Read Albion's story of being a Chevening Scholar at Swansea University
What made you decide to study at Swansea University?
When looking for a postgraduate course, my objective was to find one that combined both business management and data analytics modules. I decided to study at Swansea University because the course in Management with a pathway in Business Analytics seemed to offer what I was looking for and could give me the opportunity to build a career as a data scientist/analyst.
What did you like about your course?
There are many things I liked in my course. First, my professors were very professional and willing to answers your questions in the classroom, via email or during their office hours. Secondly, their guidance on assignments was very helpful and because of it, I quickly acquired the necessary academic skills and knowledge to do them. Thirdly, apart from the Analytics subjects, my most preferred subjects were Marketing Management and Strategy. I got very valuable knowledge from my lecturers and very useful resources to keep reading and studying in the future.
What are your three favourite things about Swansea?
I enjoyed living near the sea, at the Bay Campus. It reminded me sometimes of my hometown Durres in Albania. Secondly, since it is not a big city, everything was easily reachable and lastly, the local people are very friendly.
Were you a member of any student societies? Did you take advantage of any other opportunities?
I did not become a member of any student society, however, I enjoyed making international friends from Australia, Scotland, China, India, etc. During my stay in Swansea, I had the chance to attend for free a very useful workshop related to Artificial Intelligence and some other workshops related to conducting research, personal branding etc. organised by Swansea University. I also joined a trip to Oxford organised by the university. Furthermore, I attended in London a training in marketing analytics and a two-day conference in Birmingham organized by SAS.
What do you have planned in the next 12 months?
After coming back to my country, my goal is to find a job as Data Scientist/Analytics preferably in the marketing/commercial sector of a well-known company to put in practice the knowledge I have acquired this year. Since data analytics is a very vast field, I will also make a plan of self-learning in order to expand my knowledge and provide more value to the company I will work for.
What advice would you give to anyone considering studying at Swansea?
Drawing on my experience, I can say you will have the necessary support from University institutions for any problems you have and I am not referring only to academic-related issues. Furthermore, the lecturers are very friendly and willing to guide you on your academic journey.
