As a fourth-year student at UTS studying a Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Laws, Abdallah has been working as a student ambassador and future students advisor, ensuring first year students make the most out of their experience at university.
With his last year coming up next year, we sat down with Abdallah to chat about his high school to university journey, what he has enjoyed, how he has grown throughout his degree (professionally and personally), what to do if you’re thinking about Business or Law and his tried and true advice for first years.
Q: What was your transition like from high school to university?
A: I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do because I was the type of person that enjoyed every single subject I was doing. I did the subjects in high school that I saw as having the broadest career prospects, which was a combination of business in law. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get into it because my ATAR wasn’t that high but I applied for the Schools Recommendation Scheme and that was pretty great.
Leaning towards following a career path in business, Abdallah has learnt and adapted skills he has learned in his everyday life.
A: I definitely like law from a research perspective. It’s really polished up my research skills and how I think critically about problems.
Abdallah has also dabbled in a fair bit of social and hands-on extracurricular activities that have helped him throughout his study.
A: On the law side, I explored witness examinations, which was a lot of fun–you basically put someone on the witness stand, grill them and ask questions over and over again, trying to incriminate them in a replica courtroom.
A: On the business side, I’ve participated in case competitions, where a real-life business will present you with a problem or brief where you and your team come up with a pitch for a ten minute presentation. The benefit from both extracurriculars is that you meet amazing people and you build a network. The people you meet are really smart and that forces you to be hardworking; it really keeps you on top of your feet. It makes the university experience more enriching, while your critical thinking ability and public speaking improve.
While some extracurricular activities can help and assist your studies throughout your degree, there are a lot of clubs that focus on relaxing and socialising with the friends you make.
Q: Do you get a lot of practical experience in your degrees?
A: While university might be focused around lectures and tutorials, there are a whole heap of practical, hands-on aspects that come along with both business and law degrees.
A: When it comes to my law degree, my lecturers and tutors are, or were, practicing lawyers so they give insight and often tell us stories and experiences that they’ve had in the courtroom. We also focus on mooting which replicates what happens inside a courtroom where you give an opening and closing address, with a judge or magistrate present. UTS is also partnered with major law firms, so a lot of these competitions actually have real life industry leaders come in and adjudicate them. So, from then on, you’re forming strong links with the industry before you graduate, which is very valuable.
A: For business, the people that judge case competitions are people from the industry. It’s the businesses that are giving out these problems–I did one recently with KPMG and my team did so well that they offered us an interview for their graduation programme.
When it comes to his long-term career, Abdallah is keen to throw paper up and see what sticks after graduating next year.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
A: Now that it’s crunch time, I’ve been thinking quite a bit–I’m not sure if I see myself working 9 to 5. I don’t know if I want the thrill of a startup and making something for myself. I don’t know if I want to do the corporate grind. I might flip a coin or something but wherever I go, I want to succeed in it and have an active contribution for the company I’ll be working in.
While some people might not be so keen on group work, UTS’ collaborative learning approach has made it easy for Abdallah to enjoy his study, as it is a big part of his degree.
A: I’ve enjoyed every single group I’ve been in–I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Inside the classroom, you have class participation which is graded. It’s a lot easier to have a discussion. Collaboration is very organic because it’s not like traditional classrooms; there’ll be at least one piece of group work in every business subject you do.
Q: Do you think your professional communication and skills have improved since being at university?
A: Absolutely. Early in my degree, where I benefited most was that I learned how to work with different people. You’ll have people that operate in completely different ways so you know how to maximise your contribution. Group work taught me the power of networking–I’ve made friends and our cohort has been in the same classes together since the start.
Q: Your cohort sounds super close-knit and in a really cool and positive environment!
A: I travel three hours in total every day for uni so I want to make my experience worth it. I usually go to a society event. In my second year, I went to uni four days a week even though I only had classes on two of those days, which I’m grateful for because I’m friends with an amazing bunch of people.
Q: Is it in UTS’ culture that a lot of people participate in and enjoy extracurricular activities?
A: UTS definitely has a very rich society culture because they have over 160 different clubs and societies. If the society doesn’t exist, you can always put effort into building one. If you’re someone who wants to find a community, all the friends you will make come from some form of extracurricular community.
Q: What is one of your favourite spots on campus?
A: We have this place called The Underground which is the student bar hangout area. Down there, there’s the Theatre Lounge which is a very chill hangout spot–it’s been our communal meetup spot for ages and I’ve met a lot of friends there.
A: The centralised location of UTS is great. If you’re staying late at night to grind out an assignment. There are a lot of arcades and things to do in Haymarket and Ultimo in between classes to keep you entertained.
Q: What does it mean to be a student ambassador for UTS?
A: You’re someone who is truly passionate about the opportunities that your university has given you and you want to give back to the community, ensuring that students have the same experience as you do. I think I had a good experience because I made the most out of my university life and I want people to do the same.
With a wholesome closer, Abdallah wanted to give some important pieces of advice for people enrolling into university in the years to come:
A:
- Step out of your comfort zone and be resilient. If you fail once in a social setting, keep trying. Everyone is in the same boat as you. I met one of my closest friends at a paper plane competition in the UTS Library. Say hi to everybody and have a positive outlook because you never know where and when you’ll make friends.
- For people that are going to be doing 5+ years in their chosen degree, you’re going to be here for a while. So, you need a good university life. Join societies and create a community for yourself.