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A New Found Appreciation

Roshni Uttamsingh spent time studying abroad and experiencing the culture in the United Kingdom.
About Me

Born and brought up in Bombay India, I love city life, traveling and meeting new people with various backgrounds and diverse experiences.

My Individual Program of Study (IPS) allowed me to study abroad at the University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom. This was definitely one of the highlights of my undergraduate business experience. Learning about the culture of Manchester, as well as meeting students from across the world, was just as important an experience as the knowledge I gained in class. I certainly noticed the effects of globalization, when we all wore the same kinds of clothes and ate the same types of food.

Manchester is really into soccer, and the city has two good teams: Manchester City (ManCity) and Manchester United (ManUnited). Of course you can only be a die-hard fan of one of the two teams! Soccer victory nights always led to huge celebrations all around, and it was great to be there at the start of the FIFA World Cup. I also managed to take advantage of the one month Easter break to travel to Switzerland, Italy and France.

Roshni Uttamsingh had the opportunity to study marketing at the Manchester Business School.Differences between Manchester and William & Mary

Studying in a new environment allowed me to build my interpersonal skills, network and make lifelong friends. At the University of Manchester there was a strong emphasis on writing and memorization of in-depth topics, and students really just focused on one area of business. For example, marketing students only took marketing courses. This different approach made me appreciate how the Mason School of Business has you take courses in every field of business.

While I was abroad, I also missed the amiable faculty and staff at Mason. Many days after class, I would simply walk into the Undergraduate Business Office and chat with them about classes, and get some advising help. Another great thing about Miller Hall is that all the professors' offices are located on the third floor and everyone is welcome to visit.

One of my all time favorite classes at William & Mary has been Financial Management with Prof. Claire Rosenfeld. Despite the fact that some of the problems were challenging and took multiple attempts to solve correctly, she taught me to love finance. I have spent numerous hours in her office and she is the most patient professor I know. She helped me to decide to become a Finance major.

Next Steps

At the Mason School of Business School, Career Services does a great job of posting jobs on our website and also partnering up with firms that wish to recruit from our school. This summer, I went to a Deloitte luncheon in Washington DC.  I had the chance to talk with William & Mary graduates about what they love about their jobs in the field of consulting. I also met with a recruiter and talked with several other undergraduates like myself. I've also really benefited from the mock interviews and career fairs on campus. These events help students increase their confidence, preparing us to enter the real world.

This summer I've also become interested in financial planning and real estate. To help me learn about investment, my parents are giving me stock for my birthday, and I now have a habit of checking the Dow Jones. I am also starting to apply for jobs in finance, and plan on studying for my CFA/CFP or real estate license.