Name of Student: Mahja
Job Title: Widening Participation: Strategy, Evidence and Policy Intern
Description of Organisation:
The Student Access, Recruitment and Admissions team carries out the following functions:
- Working with teacher and advisers to raise pupil attainment and widen participation in UK higher education
- Engaging with prospective students all around the world to help them make informed choices about their future
- Creating opportunities to experience University life and our world class campuses through open days, residentials and virtual experiences
- Delivering a high quality admissions and enquiries process, supporting prospective students as they enter higher education.
The Access, Participation and Outreach Team and Student Recruitment Operations Team work to help the University meet its access and participation, student recruitment, and income generation objectives.
What was your biggest achievement on your internship?
Market research report, providing data, insight and recommendations of a previously unknown area of a student’s journey.
Focusing on WP undergraduate students transitioning into postgraduate study, and how we can support them better given that all successful mechanisms pertain solely to undergraduate study (i.e., nowhere near as much support exists for postgraduates; what can we do to improve their experience?).
Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?
A challenge was purely down to circumstance. The APO office was in the final stages of submitting an evidence-based Access and Participation Plan (APP) that was 3 years in the making. My line manager was not able to tend to me as much as I would have liked, however I am extremely happy with the support she provided despite the looming APP submission deadline.
As a result of my internshipā¦
- I have improved my communication, teamwork, and problem solving skills.
- My job prospects have improved by expanding my CV and what I can draw upon in interviews.
- I have learned more about the skills I need and the options available to me in future.
- My overall confidence has increased.
Would you recommend this internship scheme to other students?
Yes, I would recommend the scheme to other students.
If you would like to find out more about the A2i scheme, you can contact the team via a2i@exeter.ac.uk. You can also visit the student and employer facing webpages here.