Thank you!

First of all, I would like to say “thank you”!  I am proud to inform you that my blogs http://timeforbritain.wordpress.com/ and http://timeforbritain.blogspot.co.uk/ have been visited 10,000 times by people from roughly 120 countries from 6 continents. They have been especially popular in the United Kingdom, USA, Poland, France, Germany, and Bulgaria. Therefore, I am sending “thank you” to UCAS, Robert Gordon University and all of my readers who helped me to achieve such success in blogging.

Please, do not hesitate to contact me. Leave your comments and let me know how you feel as new students! By the way, I've just updated my professional profile on LinkedIn. Why do not you connect with me http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjaskiewicz?

Do you remember about my trip to Glasgow? I asked you to wish me luck. Well, I think it is high time I told you a little bit more about my “secret“ excursion…

I was the only student from the Robert Gordon University invited to attend an interview (Stevenson Scholarship), before the Sub-Committee, at the University of Glasgow on Monday 15 April 2013.

Me and the University of Glasgow

Stevenson German Exchange Scholarships

"A Trust Fund was established in 1935 by Sir Daniel Macauley Stevenson, for the purpose of awarding Stevenson Scholarships.  The aim of this was to provide “facilities for the forming of friendly relationships between the students of the Universities of Scotland and the Universities of France, Germany and Spain, for the furthering of amity and good understanding, and the training of an ever-growing body of educated men and women, capable of disseminating wherever they go, the ideals of international goodwill and co-operation”.

Candidates are selected annually by an Executive Committee, administered by the University of Glasgow.  The Scholarships are open to undergraduates of any Faculty and graduates of not more than twenty-five years of age of any Scottish University, and to students from France, Germany and Spain who wish to study in Scotland.  The successful applicants are required to attend the University in France, Germany or Spain of their choice." 

The University of Glasgow

Before the Stevenson Exchange Scholarship

The interview was in English but I also had to answer a few questions in  German. Hence, I was really scared, because my German is a bit rusty. I have not spoken German for a year!  Actually, I had a brief conversation during my change in Frankfurt when I flew home for Christmas but it was a sort of “Ich bin Dawid und Ich komme aus Poland. Ich wohne in Aberdeen and studiere Betriebswirtschaftslehre. Wie geht’s?” hahahah.

Here is the news…

I still cannot believe but it look like in September I will be studying Business Administration at one of the best universities in Europe and representing Scotland in an ambassadorial role. Yes, I am going to study at The University of Mannheim -"The Harvard of Germany".

The University of Mannheim

"For the 12th time consecutively, University of Mannheim is ranked # 1 in Germany for Business. As the first German institution, the Business School of the University of Mannheim gained the “Triple Crown”: it is accredited by AACSB International, the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and EFMD (EQUIS)."

Mannheim Business School

I have already chosen modules which I will be studying there. They seem to be slightly challenging (some of them are for 3^rd-year-students) and relate to all aspects of business that I am especially interested in  (marketing, information systems and finance).

Here we have the modules:

• FIN 363 Stock Market Anomalies and Trading Strategies 3 ETC
• MAN 352 Strategy and Innovation 3 ETC
• FIN 301 Investments and Asset Pricing 6 ETC
• IS 350 Enterprise Data Management 6 ETC
• IS 301 Foundations of Information Systems 6 ETC
• MKT 401 Strategic Marketing and Marketing in Specific Industry Context 6 ETC

If I pass all of the modules, I will get 30 ETC points which I need to gather during my ERASMUS exchange programme. Additionally, I am going to take 2 Germany modules (I think it is called “Business German for exchange students”) to improve my German and earn a few points just in caseJ

So, let me tell you a little bit more about the interview. I was asked three questions in English: Why would you be a good Scotland’s ambassador in Germany? Why did you choose this University and this part of Germany? What cities are you going to visit in Germany?

