Interview: A 2022 Student at the University of Reading

📍 Interviewee background

Mr.Lo

National Chung Cheng University

Business Administration

IELTS 6.5

Admitted to:

University of Reading - MSc Marketing (International Marketing)

University of Liverpool - MSc Marketing

Queen Mary University of London - MSc Marketing

📍 Why I chose Henley Business School at Reading

Even though I was admitted to Liverpool and Queen Mary, Russell Group schools with higher overall rankings, I chose the University of Reading in the end because: 1. the courses focus more on practice 2. it's only a 20-minute train ride from London 3. Henley Business School is well known 4. a higher share of the students are local British students 5. living and housing costs are relatively reasonable.

📍 Student housing recommendation

I live in a Studio at New Century Place, an off-campus student residence. It's a 5-minute walk to Reading town center, 10 minutes by bus to campus, and 45 minutes by direct coach to London Heathrow Airport. The rooms in this building also happen to be bigger, so it's fairly comfortable, and there are shared facilities like a gym and a cinema room. I'd recommend it.

📍 Would you recommend marketing at the University of Reading?

Yes. Reading's marketing master's has 3 pathways: customer, international and digital marketing. The core courses in term 1 are the same for everyone, and before term 2 starts you choose the area you want to go deeper in. If you're more into analytics, statistics and numbers, I'd suggest the ''Digital Marketing'' pathway. I think in the workplace you can't just define things by applying the theories you've learned; in business, theory works better for me as a supporting tool. That's why I didn't hesitate to choose Reading's marketing master's, and it didn't disappoint. Reading focuses on practice, and the professors prefer in-depth discussions with students to reading from the textbook. They often encourage us to share our ideas (right or wrong). If you want to dig into the theory, you can read the chapters the professors recommend. Throughout my studies, I've been better able to combine practice with theory, and classmates work together on topic-based market analyses of well-known companies, using observation, theory, data, strengths and weaknesses.

📍 International Strategic Management

This course is required for some Henley Business School students. It gives students the chance to do group projects with people from other programs, such as business innovation, digital transformation in international business, finance and management. My group project in this course was about whether Costco should enter the Chinese or the Indian market. I got to discuss it with two local British students and a student from mainland China, and I was glad to have the chance to exchange marketing knowledge and learn how people from different countries think differently.

📍 Marketing Communication

For the Mcom group project, we cast ourselves as Lipton's marketing planning team. Lipton is a famous company, but its sales in the UK haven't grown noticeably in recent years. Our data analysis showed that British people are moving away from tradition: fewer people drink hot tea, coffee drinking is trending up, and people lean more toward low-calorie, healthy drinks. Our final pitch: because of global warming, besides developing iced drinks, offer low-calorie healthy teas, and hold the product launch outdoors in summer as a music festival, art exhibition or cultural event.

📍 Things I noticed in the UK

Authentic or long-established restaurants all have two doors. Because the UK is rainy and cold, just like in TV dramas, when you push open the first door there's a space where guests can tidy themselves up a bit, and then you push open the second door into a warm, cozy dining room. It also greatly reduces cold air blowing straight into the dining area during meals and saves energy at the same time.

Joining a sports club at the University of Reading requires buying extra insurance, which covers the higher out-of-pocket medical costs if you get injured playing sports. So when you join a club, on top of the venue fee and membership fee, you also have to pay for insurance!

📍 Adjusting to life in the UK

When I first arrived in the UK, my friends in Taiwan were already asleep, so I had a lot more free time! I started making more local friends, and through trips and conversations my English improved faster and I fit into life in the UK more quickly. At the same time, I tried changing my habits: I go to bed early and get up around 4 to 5 the next morning, so I can finish assignments and class prep without interruptions. That's the routine that works best for me after adjusting.

📍 A few words for everyone

In just 6 months in the UK, my way of thinking has changed a lot. I now enjoy observing things more and like exploring how things are done differently abroad and in Taiwan. I speak more maturely, and my family and friends clearly noticed it when I went back to Taiwan for the break. I believe all this growth will show in my future. I'm lucky that my family fully supports me studying abroad. Even so, I also took out a student loan, and I think the experience is well worth it. To anyone considering studying abroad: this will be a turning point in your life.

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