has enabled him to make life-lasting friendships, work on his personal confidence, and discover where his passion truly lies.

It seems like just yesterday that I entered my Lakeside accommodation as a fresher, clueless about how I was going to manage my university life, food, studies and my career. I can say with confidence that my experience at WBS has totally changed me. The person who started his journey at WBS in 2018 will be graduating in 2021 as a totally different person. I came to this university as someone who was afraid to talk to strangers, someone who had never stayed alone, and someone who didn’t know how to cook a thing. My experience at the University of Warwick has officially changed me; today I can go have a conversation with anyone, broadening my horizons through networking, I can pay bills through my earnings from my part-time job and, although I am not the best cook, I have learned how to cook various meals for myself.

During my three years at WBS, I have realised the power of collaboration with individuals from around the world. My cohort have taught me so much about their cultures and experiences which I could not have learned through education by itself. The group projects throughout my course have given me opportunities to work alongside people from all around the world and allowed me to develop a different perspective to look at situations.

Handling failure is something that is a part and parcel of life, but when we actually fail it can affect us differently. We will not always succeed at everything in life, and we need to handle failure and see it as a motivating factor. My experience at WBS has definitely taught me how to use that failure to motivate me and develop my skills further. From society elections to job applications, I have faced hundreds of rejections but this is where my learning and experience has come into fruition. My perspective towards rejection has totally changed and it has prepared me to face tougher situations in life. The student I was before I started university would have normally given up after a rejection. However, the student I am now will chase for feedback after rejection in an attempt to not make the same mistakes again and work hard to improve. These failures have always been backed up with experiences that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It has given me the strength to go beyond my comfort zone to try new things, make mistakes and develop myself in the process. An example of this could be overcoming my stage fright when I stood for society elections in my first year and ended up blanking out in front of 200 people, thereby losing the election. However, I tried again the following year and gave an exceptional speech which people remember to date; I also won the election by a landslide, which was a really proud moment.

Societies have played an extremely important role in my development. From handling finances, reaching out to sponsors and organising events, I have seen it all, and this has helped me prepare for real situations in the world of business. Being a society member has enabled me to connect with so many like-minded individuals from all around the world who have taught me so much and, at the same time, have enabled me to make some unforgettable memories with them. Societies have given me a platform to meet experts from various industries and learn from their stories and how they have reached where they are today. Societies have also given me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills and take on positions of responsibility, helping me to learn how to handle stressful situations. During my university experience, I have served as the Deputy Coordinator for the Warwick India Forum, Head of Marketing for the Warwick Indian Society, and Junior Marketing Exec for the Warwick Consulting Society, as well as roles in various other societies as well. Throughout these experiences, I have had the chance to try new things and discover where my passion truly lies.

One of the most important aspects of my university life has been my friends, without whom this journey wouldn’t have been so special. They supported me throughout my university life, being there to party with me when celebrating successes and supporting me while handling failures; they have always been there with me throughout the journey, making it every bit more memorable. From paying utility bills to cleaning our kitchen together, such basic moments have made the whole journey extremely enjoyable. The toughest and the most stressful moments have been made easier because of the people around me and this is something that I will always cherish. The good memories we have made together will be something we will remember for the rest of our lives, and I am sure we will look at these times and think life was so much easier back then! Finally, I would like to thank WBS and the University of Warwick for giving me the opportunity to make such long-lasting friendships which will continue for the rest of my life.

Find out more about Shubh's course.