I’m Pranav Bhardi and I’m from Mumbai, India, currently an international student studying BSc (Hons) Economics with Banking here at the University of Greenwich. One of the main reasons I chose to study at the University of Greenwich is because of its famous historical campus. After witnessing few movies being filmed on the campus and then watching it in the cinema, knowing that we were present during some of the scenes made it special somehow.
Furthermore, the University has a diverse background of international students from nearly 130 countries.
In my experience, the Greenwich Students Union makes it is impossible to feel like you’re not at home or a part of the Greenwich community. There are societies that welcome new students with similar backgrounds and students who take interest in learning about different cultures, sports etc.
I believe that in this era of modern capitalism, economic literacy is an important factor in understanding key economic and social issues within our society and on a global level such as inequality, poverty, global warming, etc. After further reading into the module specifications, I noticed that it gives me a complete understanding of the economy with a specialization in the banking sector.
At the University of Greenwich, I love the fact that the faculty does not just teach one school of thought or a biased view of the economy, it teaches us a more pluralistic approach and different branches of economic theories by connecting them to real life examples.
My favourite modules in my course at the university were mathematics related modules such as Quantitative Methods and Econometrics, which is a bit ironic to me as before university, I use to think maths is a difficult subject, which made me run away from it but after joining university, I knew I had to face and overcome my fear of maths which I successfully did. I have Dr Alex Guschanski to thank for helping me in looking at maths in a different way, in teaching me a different approach to solving complex problems and just being more of a friend who supported me during the start.
I have recently started my placement at International Data Corporation (IDC) UK as a Research Analyst Intern. IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the technology markets. It further provides strategic insights to help clients achieve their key business objectives. My role as a research analyst intern is to assist the research analysts in analysing the market dynamics across Europe for the Personal Computing and Devices Group. I will further help in collecting information from desk research about new product launches and existing product details.
Firstly, I would like to say that the University of Greenwich has a lot of opportunities and benefits for students, make the most of it!
Get involved in all the extracurricular activities that interests you, it helps you in developing many personal and professional skills. Some of the extracurricular activities I would suggest are the Career Mentoring Scheme, Greenwich Employability Passport Scheme – try achieving as many points as possible, etc. Secondly, I’d like to tell you to ask questions about anything, as all the staff members and everyone working in the university are quite welcoming and approachable. There are many student council members and Greenwich brand ambassadors around the university who can show you the right direction or just help you find something. Lastly, I’d like to add that always be open for networking, it’s an extremely powerful tool.
