Making the most of your time at St Andrews
From CareersWiki
Contents |
Introduction
Many final year students present their CVs to careers advisers for review with the comment I wish I had more on my CV, or, I wish I had done more with my time at university. This is often said at the stage when the student has recognised the relationship between getting involved and employability but, as important as that is, there is more to making the most of your time at St Andrews than employability alone. Personal development is key – by undertaking new activities you’ll:
- have fun
- meet new people and make new friends
- find out what you’re good at and what makes you happy
- challenge yourself
- push yourself outside your comfort zone
- develop new skills and improve your existing ones
It is recognised that by stretching yourself, doing challenging and perhaps scary things when you’re young, there is a very good chance that you will continue to have a more adventurous, driven and fulfilled life later on, with a clearer idea of “you” – what do you value - in yourself, others and the world around you? What will make you happy in the longer-term?
So what kind of things can you do?
Student Societies
Graduate employers expect to recruit graduates who have other experiences in addition to their academic studies. So our advice is to get involved! To develop and provide evidence that you have transferrable skills, you’re encouraged to make the most of the extra-curricular activities on offer. The fact that the University of St Andrews has more student societies than any other university in Scotland is well-known – students with positions on committees tend to be the ones who make the most of the opportunities society involvement offers.
To find out more about how to get involved in university clubs and societies visit the Societies Portal at the University of St Andrews Students’ Association website. And it you’re not interested in any of the societies, why not start one of your own?
Working with young people
To provide students with the opportunity to work with young people, the University has developed a number of programmes in association with local schools including the ‘Student Tutoring’ and ‘Working Together To Improve' Schemes, the Summer School programmes and the Associate Student Initiative. The Ambassador Service involves students in the organisation of events such as University Visiting Days and in talks to school pupils about university life. Contact Mike Johnson in Admissions (maj10) for more information.
Sport
The University also has a proud history of sporting achievement – competing in teams or on your own can be wonderfully developmental and allows the chance to travel as well.
Travel
Motivated by travel? The Careers Centre and University Travel Service offers a competitive annual Travel Bursary worth £400 to a returning St Andrews student. You need to demonstrate that you will be spending some of the summer vacation undertaking a project which will give you experiences and encounters you could not have in your own country; be a challenge; and enable you to ‘make a contribution’. Further details. The closing date for applications is usually towards the end of February.
Volunteering
There are numerous opportunities to volunteer in the local area, via the likes of the SVS, the Students’ Association, Supnet, Nightline and Volunteering Fife.
Improve your IT skills
Did you know students are able to attend IT Services training courses primarily provided for university staff? There are also online training courses if you’d prefer to work in your own time. See IT Services website for more information.
The Certificate in Career Development
The Certificate in Career Development (CCD)is designed to encourage and reward you for the efforts you put into your career planning. Your attendance at skills workshops organised by the Careers Centre will earn you points towards the Certificate. The Events in St Andrews section of our website explains how you can earn the necessary points and shows you how many points each event is worth.
Profiles of St Andrews students
Read more work experience profiles of St Andrews students.
Matt Normington MA (Hons) Modern Languages (French) (With Integrated Year Abroad) 2008
Since my first year at St Andrews, I was involved with several different organisations within the university. Upon arriving at university, I joined the University Officer Training Corps, not because I planned to go into the military as a career, but because it seemed to be a challenging and fun club to join. Throughout my four years, I had the opportunity to hold positions of responsibility including managing the bar on the social side and a leadership role within the military structure, both of which enhanced my leadership, teamwork and organisational skills. At the time, I didn’t realise how highly employers look for these skills and primarily looked at how I could be further involved with the OTC as I enjoy being in a position where I can contribute to the club. I took this approach in other areas that I have been involved in at St Andrews, I was club captain of the squash club, which enabled me to test and further enhance my interpersonal, organisational and leadership skills and posed different challenges from my roles with the Officer Training Corps. I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from all my extra-curricular activities at university and the valuable skills I acquired from them will stand me in good stead in my future career.
Phil Pass
MA Geography & Management 2009
Getting involved in all aspects of student life is not only ‘good for your CV’, but enables you to develop key skills that employers look for. These skills aren’t just for the future world of work; they are vital to use and gain right now just to get onto vacation schemes! Being part of a committee helps you to develop communication, time-management, leadership, organisational and team-working skills – all things you are expected to be able to give examples of at a job interview. In my 2 ¾ years here, I have been involved in a number of societies and organisations, giving my time and effort in order to help others, have fun and make myself more employable. I have been secretary of the Management Society, society which I was also involved in the reforming of, secretary and captain of the cricket club, technical co-ordinator of the ‘Ents Crew’, attended debates and have recently become a member of the Charities Campaign. I have been actively involved in around 30 theatre productions in St Andrews so far in a variety of technical roles from which I am now branching out into stage management and producing. On top of this I have to find time to study for my Geography & Management degree and get the occasional bit of work in for the Careers Centre where I am an intern promoting the centre and doing odd jobs at events. Of course, you don’t need to get involved in everything the university offers but try to get involved in something whilst you’re here. Not only is it a way to generate some fun for yourself, but also a great way to improve your employability!
Careers Centre resource
Making the most of your time at St Andrews presentation by Pamela Andrew, Employability Co-ordinator