Then, I had to answer a few questions in German and it was a nightmareJ I am not sure if I understood all of them. If so, the questions were: Have you ever been to Germany?  What places would you like to visit in this country? What is the topic of your dissertation going to be? (During the English part of the interview I mentioned that I would like to gather information about the most powerful German companies and compare their marketing strategies to the ones used by their British counterparts).

That is all I can tell you about my plans for the next couple of months. The rest is going to be my secret.

What did I do in Glasgow?

Since I was very tired (because I had been learning German and writing my coursework assignments almost all the time for 2 weeks before this journey), I visited only a few places: the University of Glasgow (obviously), Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and The Herald. It is a shame. I know.

Glasgow City Centre

Glasgow at night

 

Me and The Herald

Finally! I have just taken my last exam and completed my first year of undergraduate Management with Marketing at Robert Gordon University! Well, I am still waiting for my exam results but I am pretty sure I passed all of the modules: Economics, Management Accounting, International Management and People Management.

Do you remember? In January 2013 I won second prize in the RGU round of the SIE Competition and entered the national round of the SIE New Ideas Competition. In cooperation with The Centre for Entrepreneurship and my regional SIE advisor, I prepared a plan of turning my idea into a successful new business (Arts/Cultural category). Therefore, I had an opportunity to apply my knowledge about various issues of Marketing Management (e.g. branding, advertising, targeting), Management Accounting (e.g. Budgeting) and Economics (e.g. supply and demand). The task involved creating a business proposal for a potential firm “Artistic Graffiti Studio” with a view to integrate the youth of Aberdeen from various backgrounds including the disabled and underprivileged. Consequently, I presented my idea during the Scottish Institute for Enterprise Start-up Day in Dundee (2013) and was interviewed by The Big Partnership Agency as a case study during the Annual Absoft Entrepreneurship Lecture (2013).

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! It looks like the idea of “Graffiti workshops” is going to be turned into a successful business by one of the RGU students. I have just received an email from Karl who is the finalist of the SIE New Ideas Competition. I think I have already told you that his idea was very similar to the one that I submitted. Please, read about his success!

http://www.rgu.ac.uk/news/rgu-student-recognised-for-his-entrepreneurial-spirit-and-talent-by-the-scottish-institute-for-enterprise-sie/utm_source/twitterfeed/utm_medium/twitter

“We have actually spent all the money already on the event, which will be held in this year’s city of culture, Derry city, Northern Ireland. It is planned for 5th-7th July in the local skate park.

We have recently set ourselves up as a social enterprise and started to seek further funding to bring some more artists to the event. I will have some further meetings with people in Aberdeen over the summer months as I am planning the enterprise to be in both my hometown of Derry and also Aberdeen, as I want to connect both cities through graffiti and contemporary murals. I have been painting graffiti for nearly 10 years and completing workshops and mural arts for near 4 years.

As far as the enterprise goes we have the summer fully booked in Derry.” Karl

Ace!

Child labour by Banksy

I hope you will have wonderful holiday and enjoy your first year at university as much as I did. I will keep you updated. Thank you for following my blog and I am waiting for your comments!

Time for changes

Hi, guys! Well, again! I have not written for a while but there is always something new I have to do.

I am currently at the beginning of writing my coursework assignments for International Management and People Management. The People Management report, which I need to submit on 1st May, seems to be quite straightforward.

Library

Unfortunately, I really worry about my IM essay. It took me a while to figure out what it is all about. It seems to be pretty easy but it requires a looooooooooot of reading. Actually, I am in the middle of the research which I started a week ago. I should have started a long time ago but, you know, university is not only about studying. At least, I hope so:)

Research

Well, I guess you must wonder what an academic essay or report really looks like. I decided to upload my Marketing assignment and Management Concept report. Both awarded an A:) Honestly, I really enjoyed my Marketing assignment, since I was a team leader of the group preparing a marketing plan of Range Rover Evoque. This involved setting objectives, sharing duties, informing about deadlines, leading discussion and motivating the team. You can find it in my post here.

Oh, do you remember about my competition? Unfortunately, I did not make it to the final but I was interviewed by the BIG Partnership (the biggest PR agency in the UK outside London) and the article has been already published.

