Deadline, what deadline?

I’d been out working for a few months and I knew in my gut that it hadn’t been the right decision for me to skip the university thing. I felt like I’d missed the deadlines and I regretted it already. But then I came across ARU's Clearing podcast...

My friends were getting ready to jet off to their new lives, meanwhile I was staying at home in a boring job that wasn’t going to make me happy. I knew my passion was in events, so I started to look into other options.

I looked at universities in Clearing but didn’t know much about it, so I listened to the ARU Clearing Podcast and that really helped me see that Clearing wasn’t a bad thing after all – but instead it was a totally empowering experience. (Little did I know I would end up being really good friends with the student, Emma, talking in the podcast!)

So, I applied to ARU in July and within a couple of months I was coming to Cambridge for my first-year as a student of Events Management. This decision has led me down a path of massive opportunities and new friendships that I really wasn’t expecting to find so quickly when I arrived in this beautiful city.

I’m still new to ARU but in such a short time I have changed so much. I feel like I’m actually making a difference to who I am. I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone all the time which is helping me reach new opportunities and have the chance to grow. To top it off, I’m meeting amazing people along the way.

To help build on these relationships and my CV, I managed to get a place on the committee for the student-led HR & Management Society as the Event Coordinator. This is such a good opportunity to get hands-on experience and actually try my hand at organising events on a bustling campus. It’s not just about the CV-building though. It’s about the people. Working alongside the other committee members at ARU has been so inspiring. They push me to achieve my best and their knowledge and experience (in their second and third years) is totally invaluable.

I know these friendships will last long after ARU, not to mention the skills and hands-on experience I’m gaining through the society.

Next year, I’m going to create my own new society, called the Events Society. I’m so excited to see the ideas my fellow members have for unique events to be produced and shared at ARU.