October 29, 2024, by Leah Sharpe

Dear second year arts students…

By Hannah Kane, Biblical Studies and Theology

First year is done and dusted, congratulations! Now it’s time to get down to business. No doubt you’ve got essays, tests and presentations to prepare for. But what if I told you that good marks in your coursework isn’t the only thing you should be thinking about this year.

Confused? Hear me out. 

In first year, you were probably trying to figure things out. In your final year, you will be working hard on your dissertation. This means that your second year is your chance to get some experience and build on your employability. University is a wide world full of opportunities, so do yourself a favour and make the most of the resources available.

What are placements?

The last time you did something similar to placements, was likely work experience in secondary school or college. Placements at university mean you are given more responsibility and have more opportunities to explore your specific interests and subject areas. Some are unpaid, but some can be paid. Placements give you the opportunity to try new things and sectors before committing to a full-time role.

First, lets explore reasons you wouldn’t do a placement:

1. You are too busy with other extracurricular activities

2. You want to focus fully on your studies

3. You haven’t decided what you want to do post-graduation yet

4. You think there is no point doing extra work, especially unpaid

5. Getting work experience just isn’t a priority for you

If any or ALL of these apply to you, listen up!

Getting work experience in your second year should be more of a priority for you. Hearing from final year students, they often regret not doing some form of work experience in their second year.

Reasons why you should do a placement:

1. They give you an opportunity to refine application skills. This means that the first time you’re doing a job application won’t be for your first graduate role.

2. Placements improve your employability by building professional competencies and skills. There may be skills you had no idea you needed for your future profession.

3. Evidence shows that those who have completed a placement have higher final results compared to those who didn’t partake in any sort of work experience.

4. The job market is tough so by doing a placement you will be ahead of the game.

5. There is so much variety, there really is something for everyone.

6. Finally, you get a taste of your future career without the pressure of getting everything right.

Where can I get started?

Current placement opportunities within the Faculty of Arts include areas such as education, social media, content creation, marketing, languages, communication, heritage and more.

Join the Faculty of Arts Placements Moodle page to access a whole host of opportunities inside and outside the Faculty of Arts.

Finally, take a look at the Nottingham Advantage Award. It helps you prepare for employment and recognises extracurricular activities.

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