Graduate Success

UNDERGRADUATE

Kylie Conroy - BSc (Hons) Human Biology

Kirsty Maciver - BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy

Lisa Hyslop - BA (Hons) Hospitality and Tourism Management

Mark Riding - BA (Hons) Business Management

Ruth George - BA (Hons) Costume Design and Construction

Anna Trejnowska - BSc Hons Psychology

Steven Braxton - BA (Hons) Film and Media

Kylie Conroy - BSc (Hons) Human Biology

I am originally from Australia and after leaving school, I went on to do an apprenticeship in hospitality with a view to one day opening my own restaurant or café after I had done some travelling. My travels brought me to the UK and I spent a few years working in restaurants and bars, but I realised that I wanted to do something different. I was still interested in food, but I was keen for a more scientific career. As my previous qualifications were not science-focused, I did a one year Access course at college which gave me the qualifications to apply for the BSc (Hons) Nutrition at QMU.

The content of Years One and Two of QMU’s degrees in Nutrition, Human Biology and Applied Pharmacology is the same and provides a grounding in science. This is great as it means that you can refocus your studies if you enjoy one aspect more than the other. Enjoying lab work, I decided to change to the Human Biology degree and I’m glad that I changed: I really enjoyed it and although I found it challenging, I believe that if you put in the work you get the results and I did – a First Class Honours. The modules were very interesting and well presented and I really enjoyed the written assignments and delving deep into a particular topic. I was also able to secure a three month studentship at University of Edinburgh where I did some research into depression - which was a brilliant experience. Similar undergraduate studentships are offered in universities throughout the UK and I would highly recommend doing one. It not only gave me good experience, but it also meant that I could see first hand what was involved in laboratory work and real research. Also, through my contacts there I was able to do some further research that formed the basis of my honours project.

Towards the end Year Four, I started thinking about my future. As I had enjoyed laboratory work and researching for my honours project, I quite fancied carrying on to do a PhD. QMU were offering studentships for various topics of research, so I applied and was accepted. Between graduating and starting my PhD, I went back to work in the lab at Edinburgh University. After finishing my PhD, I’d like to work in industrial research and take a break from studying, with the hope of further study after I’ve gained some work experience. With the changing economy though, who knows what lies ahead. I am just going to finish my PhD and then take it from there. I am keeping my eye on the job market though.

Kirsty Maciver - BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy

I always wanted to work in healthcare and in a role where I would be able to help others. I looked at many healthcare professions, but it was physiotherapy that interested me. On leaving school, I came to QMU as I was keen to study in Edinburgh and the university had a great reputation for it’s physiotherapy degree.

I really enjoyed the course. Whilst it was very challenging at times, the high practical content made it interesting and I enjoyed working with and learning from my classmates. In Years One and Two, we focused on learning the theory, knowledge of specific conditions and developing our assessment and treatment skills. There was a good balance of lectures, tutorials and practical group-based sessions, allowing us to constantly relate the theory to the practice and improve our overall learning. The practical sessions were fun and interactive and an ideal opportunity to both practice on and learn from one another. Years Three and Four were mainly practice-based learning/clinical placements and our honours research project. For me, placements were the best aspect of the course and indeed the most enjoyable: they allowed me to directly put my skills and theory into practice and gain a greater understanding of my own professional role as a physiotherapist. I undertook six placements, including one elective placement in an area of my choice. The placements were diverse and allowed me to gain experience in both core and specialist areas of physiotherapy, in settings from critical care to the community. Each one was a steep learning curve, but I gained so much more knowledge, skills and confidence and they prepared me to assess and treat patients with a broad range of conditions and complex needs. They helped me to become a well rounded, versatile physiotherapist with the skills and abilities to work confidently across both the acute and community setting – and ultimately help me to obtain my first physiotherapy post.

I have now gained my first band 5 (junior) post working as a physiotherapist in a busy, acute hospital for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. It is a rotational post, allowing me to gain experience in a variety of different clinical specialties and continue to build upon the skills I learned as a student. It is an ideal job: I have the opportunity to work in the profession I was trained to do – in a large, acute trust with a very supportive learning environment – and continue to engage in the process of lifelong learning. On a daily basis I am using the skills and knowledge that I developed at QMU. Physiotherapy is a very rewarding career with opportunities to work in many different clinical specialties and settings. I want to continue to broaden my knowledge and experience in different clinical areas and I would not rule out further study in the future.

