By Georgia Nicklin, BSc Finance and Management with the University of Venice at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School.
Georgia is a student at the ICMA Centre studying BSc Finance and Management. The degree is a unique three year experience, where students spend their second year at Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice. As the first student from Reading to have completed this part of the programme, we’ve got Georgia to share her experiences during her year in Venice!
Why did I choose this course?
Since my teenage years, I have been very interested in Finance as a subject. However, before I started my degree I was unsure of which specific career path I’d end up taking. For this reason, I felt that BSc Finance and Management would provide me with a balance between the numerical/investment side of this sector and the business/management side, as opposed to BSc Finance and Investment Banking which has a strong focus on pure Finance.
The added bonus to my choice was the fact that the course had a compulsory integrated year of studying abroad in Venice – where you still have the opportunity to complete your degree within three years (rather than four). The idea of studying in a different country with the opportunity to experience a brand new culture and learn a new language confirmed my decision straight away!
My first thoughts when arriving in Venice
I was completely lost for words when I first stepped onto the island. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before and so, so beautiful – pictures online really don’t do it enough justice! The concept of a city floating on water with zero cars was crazy and I couldn’t believe I was about to live there for the next year. Public transport was all by boat (called vaporettos). During the year leading up to Venice, my parents kept going on about how lucky I was and I didn’t realise or appreciate that properly until I saw it for myself.
In part 2, Georgia shares her experiences of the accommodation and language barrier in Venice.
Find out more about our BSc Finance and Management course.