I am so happy because another RGU student was in the final and had exactly the same idea that I had. Read about his success, please:) RGU student's success

Now, I have to let you know about two big changes in my life. I have recently moved into a new flat which is located just 5-minute-walk from my University:) I share it with four Polish guys who are really cool. Really clever guys, two of them work in oil and gas companies so they are a really good “source of information” about the real business world:)

And another big change… I have just started working in Grosvenor Casino which is a part of The Rank Group plc (“a leading European gaming and leisure business. Rank’s principal market and headquarters are in Britain, where it operates Grosvenor Casinos (35 casinos), Mecca Bingo (98 bingo clubs) and Rank Interactive (online gaming and betting). In addition, Rank operates in Spain as Top Rank España (11 bingo clubs) and in Belgium as Grosvenor Casinos (two casinos). It is also listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.” Wikipedia).

I have already had my 16-hour-induction which was extremely professional and covered topics such as Health and Safety, Emergency Evacuation, Bar training, Alcohol licencing, playing Roulette and Black Jack (my favourite part), and dealing with customers. It seems to be a great place to work for a student. It is a huge company that operates in most of the cities in the UK. Why do not you create your own profile on their website and maybe apply one day here?
I am so excited and cannot wait for my first shift on Friday:D:D. I am gonna be a Food & Beverage Host (Bar and Waiting Person) which seems to be quite interesting and challenging.
Unfortunately, I had to leave my job in a Japanese and Korean Restaurant. Nothing can describe how I miss my ex-colleagues and amaaaaazing food. If you are in Aberdeen, go to Yorokobi by CJ (WEBSITE). I have been to many restaurant in Aberdeen and this one is undoubtedly my favourite. Oh, I love their Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Katsu, Dolsot Bibimbap, Philadelphia Rolls and Yakisoba Noodles. Oh, I have to stop here, cause I have started crying (joke):)

Aberdeen Roll in Yorokobi by CJ

Did I tell you that I love food? You HAVE to visit my friend’s blog about cooking, which is absolutely brilliant Blog (click to access her blog). She is so good at cooking. We had such wonderful dinner before her flight to Poland for Eastern. I cannot believe that it was me not her who has worked in the kitchen for the past ten months.

Oh, I had unforgettable Eastern breakfast with my friends in a hall of residence. So much fun:) I wish my family had been with me in Aberdeen on that day, but you cannot have everything.

Oh, People ask me if they can comment in Polish. Obviously, you CAN! This blog is written in English as it is visited by people from all over the world. Most of them do not speak Polish.
Anyway, I think it is high time I uploaded some photos of my beloved Polish city, Warsaw. Isn’t it beautiful?

Warsaw

Capital of Poland

What else? I am going to Glasgow on Monday, 15th April but cannot “tell” you more. Just wish me luck!:D

I am waiting for you comments (Polish, English or German, please). Wish you luck!

What a crazy life...

First of all, I would like to apologise that I have not published any posts for such a long time. I have been simply extremely busy and tired…. uni life (you will experience that soon).

Leaving Poland, Krakow Airport

I am glad to write that I managed to pass all of the exams and finished my first semester at university with good grades AABB (Business Ethics, The Financial Environment, Marketing, Management Concepts). I am delighted with my results, but I am gonna do better in May. Yet, I am a bit worried because it looks like I have quite challenging subjects in my 2nd semester: International Management (a lot of reading), Economics (graphs, theories), Management Accounting (analysing) and People Management (quite easy).

Economics

New year has already started… new plans… new ideas… and New Year’s resolutions.
I’mma improve my German which is a bit rusty. I have already borrowed a few books from a library but I simply do not have time to open them:(
I joined the gym at university and I’ m gonna exercise 3 times a week before my lectures/tutorials. I paid only 50 pound for a whole semester which is really cheap:)

Our gym (RGU)

Now, the most important thing… My competition.
I won the second prize in the RGU round of the SIE New Ideas Competition and I took part in the national round of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise New Ideas Competition. Therefore, I attended SIE’s Start-up Day on Saturday, 9th February in Dundee. I joined the other finalists from all Scottish higher education institutions for a day designed to help us think about further developing our ideas and teach us more about entrepreneurship.

