Giulia Calcabrini
Lead Analyst, Moody's Investors Service
BSc International Management (2012 – 2016)

I am a fourth year International Management student from France. Previously, I had never studied business or any other related topics and I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to specialise in. Therefore, the structure of the BSc was perfect for me – I could decide whether I wanted to study a general business degree or whether I wanted to specialise, based on my personal preferences. I decided to specialise in finance, and I greatly enjoyed having such flexibility in tailoring my course. In this way, it really becomes your course.

Lectures, seminars and group work

My degree in mainly taught in the form of lectures and seminars. Lectures represent the knowledge gaining part, while seminars are the perfect opportunity to apply what we have learnt. I also have a few group projects every year. It is great to work on projects with other students from all kinds of backgrounds, and I feel like I really make the most of the School’s international student community. I am always happily surprised by the outcome of our work when we combine all of our distinct strengths, and it’s also an amazing opportunity to make new friends!

The Year Abroad

The best thing about the programme has been the year abroad. I had always wanted to live in Spain, because I loved the culture and I wanted to improve my knowledge of the language, and WBS allowed me to do just that.

I spent the first semester studying at IE Business School in Madrid, and then I worked during the rest of the year in the Finance department of Procter & Gamble, Spain. It was a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and to develop as a person. I also learnt Spanish fluently – I learnt more in two months working there than I did studying the language for several years. In addition, by working for six months in a large multinational company, I gained valuable skills that are highly sought by employers which will be extremely useful for a future career.

I also discovered so much about the Hispanic culture – including their food, way of life and siestas. I made tons of amazing friends and took advantage of the opportunity to travel as much as I could around the country. I would undoubtedly do this experience again, and I am now even more motivated to pursue an international career!

Careers support

The WBS CareersPlus team is great. I have attended several careers events organised by the team, from careers fairs to employer presentations and networking events. I got to know a large number of companies interested in recruiting WBS graduates. In addition, I had one-to-one sessions with careers advisors, who have helped me figure out the different options available to me and gave me advice on preparing for interviews and assessment centres. They have also been of great help when designing my CV and writing my cover letters.

Extracurricular activities

During my second year, I was in the marketing team of TEDxWarwick and I was lucky to contribute to the organisation of one of the largest TEDx events in England. The event was entirely student-led, by a team of around thirty students. It was a great experience for several reasons. Firstly, I met amazing people and I had a great time, all year long. Also, I really felt like I was having an impact on campus by organising such a large-scale event, and it was extremely rewarding. Finally, it was similar to having gained work experience as I learnt loads of transferable skills that employers highly value.

Campus life

The new UG study space is a very nice place for WBS students to study. I have used it intensively for group projects, as the large tables and screens make it very easy to work together.

The sports centre at the University of Warwick is also great. There are so many sports available, from conventional ones like tennis and football to more unusual ones such as underwater hockey. 

Campus nights are a lot of fun. There is something going on nearly every night, and what I most like about that is that they are exclusively for students. You meet tons of people from the first night here on campus!  

Living off-campus

I am currently living off-campus for my final year, in Leamington Spa. Leamington Spa is a nice little town close to WBS, only half an hour away from campus with the Unibus, a bus which runs very often. Getting to campus is no a hassle at all, and I have the benefit of living in a town full of restaurants, clubs, shops and students. The atmosphere is great; it’s extremely safe and there are hundreds of really nice student houses and apartments. The best thing about living in Leamington is going out for a drink or for dinner after a long day of studying with your friends, who are most likely to be living just a few minutes away from you.