Karolina Szewczyk

Hey!

My name is Karolina and as of October I am starting my third and final year of my undergraduate studies at the De Montfort University, majoring in Business Entrepreneurship and Innovation. I’ve always believed that things that come easily in life are usually less rewarding than those that are challenging. That’s why I set the bar a bit higher for myself than my classmates in school trying his hand at studying abroad. More than two years have passed, and I never doubted the rightness of the decision I made back then, even for a moment.

Education in the UK is of a high standard, with universities equipped with excellent and up-to-date computer equipment. The library at De Montfort University is modern and cozy, which encourages you to comfortably sit down and write essays. In my program, the modules I’ve studied so far have naturally focused mainly on business topics – how to start a business, how to manage it, how to collaborate with people, global political-economic issues, and a bit of accounting and marketing to keep things interesting.

So far, my favorites among the modules have been Global Business Issues, Human Resources Management, and Financial Decision Making. Each module has a given number of hours per week of lectures – usually 1-2 hours. The more important ones also have weekly hour-long tutorials, during which groups of approx. 15 people together discuss things discussed in lectures, work on projects, brainstorm, or help each other prepare for credits. Assessments in my program include essays, business plans, or reports ranging from 1500 to 3000 words, projects to develop and present in groups of 3-5 people, or exams labeled `a, b, c, d’.

I arrived in England in July 2016, a few months before the start of the academic year, to have some time to explore the city, meet new people, find a job, secure accommodation, and get accustomed to the new situation. The first room I rented here to have a place to stay initially, I found on Facebook, one of the groups called ‘Polacy w Leicester’ (Poles in Leicester). I lived there for about two months, and during that time, I happened to meet a girl at work who was currently in her first year at DMU. Coincidentally, there was an available room in the same place where she lived, and I soon moved there. I don’t live there anymore today, but the mentioned girl is still my best friend to this day.

Currently, I’m renting a room with a kitchenette in a cozy part of Leicester, and the monthly rent and utility costs come to around £350. I recommend searching for rooms through Facebook; there are many groups like ‘rooms to let in Leicester’ or ‘things to buy, sell, rent in Leicester’ where you can search – and find – something nice and affordable for the beginning. Rooms in the vicinity within a 20-minute walking distance of De Montfort University fall within the price range of £70 to £90 per week. The Narborough Road district might not seem attractive at first, but it’s a good starting point here – it’s close to the university, there are many shops, pubs, and fast-food places, and it’s only a 20-minute walk to the city center.

My first job in England was, of course, physical work in a warehouse. I think everyone has gone through that experience, or at least most people have. It’s an easy-to-get job – all you need is to register with any employment agency and a bit of willingness. During my first year of studies, I worked as a sales assistant at Primark, and my contract was for 20 hours per week. I went to work for 4 hours each day from Monday to Friday, attended lectures, and still had time, energy, and enthusiasm for parties, personal time, and studying. I resigned after a year and now work as a recruitment consultant at an employment agency. I found the job through a Facebook advertisement, sent my CV, was invited for an interview, and after 5 days, I started the job that I enjoyed. I mainly work on weekends, which is why university and work don’t interfere with each other.

I met Krystian from Edu4U at one of the Polish Society events. He’s an incredibly intelligent, ambitious, and positively energetic person with whom I have many fond memories. For instance, we attended two trips to the Congress of the Polish Students Societies in the UK together – one in Cambridge and the other in Warwick.

The atmosphere at the university is amazing, the campus is beautiful, and there are plenty of cafes around, places with good food, a river, stores, and a park. Between lectures, you can grab a coffee with friends who come from different countries, even different continents. Not only fellow students but also lecturers are positive and open, and you can approach your tutor with any issue – be it related to money, work, studies, feeling homesick, or anything that concerns you.

DMU Global is a De Montfort University-organized overseas trip tailored specifically to a particular field of study. This year, not only did I manage to get a place on two such trips, but the university helped me with their costs. In early March 2018, I went on a 4-day trip to Thessaloniki, Greece, where we visited Greek students from the University of Macedonia and worked together on business projects. At the end of March of the same year, my big dream of traveling outside of Europe came true – I participated in a 14-day trip to China. It was the trip of my life, I met wonderful people, saw a multitude of beautiful places, ate strange things, and talked to Chinese businessmen

My plan is to stay in the UK and continue my higher education here with a Masters degree