SIE Start-Up Day 2013, Dundee

Brainstorming 

In Dundee

What’s more, I attended the Annual Entrepreneurship lecture during which Roy MacGregor OBE, executive chairman of oil and gas contracting and service company Global Energy Group shared his entrepreneurial story with an audience of almost 300 students at Aberdeen Business School.

Absoft Seminar held at RGU

Since I won the second prize in the entrepreneurship competition, I was invited to participate in a round-table discussion with Roy MacGregor, his son (chief executive of Global Energy Group, Iain MacGregor) and Ian Mechie (managing director of Absoft).
Mr MacGregor, who is himself a business degree graduate from RGU, said: “I am honoured to have been asked to share my story and hope I can in some way help to inspire a new generation of RGU students to strive for success by developing their skills and working hard.”

After the lecture I was photographed and interviewed by BIG PR company as a case study for a press article which will be published in one of the business magazines (let you know soon).
Oh, I have almost forgotten to mentioned that I worked as a Students Services Ambassador at University (Student Help Point). I assisted International Advisers and supported the new students who started their semester at RGU in January (ERASMUS and postgraduate students). It was a great experience, as I met hundreds of students and got to know a lot of people working at RGU.

Sunny day in Aberdeen. Finally!

I would like to promise to keep you updated but I might get even busier soon (work, uni, gym and…. some other things).

Just want to wish you luck and thumbs up:)

Why don't you have a look at my original blog? http://timeforbritain.wordpress.com/

What a Year

Words just cannot describe how I feel about the fact that I am coming home for Christmas after 6 months of being miles and miles away from my family.

Coming home

It is such a strange feeling... I couldn't sleep the night before my departure, as I was thinking about everything that has happened to me during the last 6 months. Sometimes I really miss Poland, but I can't imagine that I could leave everything and come back to my homeland. Strangely, I left everything and came to Scotland. I cannot believe that I did it:D

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I had stayed in Poland. That's interesting... Obviously, I would not write this post at Frankfurt Airport while waiting for my flight to Munich. Undoubtedly, I would not be a UCAS blogger writing posts about my experience as a student of the Robert Gordon University.
Thanks to this blog, I have met a number of wonderful people who are in the same situation as me a year ago. Some of them asked me to check their Personal Statements, told me about their problems, ask for some advice. When I chat with them, I think: God, I was heading down the same road, I had the same worries and the same goals. What can I tell you? Remember that you can always come back home, but you might never get such a wonderful chance again!

But let's come back to my university experience... I have already received results of all the exams that I have taken so far. I am always very impatient about exams but this time I knew that everything was fine. Luckily, I got 4 A's despite my illness:) I feel even more confident about my January exam, as I will have more time to study (hopefully) and I borrowed course-books from the university library:) Obviously all books can be found online, but I prefer real books:)

Last photo taken at uni in 2012

Oh, I am in Poland. Finally!

It is 28th December and I am a bit disappointed by myself, because I have not really stared revising for my exams... But, I have had only 2 weeks to enjoy Poland, and I couldn't spend Christmas reading my course-books. I have already had a party in Krakow (where I prepared sushi for my friends), met my classmates (from my High School), visited my family and now I am waiting for the New Years Party in Krakow:)
I have just realised that it has been a year since I started writing my first blog /http://timeforbritain.wordpress.com/.

Last night

In the morning I was reading a chapter about planning, and it looks like I am brilliant at planning and organising, as I managed to achieve all of my goals in 2012. I passed my driving licence, IELTS and my school-leaving examination, I came to Aberdeen, became RGU student and a UCAS blogger.
And... my business idea has been put forward to the national round of the SIE New Ideas Competition. Just before Christmas' Eve, I received the below e-mail:

"In the new year, you will receive an invitation (by email) to our Start-up Day on Saturday 9th February 2013 which will be held at the Westpark Conference Centre in Dundee. You will join the other finalists from all Scottish higher education institutions for a day designed to help you think about further developing your idea and teach you more about entrepreneurship."

