BA (Hons) International Business Studies

Darwin Jackson

'The University of Portsmouth stood out from other universities because of its proximity to the city and the beach just 15 minutes walk away.  The University also offered the course I wanted to do in international business studies.

The course provides you with a great grounding in all areas of business in the first year.  It is unique, compared to other business courses, in that you have the opportunity to live and study abroad, at a partner university, for a semester. This was a lot of fun but also allowed me to experience what it is like to live in another country. By living abroad, I experienced different cultures, interacted with other foreign students and travelled around neighbouring countries.  In your third year, you do a work placement, which prepares you for working in the real world and gives you ideas on what to base your dissertation on.  My plan after graduation is to join a graduate scheme, which will allow me to put into practice what I have learned at university.

There is always support for your every little need in Portsmouth. The Library and IT facilities are open until midnight every day, so I can study at the time it suits me. Group work becomes a lot easier with study rooms available throughout the day.   I can bring my laptop in and have wireless internet throughout the whole University for free. The University gym is also a first class facility. It is open all year round and offers a range of fitness classes and wide selection of equipment. And the Purple Door staff will look a look at your CV and do mock interviews to help you find a job after university. They are always happy to help and even available during the holiday periods.

The University offers a wide range of societies that you can join. I chose not to join a society as my course is all over the place and I spent a year and a half away from Portsmouth. I tried things as they came along such as football, frisbee and rugby on the common, the gym and swimming in the winter, and bowling and the cinema at Gunwarf Quays.

Portsmouth is a unique city. It is very compact, making it easy to get around and it is located close to the beach. It is rare to find all this and a university so closely interlinked.'