Jordan Addo-Antoine
Current student
- Course
- International Business BSc
- Subject area
- Foundation Studies
The combination of a brilliant Business School and sporting facilities made the decision to choose Loughborough over other universities very easy for me.
I had played Academy football for seven years at Reading Football Club, where I completed a BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma during the traditional sixth form years of 16-18. This was a substitute for A-Levels and the qualification enabled me to get onto the Foundation Year for Elite Athletes.
My Foundation year helped me get to grips with university life. As I took an unorthodox route to get to Loughborough, I was not sure what to expect but the Foundation team and the EA support I received really benefited me. One thing I had to learn fast was the importance of doing extra reading and work outside of lecture time. This short-term sacrifice was a benefit in the long term when exams and coursework deadlines arrived as it made me feel a lot more prepared. I also really enjoyed the focus group breakfast held by Anje Conradie where we got food while working on a Marketing coursework project.
The transition to the full International Business degree felt seamless. The modules I took during my Foundation year, particularly Business Finance, Macro & Micro Economics and Introduction to Marketing, provided me with a solid basis for Part A of the course and allowed me to get to grips with the content very easily.
Right now I am preparing for my placement year at Samsung, where I will be working in Sales with the TV/AV Team.
I am hoping that alongside the invaluable knowledge I gain from working at Samsung, the placement also helps me understand which career path I want to take once graduating. While I’m not sure exactly what job role I want to aim for, I know I want to work within business, particularly sales or finance. My studies have helped shape my career goals: my interest in finance came from the Business Finance module I took during my Foundation year and my interest in sales came from my Part B module on Sales Management.
One thing I have learned from my time at Loughborough so far is that you get out whatever you put in. I have learned that hard work and being consistent towards exams and coursework will give you the best possible chance to achieve what you want. I love that I can study almost anywhere on campus; there are so many study spaces so I never find myself wasting time looking for somewhere to work, particularly during exam season.
A Foundation year is extremely beneficial; it makes the transition to the full degree programme very smooth. For anyone who is currently in the position I was – a scholar at a professional football club – a Foundation year is the perfect way to get up to speed with university and higher education.
Overall, Loughborough has been an important life stepping stone that has helped me develop both academically and as a person.