Lisa Hyslop - BA (Hons) Hospitality and Tourism Management

Before leaving school, I had spent some time working in a hotel environment. I soon realised that I wanted to pursue a career in hotel management and the course at QMU seemed to fit my needs. Being a student was challenging, but thoroughly enjoyable. Along with all the interesting modules I studied, I also completed a placement in a hotel bar in Majorca - a great opportunity to apply my knowledge and develop my skills and independence. I also got the opportunity to work at the MTV awards when they took place in Edinburgh, assisting the hospitality team in many areas. It is one of my most memorable experiences from university and I got to see lots of exciting people.

Many aspects of the course were difficult, but the friendly and approachable lecturers were on hand to help. They were particularly supportive in Year Four when I was doing my dissertation. It was about the effects of the smoking ban in Scotland – and is one of the reasons that I’m so glad I chose QMU. After I graduated, I worked for Malmaison hotels in Glasgow and Edinburgh in the ‘front office’. I learned a lot: training was readily available and I was part of the hotel ‘voice team’, which involved travelling and meeting with the Chief Executive and directors to discuss new ideas. I now work as Reservations Manager for Firmdale Hotels in London. I have been on training courses which have benefited me greatly and I’m currently undergoing a management development programme, allowing me to progress to senior management. The knowledge and skills I learned at QMU are used in my day to day role and are also allowing me to achieve high results in my management development programme and in the weekly reports I prepare for our directors. I have and will continue to recommend QMU to friends and family: it is a great place to learn.

Mark Riding - BA (Hons) Business Management

I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I Ieft school, but I had studied for a Higher in Business Management, enjoyed it and did very well in it. As a result, I decided to focus my further studies in that area. I knew people who had studied at QMU and it came with a glowing report, so I decided to apply as it offered the type of course I was looking for and was pretty close to home.

At first I found the course quite difficult: the structure (which has changed now) at the start was quite challenging and it took me a wee while to adjust to university life after having come straight from school. The course was great though; really interesting, and the lecturers were brilliant. The staff were all very approachable and their down-to-earth attitude and friendliness made the learning process very pleasant. The modules which I studied were all very useful and I particularly enjoyed one at the start of Year Three where I worked with a partner to design a business plan for a company. In theory, the plan could have worked and we seriously considered starting the business. It was a really exciting time, but in the end we did not progress with the idea as we did not have the time due to our studies…who knows in the future though!

Due to personal reasons, I left QMU before completing Year Three. Even with only two years of study under my belt, I had enough knowledge to get a ‘business’ job which I really enjoy and I am now working as a sales executive with a communications company called Holyrood Communications. I really enjoy it because it is politically led and covers current topics and issues surrounding the economy and various different sectors. Even although I had a great job, I still yearned to

complete my degree however and I have since returned to QMU and am currently in the process of completing Year Three. And with QMU’s flexible approach, I am also able to continue working.

On the whole, studying at QMU has been a very rewarding experience and I have learned so many new things and met so many nice people and I can’t wait to finally complete my Honours degree. I would like to become a company director some day or a successful entrepreneur. Funnily enough I wanted to be a teacher when I was younger but now I want to stay in management and progress up the career ladder.

Ruth George - BA (Hons) Costume Design and Construction

Being naturally creative, art was my favourite subject at school and I knew that I wanted an artistic career of some sorts. After leaving school I went on to do a one year foundation art course at my local college which introduced me to costume design. Combining my love of sewing and creativity, I soon realised that this was the career route that I wished to pursue. On completing the course, I took a year out and spent it working with local amateur dramatics groups to gain more experience in costume – but I wanted to pursue my studies further in this area. I was unsure whether I wanted to be a costume designer or a maker, but the course at QMU was unusual: it allowed me to study both design and construction together and was why I chose it.

