Sandwich degrees: the hearty filling to your academic studies? Often known as a ‘sandwich’ course, undergraduate degrees in applied or vocational subjects can include the option to have a year in industry, usually taken between years two and three of academic study. But do they just delay your graduation or offer vital experience? We spoke to one student to get his views.
Hi, I’m Dan and in the final year of my Digital Marketing BA (Hons) Degree at the University of Portsmouth. I had the opportunity to take an industry year last year and I’m so glad that I did! My journey to university wasn’t as straightforward as many people’s. After school, I did a BTEC in Construction Management, but quickly realised it wasn’t for me. I did finish the course but looked for opportunities in different areas for afterwards. I spotted an advert for an Advanced Apprenticeship in Marketing in the Marketing & Admissions department of the college I was already at. The idea of organising events, managing social media and learning about websites sounded interesting so I applied and got the job! I spent the next couple of years working with the lovely team at college, getting more experience of marketing from my job and learning about marketing theory through my Apprenticeship. I realised I was enjoying my studies; although I hadn’t particularly been interested in higher education before, I realised I did want to learn more about marketing. Some of my friends had gone to university and I knew they were enjoying it, so I thought perhaps now was the right time for me. Coming to the end of my Apprenticeship, aged 19, I applied to Portsmouth and got an unconditional place. 6
Make The Future Yours! Issue 2
During the first year of my course, I was aware of the option to do a ‘year out’ in the third year but I didn’t really think about it much. I had just spent two years in a workplace, so it wasn’t really on my radar. And I certainly hadn’t applied to Portsmouth specifically because it had a placement year option. In the second year, we had some specific tutorials on preparing for work and for a placement year if we wanted it; we covered things like CV-writing, establishing your LinkedIn profile and getting ready for professional life. I started to think about the idea again and decided it would be interesting to see what marketing was like in a different type of industry, so I decided to apply. Initially, I set out determined to get a placement with a big, well-known company – I think because I thought they would have a big marketing budget to spend! It was certainly very competitive: there was usually an interview or two and some tasks set, it was quite a long process. I got turned down for two roles, but I’m a pretty positive person so I decided to take it as a learning experience, and it did help me understand where I might not have been getting things quite right. I also had a long chat with one of my tutors. I had been set on working with a large firm, but my tutor helped me to see that there could also be a lot to learn in a small business too. I started to broaden