I am unbelievably happy, because thanks to my idea, I received the first award in ”Do Business in Tarnow“ Competition in 2011. Now I have a chance to present it in Scotland, and maybe turn it into a successful business. Hopefully, it will be a wonderful year for me!


I hope that all of your dreams will come true in 2013. I wish you all the best, be happy, passionate about life, curious about the future, never scared of unknown. Remember about other people, enjoy your life, never give up and don't be afraid of anything. I wish you luck in life and success in your application, exams, career and everything!

All the best in 2013

Exams, Halloween... Xmass:)

Aberdeen Business School at 5 pm

Exams... It is such a wonderful feeling when you can go to sleep at 10 pm without thinking about coursework, exams and deadlines.
Unfortunately, I became ill 3 weeks before my first exam. Instead of going to the doctor, I decided to heal myself with painkillers, which I was taking for a week. Never do it! 2 weeks before my first exam, I felt really bad I had to make an appointment to the doctor. Nothing can describe how I felt when they told me that I would have to wait 3 weeks! Since I was desperate, I called my Local Clinic again, then I called hospital and National Health Service, went to my Chemist's and Local Clinic, talked to my GP and I had an appointment in 3 hours.

Autumn in Scotland

So, because of my illness, I started revising for Financial Environment just one week before the exam. I wrote my marketing plan (coursework) in about 4 days, and it took me approximately  20 hours (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) to write my coursework for Management Concepts. Consequently, I had only 2 days left (Monday, Tuesday) for my last exam (Business Ethics).
However, I have been learning regularly since the commencing of the year. It is very important to read case studies before each tutorial, take notes during lectures, and get familiar with the coursework at least a month before submission. It is worthwhile starting research ASAP, because it is much easier to sit down and actually write your report/essay when you know a lot about the topic and have some materials/references.
My advice for prospective students: You should learn how to reference and write reports and essays (which are much longer and more demanding than IELTS writing tasks) before you start studying.

 
Overall, I really enjoyed my marketing assignment. It was a group work and my team developed an amazing marketing plan proposal of around 3,000 words for a product of our own choice (Range Rover Evoque). I was responsible for marketing mix: product/promotional/pricing/distribution plan, implementation and control and conclusion. 
Management Concept assignment was more complicated, as I had to select one firm which is widely perceived to be performing well in the current economic conditions and meet many requirements, for instance: apply the PESTEL framework to the firm or describe the activities of the firm by applying elements of "Strategic Group Analysis framework".
Financial Environment has been my favourite subject ever, so I really enjoyed preparing for the exam, which consisted of 15 multiple choice questions and 3 essay question, such as:

"Statement of financial Position must always balance"
Discuss the above statement using definitions and relevant examples.

Studying for Business Ethics-my last exam

I really feel that studying this subject has taught me a lot! I can't believe that 2 months ago, I knew almost nothing about Balance Sheets, Income Statements, Statements of changes in equity, dividends, depreciation, shareholders' funds, different kinds of profit, FIFO, inventories, receivables, accrual basis, going concern, share capital, preference or ordinary shares. Fortunately, now it seems so easy:)

Because of my illness, exams and work, I did not really enjoy Halloween (31 December) and Guy Fawkes Day (5 November). Yet, I love Christmas and I am so excited, because there are Christmas decorations everywhere. And I am going to Poland next week (17th December for 2 weeks). I have exams in January, so maybe it is better to start revising here and have a rest in Poland?:D:D

Oh, I prepared the presentation for representatives of Erasmus Universities, who visited RGU during our international week. You can take a lot at this. It is not professional, since I was unable to spend more than one hour to prepare it. Anyway, maybe you will enjoy it. You can find it at the end of this post WORDPRESS BLOG.

