International Alumni Ambassador Scheme
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International Alumni Ambassador Scheme Congratulations on becoming an alumni of Birmingham City University. With over 100,000 international alumni across some 120 countries, you are part of a successful and growing community. We are always delighted to hear about the achievements of our graduates around the world and hope that you will keep in touch with us as you progress in your life and career. Our new International Alumni Ambassador Scheme is another way that you can support Birmingham City University and help prospective and current students settle into international study.
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Our team of Alumni Ambassadors will help and advise prospective students who are thinking about studying with us, and current students who have any queries. Our ambassadors will support University staff with in-country activities including recruitment fairs, presentations at partner institutions and school talks.
sharing your experiences and successes. You may be asked to provide insight into studying at Birmingham City University or more general advice about life in the UK. Successful ambassadors will receive training from staff within the International Office and transport costs will be covered where receipts are provided.
Becoming an ambassador is a fantastic opportunity to represent your university, speaking to potential students and
The benefits of taking part in the scheme include: • Ambassador goodie bag to include branded merchandise for your use
• Regular news bulletin keeping you • up to date with latest news • Invitation to networking events with • fellow alumni in your country • Family discount on tuition fees • Meeting potential BCU students • as part of recruitment activities. For more information see www.bcu.ac.uk/international
Life Keep in touch as we are always delighted to hear about the achievements of our graduates around the world as you progress in your life.
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Birmingham City University developments
ÂŁ260m investment programme, including a major expansion of our City Centre Campus, together with ongoing development of existing sites.
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If you graduated some years ago, you may not have seen some of our recent exciting developments. There has never been a better time to help us to spread the word to the next generation of international students. City Centre Campus
Sciences, together with a new library, IT space and other student support facilities.
The University is mid-way through a £260 million investment programme, including New Conservatoire a major expansion of our City Centre Campus, together with ongoing development of A new £46 million home for Birmingham existing sites. Conservatoire is under construction at our City Centre Campus site, and is due to open The £62 million Parkside Building at the in 2017. It will be the first complete new City Centre Campus provides a home for build conservatoire in the UK since 1987 design-related courses as well as state– which makes it the first of the digital of-the art media facilities (Mediahouse), age – and will provide state-of-the-art including four industry-standard TV studios performance and teaching spaces, creating with the latest Sony equipment, and ‘green a conservatoire for the 21st Century. screen’ MILO studio. Facilities will include five performance venues, including a 400-seat concert hall, a The £63 million Curzon Building provides 150-seat recital hall and smaller experimental teaching space for Birmingham City music space, organ room and dedicated jazz Business School, the School of English, venue, and over 70 dedicated practice rooms. the School of Law and the School of Social
Sport and Life Sciences The creation of our new suite of courses in Sport and Life Sciences is yet another exciting development at Birmingham City University. Not only are we investing £41 million in a new building to house the laboratories and teaching spaces needed, but we also plan to open up these facilities to benefit all students and the wider community. The 10,500 sq m building at City South Campus will enable us to offer a wide range of new Health, Nutrition, Biomedical Science and Sports courses, as well as providing a new home for our education programmes.
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Meet our international alumni
Szeling Chang BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Photography) China “The culture and spirit at Birmingham City University is inspirational. The lecturers are very patient, friendly and encouraging. It truly enhanced my photographic journey, and set the tone to my photographic style at the start of my photographic career. I strongly believe the foundation I received at the University has been highly influential in my photographic career.�
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Yifan Budd Ling MA Visual Communication Illustrator China “I loved Birmingham. It was very beautiful and easy to settle in. People from all over the world came to Birmingham to study and work, and they get along really well. It was also easy to get to other cities of UK a great place to live.”
Charlotte Newman BA (Hons) English Literature and Creative Writing Graduate Student Success Adviser, School of English, Birmingham City University USA “What attracted me most about the joint honours programme was the fact that it is less rigid and promotes time for independent study. The first year was filled with modules that covered the history, linguistic and artistic side of English literature. It was a lovely introduction to the course that was furthered in depth each year.”
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Angela Sahoo MSc Enterprise Systems Management Business Development Manager, Real Vision India “Birmingham City University has given me one of the best platforms to pave my way to my dreams. I loved the University for its pride, work ethos and propensity towards participation and performance be that in academics or co-curricular. I contribute my success to people in BCU who made my experience unforgettable.”
Josephine Reichert BA (Hons) Fine Art Productions Manager, mac Birmingham and Director, Ort Gallery Germany “The purpose-built building was perfect for studying art and allowed me to try my hand at a variety of art forms. I also enjoyed the community at the school and meeting creative people. Above all, I gained the confidence to do anything. As a creative person I felt I could take on any task and make it a success.”
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Frequently asked questions As an Alumni Ambassador you will advise and help prospective and current students who are thinking of or already undertaking qualifications through Birmingham City University.
Frequently Asked Questions Please read the questions and answers here before you apply as this will clarify the Alumni Ambassador role and help you to assess whether you will be suitable.
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How can I apply for the role of Alumni Ambassador? To be considered for the role of an Alumni Ambassador you must complete an application form, available on the Alumni webpages at bcu.ac.uk/alumni and email it to alumni@bcu.ac.uk.
How will my application be assessed? Staff at Birmingham City University will assess all applications and will select International Alumni Ambassadors based on their suitability. The degree they completed will also be taken into account.
When will I be notified about the success of my application? You will be notified about the success of your application in writing. How will people contact me? Your name, email address, qualification, year of graduation and a short biography will be listed on the alumni pages of our website. A prospective or current student can view your profile online and is free to contact you directly. Your details will also be used across a wide range of other University material, such as relevant marketing emails and leaflets.
sitting examinations?’; ‘do you have any tips for successful study?’; ‘what have been the benefits of completing your qualification?’ etc. You will not be expected to advise on the detailed content of courses, fees or entry requirements. What should I do if I do not know the answer to a question? As an Alumni Ambassador you are only required to offer your opinion on your study experiences. If you receive questions regarding the cost, delivery, structure or content of Birmingham City University courses please direct the student to the University’s Ask enquiry service on +44 (0)121 331 7777.
What questions am I likely to be asked as an Alumni Ambassador?
How many emails will I receive?
Prospective and current students will typically ask you about your experiences as a student of Birmingham City University. You may receive questions such as ‘how did you balance your life and study?’; ‘how easy was it to obtain study materials and text books?’; ‘what was your experience of
It is difficult to gauge how many emails you will receive but we predict that you will receive up to six new email enquiries a month. Once contact between an Ambassador and student has been established it is up to both parties to create the boundaries of the relationship and the frequency
All information correct at time of publication.
with which you contact one another. What happens if I receive too many emails and cannot cope with them all? If the amount of emails you are receiving becomes unmanageable, please let us know immediately and we will assist you in easing the load. This may involve recruiting more Ambassadors or reallocating your email enquiries to other Ambassadors. How many Alumni Ambassadors are you looking to appoint in each country? We will be looking to appoint two to three people in each country who have undertaken different degrees. If we have a particularly high concentration of current and prospective students in a country we may appoint a higher number. We may not appoint people in the same country who have undertaken the same degree. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Alumni Relations by email on alumni@bcu.ac.uk or by phone on +44 (0)121 331 5389.
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