Studying at Imperial College London

 

Time:2013-06-16 10:17:02 Clicks:

 

By Ke XIE from 2007International Finance (4)

 

First of all, I would like to extend my great gratitude to my honored JUFE and InternationalSchool for their support and kindness which have helped me a lot when studying overseas. Also, I would like to express my deep thankfulness to my beloved parents, without whom my fruitful and wonderful journey in the UK would have been impossible.

 

Time flies! 5 years of university study have passed, and now I am working in an asset management corporation in Beijing. Step by step, from JUFE to University of Southampton and then Imperial College London, I have finally started a career in my dreamed financial industry. Nearly all the moments of overseas study are still shining vividly in my memory, which I would like to share with you in the following paragraphs.

 

Prepare roundly, especially in unknown circumstances

I would like to start with my experiences of applying for postgraduate study. While there is a “terrifying” competitive postgraduate entrance examination in China, there is no such exam lying on the long road of postgraduate study application, which however does not mean easy tasks. The China’s postgraduate entrance exam uses a single objective criterion to discriminate students, while foreign universities apply simultaneously multiple criteria, both objective and subjective, to select those they “like”, impairing unconsciously fairness of competition among students of different backgrounds. For example, foreign universities may limit the number of Chinese students even though Chinese students have higher GPAs and better internship experiences than their counterparts. Moreover, it may be harder for Chinese students applying from Chinese universities to gain admission than for Chinese candidates from UK universities. Therefore, taking into account the potential discriminations and other risks, we should prepare roundly for our postgraduate study application.

 

My advices are the following:

 

1.      Many months before application, please try to make your CV as beautiful as possible: study hard from now on to push up your GPA; take internships (try to enter firms of big names); participate in social practices; obtain professional qualifications such as CFA level 2, etc.

2.      Begin your application with fully researching information about: (a) universities you desire, programs or courses you desire, famous teachers or professors you desire; (b) entrance requirements of those programs, materials needed for application (CV, personal statement, reference letter, language requirements, etc.); (c) how hard to gain admission to the program (consult with elder students, someone in your target universities, for example), how stiff the competition will be (check with your fellows, compare your own performance with others’).

3.      Make a schedule and apply as early as possible. A rough schedule may include: firstly, “make” your GPA look more favorable and take supportive exams such as IELTS, TOFEL, GMAT, GRE, etc.; secondly, prepare your own application materials according to the requirements of your desirable programs, such as CV, personal statement, reference letter, etc. (if you choose to hire an overseas study service company to write those materials for you, be careful about the quality – they care about money, not your degree!); Thirdly, start your application.

4.      During the journey of application, there may be exams – online tests, paper exams, or interviews. Those exams, in my opinion, are the most objective and fairest among the various selecting criteria, which therefore are crucial and sometimes even conclusive, especially those in later stages of the application process. Hence, please do your best to prepare for those tests. Exams of different programs vary but all test your knowledge relevant to the programs. For interviews, you may find online valuable information about the exams from past experiences of previous candidates, but do not rely on those experiences too much. Honestly, I have not seen any shortcut to cope with interviews, because they do not have a regular pattern to follow, and even if they do, there are no uniform answers. What you can do is simply broaden your knowledge base from now on, deepen your understanding about what you have studied so far and find your own impressive strengths/shining points. Of course, if you manage to find out questions the interviewers may ask, prepare fully about those topics. During the interview, please dress formally, behave politely and speak actively. Keep it in mind that there are no uniform answers -- even if you fail to answer the questions correctly, you can still impress the interviewers with logically structured, passionate and academically sensible discussions about the topic. Ultimately, interviews are great opportunities to show yourself, which however require really good knowledge foundation and full preparation to be successful.

5.      Live on with a peaceful mind, always. Competition is intense. Life is unfair. If you have spared no effort to reach your goal, there is nothing to worry about. But the important thing is you have REALLY spared no effort. For example, what if you have received a conditional offer from Cambridge but your GPA has failed to meet its prerequisite? Argue! One of my friends did argue with Cambridge and she eventually gained admission.

 

 

Study hard, not only your courses

Studying abroad is a precious and rewarding experience. If you are a geek, you can throw yourself into the magnificent library of the university. If you are social and outgoing, you can make many friends from various countries. If you like traveling, you will find so many wonderful places to visit. If you are a no-lifer, you will soon enjoy yourself so much in front of your computer, or possibly your Xbox 360, lying on the mountain of digital game DVDs (don’t do that). If you are insane, you will soon find your insane friends…

 

Time in the UK passed so quickly that I did not realize it has ended. If I were given a second chance to study overseas, I would study even harder, not only those academic courses, but also every aspect of life abroad.

