Author Archives: Katrinah Best

From Barcelona to Birkbeck to the world of banking

Pere Gesti graduated from BSc Financial Economics this week. He came over from Barcelona, Spain, to study a Dual Degree, as part of an ongoing agreement between Birkbeck and Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) Barcelona. 

pic of graduate Pere

The opportunity to study abroad came as a surprise 

I was studying BBA Finance at UIC Barcelona and one afternoon my macroeconomics teacher mentioned that the university was partnering with Birkbeck to offer students on certain courses the chance to study part of their degree in London and asked if I was interested. Without much hesitation I decided to go for it, and three and a half years after studying in Barcelona, I moved to the UK to study financial economics for a year and a half with four other UIC students. 

Moving to London was a huge change 

I like how London is so diverse, with lots of cultures and job opportunities, but it wasn’t easy initially as I wasn’t used to being in such a big city. What was strange was that I hadn’t been in London long before the Covid-19 pandemic happened.  

Working in the day helped me support myself financially 

Studying in the evening worked well as I could work in a shoe shop in the day. I enjoyed attending lectures because I thought the teaching was amazing at Birkbeck – the financial markets module was my favourite. 

Living in a student hall of residence meant I met a lot of people 

It was great meeting students from Birkbeck and other universities, and the street next to our hall of residence was full of restaurants so we’d often go there to grab lunch or dinner together. 

I secured a full-time job quickly after finishing studying  

I stayed in London after completing my degree and easily secured a job in the city as a headhunter at an American global executive search and strategic consulting firm, specialising in financial services. I’m learning a lot and it’s interesting to be working with big firms and bankers. In fact, three out of the five students who came over to Birkbeck from Barcelona stayed after the degree to work in London. 

In the future, I want to work in finance 

My goal is to become an accountant or salesman in the future. I think it’s all about trying different roles and seeing what I like – it’s quite difficult to imagine what it’s like to work in a job until you’re in it. 

I’ve been advising the next cohort coming to Birkbeck from UIC Barcelona 

The next group of students have been messaging us asking about what things there are to do, and they are keen to hear our experiences. I’m very positive about my time at Birkbeck and I’d recommend it highly to anyone! 

More information 

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“Birkbeck understood my background and circumstances, and granted me the chance to achieve my dream of becoming a lawyer” 

Gladys Paulsen has just graduated with an LLB Law and Commercial Law degree and is embarking on a new career in law after a 20-year career in sales. This is her story. 

pic of graduate, Gladys Paulsen

I was only 18 years old and finishing my second year of law school in Brazil, when my father informed me that I couldn’t continue studying because of our financial situation. I was heartbroken. 

I decided to embark on a different career and entered the aviation sales industry, working tirelessly to improve our family’s circumstances. Over 20 years, I worked my way up the ladder to a Regional Sales Manager position.  

After a prosperous career, three years ago I decided to pursue my ambition of becoming a human rights lawyer once again. I chose Birkbeck because it was rated as one of the best universities for law in England, and it’s well known in the law field as being one of the best. It was an easy decision! Fortunately, Birkbeck understood my background and circumstances, and granted me the chance to achieve my dream, whilst continuing to work full time.  

Being a Birkbeck student has been fantastic for my career. I’ve been introduced to great law firms through pupillage seminars, and I was able to serve as a volunteer for the Refugee Law Clinic during my studies, as well as being a policy researcher for the Environmental Law Foundation Policy Clinic. Birkbeck provided me with an exceptional mentor who guided me through the process of becoming a commercial lawyer. I’ve found that having a University of London degree adds huge weight to my CV as the University of London is one of the most respected universities in the country. As well as setting me up for my future, through Birkbeck I’ve made friends for life, from a variety of cultures and ages, who I go out for dinner and drinks with, as well as going to the opera house.  

Studying wasn’t without its challenges – English isn’t my native tongue; I was diagnosed with dyslexia during my studies; and my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in my second year. However, Birkbeck provided me with the necessary assistance. I am so appreciative of the mental health, disability support and learning support help I received, which has meant I’ve earned a first-class degree in Law! 

pic of Gladys and family

My entire family is flying over from Brazil to attend my Graduation, as well as my sister, who has won her fight against cancer. I am forever grateful to Birkbeck for providing me with the opportunity to study and assisting me in achieving my dream.  

Further information 

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“I had great exposure to leading scholars”

Cobus Van Rooyen has completed three courses at Birkbeck and has credited the College community with exposing him to a “vast amount of knowledge and experience”; and helping him to achieve chartered status. Today, he graduated with a PhD in Geography. This is his story.  

pic of Cobus Van Rooyen

Cobus Van Rooyen

I moved to the UK from Cape Town, South Africa in 2000 and considered undertaking further studies at a UK university. 

Given the fact that it’s very expensive to study full-time without an income, I was really happy to learn that Birkbeck offered part-time courses.  This allowed me to be employed while undertaking my studies.

