Aderonke Olayiwola

How did you hear about the Business School and why did you choose to study here?
The pandemic was really a game changer for the entire world and many organizations had to re-strategize, some had to downsize and some others had to go out of business making some occupations irrelevant for the current reality as company had to adjust to the new norm of remote work. 
The HR function in many organisation became redundant as workers were not going to the office and there was little that could be done from home. I wanted to stay relevant and updated with the current trend so i decided to look for a school offering Data Analysis and Human resources management. I know of HR Analytics but i wanted Data Analytics were decision about people can be made using data as the use of data in making decision was now of utmost relevance. I found several school doing People Analytics but it was online but found only three schools at the time worldwide offering related programme fulltime of which University of Leeds Business School was one of them. That was going to be my very first contact with the school. I chose LUBS because it was closest to my home country and in terms of content, offering what i desired and i applied and was admitted.

Tell us about your course - why did you choose it? What elements of the course inspired you to study here?
I chose This program because of the reality the pandemic brought on the world. Data became everything to everyone and it was the basis for decision making. I chose this program because i wanted to know hoe to use data to make people decision and also to know how the HR function can be part of decision making in organisations and not just be seen as a support function as it is traditionally believed to be. 
The element of the course that inspired me was the knowledge and use of statistical tools used by data scientist to make recruitment decisions, predict people behaviour and make informed strategic choices and decisions.

What is the best part of your studies? What are you enjoying the most?
The best part of my doing the program was mode of instruction and accessibility to online materials via the library especially access to online journals that i would not ordinarily have access to or have to pay for, Being a student of the University of Leeds made it available. Also of great interest is the professional development skills developed during the program is going to be of great use.
The access to the facilitators and help provided for us to succeed on the program is enormous.

What are your career aspirations? Do you think the experience and skills you will gain on your course will help you in your future career plans? In what way?
I want to be a Human Resources professional of repute having knowledge of the current trends in the world of work and how to bring solutions to the many problems affecting people and organisational performance. The different skills i have gained during this program will definitely be handy in my career path. I have gained a lot of experience and also put to use the relevant skills i have acquired in the course of doing this program.

Do you have any noteworthy achievements from your study at the Business School that you can tell us about eg. prizes highest scores etc?
I will want to pride the fact that we desired the CIPD membership with this program and requested the program director to assist with it, of which as the course rep followed up with and i will say as i type this that we have been accredited with the associate membership of CIPD upon completion of this program which for me was the highest achievement.

If you are not from the UK, how was the transition to a foreign country? Did the University offer support or services that you found helpful? Can you offer any advice?
If you are not from the UK, how was the transition to a foreign country? Did the University offer support or services that you found helpful? Can you offer any advice?
Yes, an international student, the transition was smooth for me as i was assisted right from my home country by the school representative (Mr Oyedapo Oyeyemi) and other school ambassador when i arrived the UK. The support was of very helpful especially for the food packs given upon arrival in September 2021 when i had to isolate for 10 days and the communications i got to help me settle. 
I had a challenge though in terms of accommodation as i could not secure the school accommodation. I will advise that student who are foreigners should be given preference in terms of allocating accommodation and when it is not enough, the school should liaise with other agencies that could make it easy for them via the international office. Unipol was not of help to me as when i contacted said they do not have any to offer. It was challenging for me to finally settle, and this really affected my first semester performance.

What is your impression/experience of the facilities, the staff, your peers, the student union, the City of Leeds and the Yorkshire region?
My impression of everything and everyone was great, Sure i had alot of cultural and academic shocks but it was all great as i had come to embrace the unity in the diversity of the school with my peers, instructors and the Yorkshire region and the UK as a whole.

Are there any experiences outside of your studies that you particularly enjoyed? Eg participation in extracurricular activities or groups, nightlife, the regions' historic places of interest?
I enjoyed every aspect of my studies but because of my responsibility of childcare i was not able to fully participate in many extracurricular activities or nightlife of interest.

What would you say your defining memory of studying here was? (eg friendships made confidence in your abilities or any single event that you will always remember?)
My defining memory was the friendships i have made and the network i have made with my tutors and peers. I will also remember the achievement of securing a CIPD Membership for my program of study.

Would you recommend the Business School to others who are considering studying here?
Yes, infact the incoming September intake from my home country have been contacting me and i have had to answer many questions of how well to prepare for their coming to the business school and the fears they have in terms of support to succeed and i have told them first hand of all the help and support that awaits them and the benefits of after studies they will get studying in the University of Leeds.