Murtaza Rizvi
Executive, EY
BSc Accounting & Finance with Placement Year (2015 – 2019)

I am currently a second year studying Accounting and Finance. For me, my home country Pakistan is an 8 hour direct flight away and 15 months ago, this was my first time in UK. However, since arriving, Warwick has increasingly provided me the sense of a second home. My top five reasons to love Warwick have been: Academic Reputation, Campus, Extra Curricular Opportunities, Sports Facilities and the fantastic career support from WBS CareersPlus. 

The course certainly has a strong focus on Accounting and Finance, however, a vast array of modules are included covering all aspects of business. The lectures are a chance to learn, while seminars are managed in small student groups to assess our concepts. It all depends on modules, for me, most of my modules are assessed in the summer. The assessment techniques vary in the form of exams, online class tests or group work. The big difference from A-levels is that more active learning is encouraged at University and you have to access the right resources yourself to excel. 

The support available here in the form of online resources such as recorded lectures and online literature is remarkable. There is also a visible emphasis on group work at WBS. Working in multicultural groups with new people is one aspect that makes this course exciting and insightful. The range of different modules one can study are endless, the choices for instance can range from Finance to different Languages. 

If you speak to Graduate recruiters or notice some of our alumni, it can be observed, that WBS has certainly made its mark as a Business School! In my view, listening to student feedback is one of the reasons for this, alongside their industry connections. There is constant involvement from top employers at WBS such as EY or Accenture. They openly appreciate the worth of WBS graduates. 

The careers team has always been very friendly and helpful. There are some experienced career counsellors who provide comprehensive preparation resources for the various assessment techniques used by top employers. Personally, I have been involved in interview skills workshops and have enjoyed numerous one to one sessions with the WBS CareersPlus team. 

Alongside my studies, I am an active member of Warwick Pakistan Society and the Cricket club. Paksoc connects me to my culture while cricket club gives me a chance to pursue my favourite sport. There are various other interesting societies such as Photography, the Finance Society, WBSS etc. that I have joined or attended events of. 

I would suggest for people to choose WBS for their undergraduate degree because of its overall standing as a Business School and the experience it provides. Generally, for someone from my home country, moving to the UK will be a culture shock. I would advise people to embrace the diverse cultures at Warwick while upholding their own values. Lastly, the opportunities to grow here are endless.