Christmas in Aberdeen

Your career starts here!

It has been 3 weeks since I started higher education and I have to admit that it is not easy to work and study, but nobody said it was easy:) Lectures are very interesting and inspiring... actually everyday is a challenge. Yesterday I finished my tutorial at 5 and was supposed to be at work at 5:30. Unfortunately, I was late due to a traffic congestion... Oh, I hate when I am late (even a few minutes). Next month I will have to submit my first essay so I am a bit scared, as I have never written an academic coursework. The thing is that I try to give the best of me every day but I know that I am not perfect. It drives me crazy but we are only human (oh, sometimes I think that I am an alien from Mars). A few months ago I promised myself: 'If I reach my destination, I will use every chance'. Aberdeen is such a wonderful, industrial, fast-moving, prosperous city and the Robert Gordon University is such an inspiring, simultaneous place:) such a great place to study:) I don't want to waste and miss any chance I am given.

If you are reading this post now, it means that you probably consider studying abroad... It was NOT very difficult for me to answer the question "What am I going to do in the future?" I did not have this problem, because I really fell for business at the age of 17. I did not want to study Law (my relatives wanted that), I did not want to study engineering (Polish government and job advisers wanted that:)), I would not like to be a doctor or an architect. I am crazy about business, economics management, marking, human resources, advertising, finance. I have so many ideas in my head... I wish I could paint or sing... But I did not get any of these gifts....But I have an artistic soul so, at least, I have my creativeness, imagination and passion. I am addicted to music (I listen to music all the time), I love photography, travelling, geography and obviously I love English:)



Today we had a Management Development lecture and I found a very interesting quotation:

Omni Nunc Arte Magistra

Make the best of your abilities

I hope that you will make a good decision and have a chance to study something that you love, something that makes you happy, something that really interests you...

If you do not know what you would like to do in the future, do not panic. Have a gap year... Many people do it. Maybe you need more time to find your vocation:) My colleague studied Managements Studies but she did not like it... so she applied for Biochemistry and she is a fresher again:) Did she waste a year? No! She learned many transferable skills, improved her language skills and, most importantly, realized what she wants to do for the rest of her life:) Ask yourself "Is it really something that I want to do for 40 or 45 years of my life?' It is your choice. You can listen to your parents, classmates, teachers, career advisers, economists, government... But remember that you are the one who makes a final decision!



Are you scared about your future?

You have to watch this video!

Thumbs up!

Let it start...

I can't believe that it has been almost 4 months since I came to Aberdeen... Everything has changed. Now I am really mature, responsible and, most importantly, more confident. I will never let anybody tell me: "You can't do it"! Of course, sometimes it is hard and I am very tired and I want to give up. But I keep going and try to make every single day special:) For example, I always buy some sweets when I come back from work... Yeah, Great Britain is a paradise for those who love sweets:)



Unfortunately, I missed my Freshers' Week, as my colleague left our restaurant and I had to cover his shifts... I really like working in my restaurant, because I am completely crazy about food (ask my friends). Nevertheless, I do not cook at home, as I do not have enough time and fortunately get dinner at work:)

California rolls by me and my friend from Kazakhstan


Sushi by Chef Jang


Dolsot Bibimbab our Polish chef

I decided to compensate myself for my Freshers' Week and went to Glasgow on Sunday. Yeah, It really is a huge city. It was so impressed by its landmarks and beautiful streets. I wouldn't like to live there, though. It is too big...

Glasgow Science Centre

BBC Scotland

The University of Glasgow.

City Centre

I have already had my first lecture, which was quite interesting but I was very tired (due to the journey). I understood every single word, but I couldn't focus on a topic, since I was really sleepy:( I think I do not mind studying in English. Today I borrowed a book (about Business Ethics) from a library and I have already read a few pages. Thanks to IELTS I can read really fast in English so it is worth taking this exam:)

By the way, thank you for your nice comments. You asked me to keep you updated. I will try to do my best but I might be quiet busy in the future... Anyway, see U:)