Filip Olofsson

Why did you choose the University of Westminster?

I chose to study at Westminster because of the central location of the business campus and the great reputation of financial education. Additionally, being a part of one of the most diverse universities in the UK, it definitely felt like a great addition to my development as I would meet students from all over the world. Studying Finance and Business Management in the financial centre of Europe, with a campus that is close to all essential resources as the base, was the ultimate combination for me. 

How has your experience been studying in London?

There's a reason why London has been voted the world's best city to study in by QS World Rankings for three consecutive years. Personally, I've been able to meet an endless amount of like-minded individuals that have enabled me to grow as a person and broaden my horizons beyond what I thought was possible. I have invested a lot of time in expanding my network and putting myself in the best position possible to succeed in my studies and career, and London is known to be a place that rewards those who are dedicated. 

I've been able to experience insight programmes at firms such as Blackstone and have spent time establishing the Westminster Finance Society alongside two friends from the University, which has enabled us to attract guest speakers from firms such as Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to better connect our student network with the industry. 

With that said, London has taught me a lot about the world and what hard work really means – beyond the number of hours you put in. This city has been an integral part of laying the foundation of my career and future endeavours.

What have you particularly enjoyed about your course?

The course is a great blend between learning the hard skills of finance and corporations and the learning of soft skills of management and people. Because of that, it has been a success for me. I found the best part of the course being that it helped me learn key skills that were directly applicable in the real world, which put me in a great place to take on roles within the industry already before graduation. 

How have you found academic support as part of your studies?

From my experience, the lecturers are happy to extend their support beyond the set lecture times and go the extra mile to support us in our academic progression. No matter if I have been looking for feedback on some of my courseworks or just advice for my career, I feel like the faculty has been there.

Are there any stand-out facilities associated with your course?

The purpose-built Financial Markets Suite that runs on the Bloomberg platform is an absolute stellar resource for us finance students. A great tip for those who don't know is that there is one extra Bloomberg terminal in the computer room just below the library for anyone to use. 

Tell us about your experience of using the University Careers and Employability Service 

I'm a frequent user of the University's Engage page, where you can find all necessary information about upcoming events such as networking sessions and career fairs. They also post about great internship and graduate opportunities from employers that the University endorses. Lastly, they supply us with a free account to practiseaptitudetests.com where you can fine-tune your skills for the upcoming tests you need to pass when applying to certain employers, which is something that I’ve found incredibly useful. 

Tell us about any activities that you have undertaken outside of your course 

In the first year, I joined the Economics and Finance society to meet like-minded individuals and to feed my curiosity about the finance industry. Throughout the year we had great discussion panels, CV workshops, and stimulating talks on recent themes in the industry. Before the year had ended, I and two other members who I now also call great friends, felt intrigued to continue to build on this great momentum that we had gained in learning more about the industry throughout my first year – so we decided to establish the Westminster Finance Society during the summer before I started my 2nd year. 

The goal we have with the society is to spread awareness among students regarding recruitment processes in the industry earlier on in their academic careers and make sure we supply everyone with the resources that we wish we had at that point in time. On top of that, we want to enable everyone who has an interest in the finance industry to access a platform where you learn and engage with other like-minded individuals – just like we benefited from. 

Lastly, we established this society with the intent of giving back and making sure that this platform stays active beyond our own time at Westminster to continue feeding back the accumulated knowledge to the students, because reinventing the wheel every other year doesn't build greatness. 

What would your advice be to someone considering studying at Westminster?

Firstly, make sure you have a clear goal with why you are pursuing your studies, because if you have a set goal, Westminster can likely be your best choice. You will have all the resources you may need to succeed and no matter what industry or profession you are interested in, it is all within a hand's reach when being in the centre of London. Studying at Westminster enables you to go full steam ahead and gives you both the freedom and support to succeed.

What's the best aspect of being a University of Westminster student?

Learning together with people from all over the world.

What was the most surprising or unexpected aspect of your Westminster experience?

The University is way larger and has way more students than I thought to begin with, which is positive!