Meet our 2023 graduates - Amelia Cole

Over the next two weeks, the Class of 2023 will be celebrating hard work and resilience at their graduation ceremonies. We introduce just a handful of these grads who have made the most of their time at Portsmouth. 

My journey to university

I didn’t plan on attending university at first and opted to work at a bank straight out of college with the aim to work my way up internally. It gave me an insight into how banks are structured and the different ways they generate income. However, I soon discovered I couldn't get to the level I wanted to without a degree so I started to apply to university. 

Before university, I knew I wanted to travel, and had fallen in love with Canada on a recent holiday, so I applied for a working holiday visa and moved out to Vancouver. I worked in retail and a ski resort before COVID-19 sadly hit.

Why I chose to study at Portsmouth

I knew after being away from home for a while I’d like to be closer to family. I also wanted to stay by the coast as this would allow me to continue rowing, something I’d done for many years. The option for a specific degree in Economics, Finance, and Banking really stood out to me, as I knew finance was the industry I wanted to go into as opposed to being a more generalist economist. This degree would tailor what I was learning to be more applicable to the end jobs I envisioned for myself.

Portsmouth having a Bloomberg suite and offering the chance to undertake the Bloomberg qualification was something that I thought would make my CV stand out. I thought it would be really useful to know as not many universities had this capability.

Personal highlights of my time at Portsmouth

I’ve had a variety of highlights whilst at Portsmouth, but one particular one is getting the university its highest finish at the BUCS regatta for many years in my single. I’d been rowing for many years before university, so I knew it was something that I wanted to continue. The club at Portsmouth now has around 30 members. It was a lovely environment to be in, both from the social aspect and the sporting side.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get out on the water much in my first two years, but we land-trained 3-5 times a week to ensure we were prepared for races. Rowing is great mentally but also helps you to get physically fit, which is why I’d encourage anyone to join a sport at university - you also make friends who you stay in contact with even after they graduate!

Women in Economics Mentoring

The scheme has been running for two years and I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of it - I hope to continue supporting the scheme after I graduate. As economics is a heavily male-dominated field, it was nice to meet and be able to network with past graduates, all of whom now have successful careers within the field. 

My mentor last year worked in asset management and was a great help to understand the work undertaken in the field further. This ultimately made me apply to more asset/wealth management graduate schemes, instead of pursuing a career in investment banking which I didn’t feel was sustainable in the long term.

This year my mentor has helped me develop my unique selling points ready for interviews which have been great when applying for roles. We ran through practice interview questions, all of which made me feel more confident. In-person events developed my networking skills and I built more connections within the industry - all of which are vital in banking. 

In terms of studying, my favorite modules have been the ones with real-life implications. For instance, in my second year, I took ‘Investment Analysis’ which helped to introduce the basics of investing and how companies/individuals can calculate returns. What I learned in this module, alongside some accounting principles in my first year, came in really useful in interviews and when I was working at the investment bank M&A team helping with valuations. 

Next steps

After graduation, I will take a job at UBS in Wealth Management after receiving offers in investment banking and asset management as well. I’ll be moving to London for this role, as typically most larger banks have their offices there so require you to relocate.

I think securing an investment banking internship in my second year really helped my CV stand out when I was applying for other graduate schemes, I am very grateful for this experience. My mentor also really helped me to prepare for interviews and assessment days, allowing me to feel prepared when going for these roles.

My advice to current students

The first year is a time to settle into university life, however, I would say you still need to work hard from the beginning. Whilst you only need to pass, the first year is vital in helping you to secure summer internships/placements, which will ultimately help to improve your CV and gain the graduate job you want, meaning 40% won’t be enough. 

It is also a time to get used to and improve the academic writing style you will need, and now is the perfect time to make any mistakes so you don’t later on! This will also help you to secure higher grades in the second and third years as you already have your writing style figured out.