I most enjoyed the teamwork aspect of the course. I not only worked with fellow costume students, but I also got to work with students on QMU’s other performing arts courses as you work together to put on real shows. This gave me a taste of what I would face in the real world and developed my practical and teamwork skills in ways that a paper-based course would never have done. The lecturers were enthusiastic and very knowledgeable – although I did enjoy the latter years of the course too when learning became more independent.

In Year Three I went on two placements: working as a costume trainee on a film in Ireland and working in the hire department at Angels, a large well known costumier in London. In Year Four, I costumed a musical for the ‘Bohemians Lyric Opera Company,’ which was performed at the Kings Theatre, Edinburgh. I also got myself a part-time job as a dresser at the King’s Theatre and the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, so I managed to gain lots of useful experience.

Since graduating I have done some costume making and dressing work for theatre and worked on two films. The first one as a costume trainee and the second as an assistant maker. The backstage and teamwork skills I developed at QMU gave me the confidence and ability to work in a professional theatre environment and instantly fit in, despite being newly qualified.

During my time at QMU I decided that my ultimate job would be as a costume cutter and maker and focused my studies to help me develop skills in this area. I was exceptionally lucky in getting my dream job so soon after graduating: an assistant maker on a film, costuming principal actors! The construction methods and sewing skills I learnt during my time at QMU were invaluable in enabling me to do this work. I will soon be moving to London and hope to find some work either in theatre or film. Ideally I would love to do some further work in film and develop skills in this area.

Anna Trejnowska - BSc Hons Psychology

I left Poland to study Psychology and English at the University of Wolverhampton. However, psychology was my main interest and I wanted to move to Edinburgh, so I applied to QMU – and due to my previous course, I was able to enter into Year Two. I really enjoyed the course – especially the last two years; it was intellectually challenging with interesting lectures and tutorials. I enjoyed the opportunity to study with other students and share ideas. The relationship between students and staff was great and were always available to meet with students to discuss any concerns.

At the end of Year Three, I was chosen to help my lecturers carry out research on paranormal beliefs. I conducted and transcribed interviews. It was really exciting to be able to see how the academic work gets done ‘from the kitchen’. Initially my career aspiration was to become a clinical psychologist so I looked for a relevant part-time job to get some experience. I used the university’s JobShop and found a job as a nursing assistant in the Royal Edinburgh Psychiatric Hospital and worked there for the last two years of my degree. It was great being able to apply my knowledge in a work-setting. However, because of the research project I did, I decided that I wanted to pursue an academic career in psychology, rather then go down the clinical route.

After graduating, I went back to QMU working as a research assistant in psychology and got lots of experience: I worked on three different projects. I am now included within the authors of the reports that came out of the work too; and I also did some teaching, which I enjoyed very much. I am now studying towards a Masters in Occupational Psychology back at Wolverhampton University.

Steven Braxton - BA (Hons) Film and Media

I left school at 16 and joined the Forces for five years as a Junior Officer. After I left, I travelled across Europe, but soon realised that it was time to get a career. I had always been interested in the areas of media, film and photography and would have liked to work in that industry in some shape or form. I wanted to study in Edinburgh as it’s so multi-cultural and I found that QMU had the course that I was interested in. QMU also allowed me the opportunity to study for a degree without having the traditional entry requirements.

I really enjoyed the course. Years One and Two enabled me to get a grounding in the subject area as a whole and establish what I was best at. In Years Three and Four, I concentrated on practical film production and that’s the career path I have finally taken. After I left QMU, I went on to do a

MA in Advanced Film Practice, as well as starting a freelance film business ‘Braxtonimage’- which takes on corporate work for profit-making companies and creative documentary projects. To date, I have compiled films for Edinburgh Festival, CH4’s Baby Cow Productions, T in the Park & Triptich Music Festivals. I have done presenter film work with Steven K Amos, Brit Ekland & Michael Barrymore. I’m presently working on two creative projects: a documentary with comedian Phil Kay and a documentary film on P.T.S.D. I now want to progress my business and it would be good to nail down a substantial commission for a larger feature film project. My passion is creative documentary and presenter work but in order to pursue this you have to take on corporate projects to sustain yourself, so it’s always a juggling act between the two.

On the whole, I had a fantastic time at QMU and I have definitely used the skills that I learnt there – they are what I call upon most in my current job.