Tsz Kam Yeung

I am Tsz Kam Yeung from Hong Kong. As an MSc Event Marketing student, I had the opportunity to participate in different activities during my first term. I have learned a lot and would like to share some of my findings with you.

Network from the beginning

The International Commencement Ceremony is the first welcoming activity for all the international students and you don’t want to miss it! Sample delicious food and drinks while listening to guest speakers use their own success stories to encourage us to be brave and creative while studying in Bournemouth.

You will be sitting with other international students from different countries doing the same programme as you, as well as some academics from your faculty. This is the perfect opportunity to share why you chose BU and to start building your network.

Go to classes & fields trips and make new friends

Don’t miss any classes during the induction week as you will be meeting your lecturers, getting important course information, and making friends during this week. If your course is like mine, there may also be some field trips in the first week.

We went to Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, which was the 2012 London Olympic sailing competition venue. During the site visit, we learned how they transformed the venue to suit the Olympic competition and how the site is used when there is no competition. This trip provided a great experience to enhance our further studies.

Learn different skills and build up confidence

There are a lot of volunteer opportunities in Bournemouth, including those which relate to your course. While being a volunteer, you learn several skills that you could not learn from just attending university lectures.

I was a volunteer for the Umbrella Project at the Arts by the Sea Festival, which is one of the major festivals in Bournemouth. I had to build up my confidence for this event, as I had never danced in public before – least of all to the mass of people gathered in the square and lower gardens to watch the show. This experience improved my teamwork and communication skills because we worked as a big group including university students, kids, families and elderly people. We had to communicate with each other during the show to make sure everyone was in the right position.

Fully commit to your course

Perhaps most importantly, start reading as soon as you get the reading list from your unit handbook. Postgraduate study requires substantially more self-reading than most undergraduate courses. Reading will develop your critical thinking, which is essential to do well on your course work. Just as important as reading, is starting your assignments as soon as possible. I know many people who think they do better when they are under pressure.  However, if you finish early, then you have more time to proof-read and make it better.

These are the most important lessons I have learned during my first term. Hopefully, it will help you with getting ready for your own academic year. Good luck!

By Tsz Kam Yeung, Hong Kong, MSc Event Marketing student, 2017/18