September 30, 2014, by James Jupe

What will be your story? Make the most of university

Ask any graduate you come across, time flies by when you’re at university. Before you know it you’ll be wearing a gown and shaking hands with the Vice-Chancellor. That’s far away now, and it’s the here and now that matters, so why not go and explore all the ways to make the most of your university life. You won’t believe just how much is out there!

Take the time to try out something new

We haven’t the space to tell you everything you can do, so here’s a quick snapshot to inspire. If you enjoy the media or sharing your opinions, join our student magazine Impact as it is a great platform for budding journalists or try out URN, our student radio station, which has received numerous BBC Radio One Awards.  You can also get involved in Karnival, a token of pride for the Students’ Union as it’s the largest student-run charity in Europe and offers lots of scope for students to get involved in.

There are more than 200 societies you can be part of that will build your confidence, strengthen your bond with others and sharpen your communication skills. Utilise your free time with the Student Volunteer Centre where you can support charities ranging from British Red Cross or Age UK to more local groups like Friends of Wollaton Park. There’s also the Nottingham Advantage Award to help personalise your career development and give you a vast array of skills to enhance your CV – all very valuable when selling yourself to an employer.

Find out what’s out there

You could come along to Employability Street on 2 October at Jubilee Campus where you can soak up the one day ‘street festival’. You’ll find employers such as Mars and PwC to talk to, as well IntoUniversity, Enactus and HackSoc among others. To get even more out of the event, why not sign up to a short workshop and see how to make the most of university.

For those of you at Sutton Bonington campus, there’s also the Opportunities Fair on 7 October. At this event you can talk to Unitemps, our on campus recruitment agency, as well as Year in Industry, our eMentoring scheme, Study Abroad (and not just for language students!), and plenty of others (who can develop your CV and add more strings to your bow.)

What will you do?

What’s most important to remember is that no two student journeys are ever the same. You can explore a whole myriad of different avenues across three or four years and leave your mark on everything you do. With so much potential to thrive and all of the many options that are available, you want to look back on your university years in the knowledge that you absorbed every opportunity. If you take this attitude on board, your actions will speak for themselves and your CV will knit together naturally.

Do you want to explore your options? Go along to our Employability Street event on 2 October at Jubilee Campus or alternatively check out the Opportunities Fair on 7 October at Sutton Bonington campus.

Posted in Careers AdviceThe Nottingham Advantage AwardVolunteering