 

Education in the UK is quite different from that in China. In the UK, if you choose to study hard, you can become quite busy and harvest a lot. The compulsory parts of a course normally do not require too much time for a student to finish, while the optional ones often have deeper and more interesting contents and hence require more efforts to study. Also, there will be various public lectures led by experts and practitioners from particular industries to broaden students’ knowledge and strengthen practical skills. More interestingly, there are diverse student groups to accommodate different interests, such as the Private Equity Club, the Quantitative Trading Club, the Basketball Club, the various arts clubs (gorgeous and…unspeakable…). Life should be a journey of study. Study hard and cherish time--your experience abroad will be fruitful.

 

However, if you choose to relax yourself in a place far from the reach of the restrictions of your parents and teachers, you can really enjoy yourself, like in the heaven. You will find out that simply passing a program does not require much effort. But before relaxing, please think about the costs you have paid for studying abroad, the loneliness you and your parents are bearing, the hardships you have overcome so far. Do not feel regretful, when your overseas study has ended, when the time for you to show what you have studied abroad has come, when your potential employers seriously challenge you during interviews.

 

Therefore, before going abroad, please try to think about clearly and seriously your goals, your interests, plans to achieve your goals, ways to develop your interests, so that you will not lost yourself in an exotic, exciting but strange environment. Keep it in mind that “I come here to study, hard”.

 

Tips while in the UK

1.      The weather

The weather in the UK, unlike the imaginations of those who have never lived on this island, is not foggy and wet. On the contrary, it is dry and sunny most of the time, with occasional lovely naughty clouds suddenly appearing above you pouring down shining drops of rain. British people do not often bring with them umbrellas, but Chinese do.

Do not be afraid of cold weather, because indoor heating lasts roughly from October to May next year. Summer is quite pleasant in the UK because the highest temperature is normally below 25 degrees Celsius.

In a word, the weather in the UK is quite nice all the year round.

 

2.      The food…

I have no idea about whether British food ranks among the world’s three worst foods, but it is not as desirable as British weather. The famous Fish and Chips is delicious only if you treat it as a kind of occasional snack. Luckily, there are various kinds of restaurants in the UK, such as Chinese restaurants, Turkish Kebabs, Italian restaurants, Japanese Sushi, etc. But perhaps the most economical and comfortable way of eating is to cook by yourself. You can find most materials needed in supermarkets such as ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury, etc.

3.      Safety in the UK

It is generally safe in the UK, except in areas occupied by less educated people. There are fewer thieves on this island than in China. But its generous laws have made some of its children and teenagers extremely annoying and naughty, even not afraid of breaking laws. So try to keep distance from unfriendly-looking youngsters. Don’s be scared—most British people are well-educated, polite and friendly.

4.      Fun in the UK

Although the United Kingdom is a relatively small country, it can surely satisfy your various needs of having fun, except for basketball fans of course.

If you like historical attractions, you can visit its old cities such as London, Manchester, Edinburgh, etc. If you like natural sightseeing, you can travel to the Lake District, the Forest, the Loch Ness and so on. If you like theme parks, the AltonTowers is the most famous. If you like digital games, there is an abundant variety of games for you to explore. If you like clubs and parties, you have come to the right country…

 

Careers after study in the UK

 

I hope you can start to think about your career right now, because it helps you to set up your goals and plans, and because your most desirable financial and economic programs normally last only one year, which means students have to start to looking for a job at the beginning of the program if they want to lead a career immediately after graduation.

To start a career after graduation, you have many options.

1.      Looking for a job in the UK, which is quite difficult. The UK economy is still struggling, keeping unemployment rate high. Financial institutions often cut down their workforces. To obtain a UK citizenship normally requires 10 years of living in this country, if I remember correctly. A further disadvantage for a Chinese candidate is language. How many years are needed before a Chinese can enter English business negotiation?

2.      Looking for a job in the US, which is also hard.

3.      Looking for a job in other foreign countries. The first challenge is language, especially in financial industry which requires intensive teamwork. Some of my friends have gone to Singapore, where most people can speak Chinese.

4.      Going back to China, which is suitable for most Chinese students. Our beloved nation will welcome you by granting you tax cuts, advantages for entrepreneurship, and citizenships in developed cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Most international financial institutions, consulting firms, accounting firms like to hire students with overseas study background, because those students are more fluent in English and can better apply western financial and economic methodologies. But the challenge is many domestic firms prefer to hire “stable and cheaper” domestic students, being afraid that overseas graduates are interiorly arrogant and may switch between employers. Therefore, we should bear in mind that although we have paid expensive fees to study abroad, we should stay all the time humble, loyal, reliable, eager to learn, and confident.

 

The three years abroad have rewarded me a lot, but passed in just moments. Finally, I would like to give my best wishes and thanks to my friends accompanying me in the UK, without whom my life on this island would not be so gorgeous, unforgettable and “colourful”.