Student - Sophie

Image

Biomedical Sciences (BSc Hons)

Why did you apply to Insights?

Being in my second year at university (repeating first year after transferring), I had heard about Insights in my previous year. I remember thinking that it was an interesting opportunity, however the entire concept of the programme seemed very overwhelming and honestly very surreal.

As a first-generation student, I, and my family, believed that getting into university was all I needed to secure my future. Internships and experience were things that I had entirely overlooked and failed to realise were integral to my success beyond university, and after ‘wasting’ my first year by largely keeping to myself, I began to experience some anxiety surrounding this. I had no idea where to even begin. At the same time, the friends I had made through my first year had already started to look into opportunities of their own, often supported by their own families. 

 After putting it off for over a year I decided to chance applying to the Insights Programme when the opportunity arose again. I did as much research into the programme as I could beforehand; I think I read almost everything written about it online!

The kind of experiences that it offered and the skills I could improve by participating seemed like a dream. I hardly even knew what networking was, and I had never planned something as big as a trip to another continent before, much less with people I didn’t even know prior. Finding out that the entire experience was fully funded was shocking. There was zero chance I would have ever been able to participate otherwise. This impacted my decision a lot, as I realised that I would almost definitely never get an opportunity like this again. 

Explain your preparation for your Insights experience. 

My time in the Insights Programme consisted of in-person and online meetings, emails, and the Immersion Week itself. These meetings ranged from informational and introductory, to smaller meetings with my group and PhD student facilitator, to short interviews online with a few alumni from Edinburgh. We had workshops a few times throughout Semester Two in which we practiced networking, communication, and planning, as well as giving us the necessary information and resources to ensure safe travel and how to handle the responsibility of planning such a trip.

We also learned about formal email writing, which was useful as we were trusted with the responsibility of contacting various alumni in Boston to arrange suitable meetings.  

Before my first Insights meeting back at the start of semester two, I think one of my biggest fears was feeling awkward and uncomfortable around those I would be travelling with. I got over this quickly though, as everyone I met in the Insights programme, even those I met in other groups, were extremely kind and I found out that some even felt the same way I did. 

Describe your Immersion Week

The Immersion Week in June was intense, but in a good way.

It feels hard to believe that I would ever feel prepared for such an event, but the workshops prior did an amazing job at providing the necessary information and skills needed for the trip. My group had nine meetings with alumni in Boston over five days, which definitely kept us busy. However, the workload always felt manageable.

We met a wide range of alumni working in different sectors, such as journalism, biotech, robotics, tech, law, energy, and education. While most of the group could only relate to one or two alumni through our degrees, we were all able to relate to their experiences and journeys to where they are now.

What did you learn from talking to the alumni?

A common theme was the fact that our academic degrees are not anchors.

That is to say, after graduating we have the opportunity to diverge far from what we studied using the transferable skills we gain through university. Most alumni we met shared this sentiment and showed us that our path in life will most likely not be linear. The conversations we had with the alumni were eye opening and extremely valuable. I certainly feel more confident in my plan for my future after hearing more about large variety of paths available to us, such as further education, voluntary work, and work abroad. 

Did anything about the programme surprise you?

The most surprising part of Insights to me was the level of freedom we were given with our trip. Most of us expected that the trip accommodation, flights, insurance, visas, and risk assessments etc. would be organised for us, however we were given the responsibility of doing all of this ourselves within our groups. This was extremely overwhelming to begin with, however the team organising the programme gave us all of the information and support we could ever need. In the end, I’m glad we got the responsibility of doing this ourselves as I think it brought us closer and it gave me some invaluable experience in planning and organisation.  

How have you benefited from participating in Insights?

The Insights Programme has increased my confidence and management skills, and I feel more comfortable interacting with people in professional settings. I also feel more motivated to continue improving my grades and ensuring my degree goes well. I plan to look more into higher education qualifications but also stay aware of the opportunities I can find that aren’t directly related to my degree. I also intend to keep up to date with the careers service and remain aware of the opportunities that are available to me there. 

What will you do now as a result of having taken part?

Taking part in the programme has definitely given me some more incentive to find other opportunities to gain experience from. I plan to make the most of my remaining summers at university with more positive opportunities, and I also plan on volunteering more often. This year, I am a welcome week volunteer with the university. I intend to use this opportunity to gain more experience and even maybe meet more people and in future years, I am considering applying for leadership positions. I also plan to expand and develop my network.