The best part about studying was the fact that my peers were also in full-time employment and had a vast amount of knowledge and experience in our field of study to share.   

During my PhD research I also had great exposure to leading scholars and found much inspiration from their work.  The part-time PhD was immensely difficult but I am very grateful for my supervisor’s (Dr Joana Barros) support throughout this journey.  I definitely couldn’t have done it without her.  

Although the PhD process was less demanding than the MSc in terms of structure and short timeframes, it had its own challenges.   

Firstly, undertaking research in isolation is quite challenging and much self-motivation is required.  As a PhD researcher I also had to be very disciplined in how I planned my time to ensure I kept to the deadlines and targets I set for myself.     

I was offered a studentship for the first five years of my research. 

Beyond that, my research was also made quite affordable through the payment plan Birkbeck offers, whereby fees can be paid in instalments.  

While studying part-time, I was in full-time employment as a GIS consultant in multi-disciplinary engineering.

Eventually, my studies helped me achieve chartership and I currently function as Fellow and Chartered Geographer (GIS) (obtained from the Royal Geographical Society) and Chartered Scientist (obtained from the UK Science Council). 

What was most memorable from my time at Birkbeck was the opportunities it presented me with.

I had the opportunity to present my research at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) conference in Las Vegas and also to visit MIT for advice on the urban simulation model I was developing.  I was also asked to co-author a textbook chapter with a professor from another university. 

I would like to encourage every person, thinking of studying at Birkbeck, to most certainly do so.

I am very relieved that I was able to complete my research successfully but I will really miss Birkbeck immensely.  Birkbeck contributed greatly to both my personal and career growth and I will always be grateful for the opportunity I had to further my studies there. 

Further information: 

Study Geography at Birkbeck
Read more about Birkbeck’s international student community
Find out more about studying for a PhD at Birkbeck
Research at Birkbeck 

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Overcoming an initial language barrier 

Originally from Italy, Martina Innocenti chose to study an MSc in Childhood, Youth and International Development at Birkbeck because of the in-depth course content and the flexibility evening study afforded. From being incredibly worried that her language skills might hold her back academically, to winning multiple prizes for her dissertation, this is Martina’s story.  

pic of Martina Innocenti

Martina Innocenti

I kept saying to my tutor, ‘I’m not good enough to do a Master’s 

I moved to the UK one year before starting my Master’s. At the time, I couldn’t speak English well.  was taking language classes and working with early years children as Montessori early years educator. When I got accepted into Birkbeck, I was happy but I was also very worried about the language barrier, like I wasn’t good enough to do well in my studies because of it. I kept saying to my tutor, ‘I’m not good enough to do a Master’s – maybe mentally I’m ready to do it, but practically, I have this limitation.’ She encouraged me every step of the way, eventually suggesting that I convert to studying part-time rather than full-time, which made such a difference.  

Being a part-time student was amazing 

Being a part time student was amazing! It allowed me to continue working and gave me the vital time and space I needed to gain confidence in my English. I had time to really explore and deeply understand the specialist subjects I was learning about. It meant that I could actually enjoy the process of studying. 

My language proficiency did not represent my intellectual capability 

Now, when I consider that I was conducting evening interviews with youth in Peru, reviewing 50-page transcripts in Spanish then translating them to English and analysing data, all whilst working, it makes me feel quite proud. I was able to speak, work and think critically across two languages, neither of which were my native tongue, to gain very insightful data about something I’m passionate about. When I found out I won the Children, Youth and International Development prize for my dissertation, I couldn’t believe it! Then when I also won the Birkbeck Gender and Sexuality prize, I saw it as proof that my language proficiency did not represent my intellectual capability. 

I felt like a proper researcher! 

I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to do my master’s over two years, and Birkbeck’s approach to structuring my course options was brilliant. I had room to grow at the pace I needed to become fully knowledgeable about my area of study and approach my dissertation with the attention, intensity and critical thinking it deserved. I felt like a proper researcher! Having a part-time structure to do all my literature reviews, data collection and analysis, and write the dissertation was empowering; I felt like I was able to give my best. 

It was all just a matter of confidence 

I realised through my Birkbeck journey that I’m a competent and multi-skilled professional, it was all just a matter of confidence. It took a while, and multiple strategies, to build this confidence. For instance, I made an effort to see my classmates in non-academic settings, so I could get more comfortable with listening to and speaking English. I also reached out for help whenever I could, asking my friends, housemates and tutors to review my writing style and feedback wherever possible. And I shared my thoughts and frustrations with my dissertation supervisor, who was a source of great inspiration and support. In the end, my determination combined with the support I got, meant that my dissertation was a uniquely valuable intersectional contribution to literature and research about Latin American working children.  

Further Information:

Find out more about studying MSc Children, Youth and International Development 

Find out more about being an International Student at Birkbeck  

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