“I am proud to say that I studied at a University that cares about the world it sends its students out into.”

2022 Business Management graduate Andrew David Tipping shares his insight into life at GCU and life after graduating from university.

I chose to study at GCU because…

Initially I was drawn towards GCU because of the high quality of education offered by the institution, such as the Business Management programme which was accredited both by the European Foundation for Management Development and the Chartered Management Institute. EFMD & CMI-accredited degrees such as this meet the high-quality standards set for programme delivery. This, coupled with the industrial placement scheme offered in my penultimate year highlighted to me that the 4 years I would dedicate to this institution would provide me with a thorough understanding of business academia and in industry acumen.

The most important aspect of my university experience has been…

The balance between academic knowledge and its practical application is what places GCU in a league of their own. Courses will show academic models and theories, then give examples of how said models work (or don’t) in a real-world business scenario. The Industrial Placement scheme also gives students further practical experience which they can use to gain an early insight into how they perform in a business environment and allow them to identify areas of development to work on in time for graduation. Through this I was able to use what I had learned to develop my own business which has served as my primary source of income throughout the pandemic. Whilst some courses create graduates, GCU create managers and Business leaders.

My biggest lesson learned so far is…

The only person who decides when you are ready to do something is you. You want to start a business? Start it. You want to get an internship or work experience? Pick up the phone and network.
You want to change the world for the better? Join a society like Enactus GCU and be that change.

I’m proud to be part of the University for the Common Good because…

Being a recipient of the Common Good Award I understand and appreciate the strong social values incorporated into the very being of this institution. I am proud to say that I studied at a University that cares about the world it sends its students out into.

I get my inspiration from…

The amazingly talented individuals, academics and business leaders that I met during my time volunteering in and eventually leading the Social Organisation Enactus GCU. Working as a team to develop projects that address various issues in the community helped develop core skills required in idea generation and development which now helps me manage the business. To this day I still find myself utilising some of the brainstorming activities that we used in Enactus when creating or developing business ideas.

My next steps look like…

In August I will start a graduate role in the field of tech sales whilst continuing to run my company on the side. The workload will be hard and at times stressful, but I will use the lessons learned throughout my degree to become the best businessman I can be.

You are most likely to bump into me…

In my office creating and testing new business ideas – with the goal being to create an organisation providing positive social change.

Thank you to Andrew for sharing his GCU experience, if you would like to share your #GCUGradStory visit: https://bit.ly/3C4zNqY 

For more information on how to apply to GCU visit: Undergraduate | GCU