It went well

It was incredibly quick, and it’s June now and I have officially completed the second year of my studies. As expected, the exam period was even more hectic and stressful than in the previous year - I spent all of May and most of June buried beneath a heap of books, trying to remember a seemingly endless amount of formulas, names, charts and theories.

It was incredibly quick, and it’s June now and I have officially completed the second year of my studies. As expected, the exam period was even more hectic and stressful than in the previous year – I spent all of May and most of June buried beneath a heap of books, trying to remember a seemingly endless amount of formulas, names, charts and theories.

I took my written final exams for the second year more than a month ago, but I only learned the results now, as my schoolmates did. I can say with relief and joy that my efforts paid off: I have passed all my exams on my first try.

It should be said that the notional bar was set really high this year – so high that a student committee officially complained of the difficulty of certain tests with the faculty’s top officials, a historically unique case. In this respect, there were several confirmed cases when students collapsed after reading the questions in the exam rooms – they cried hysterically and even fainted. The standard expected of students for this year was really high. So I can be even more proud of achieving an average grade in the Upper Second category, also thanks to very good grades for essays handed in throughout the year. As a result, I have a great starting position in the third year for achieving such grades on my bachelor diploma as well.

My academic duties have been fulfilled successfully, so summer is up next. But relaxation has to wait, as I will be working during the first half of summer: I scored an internship with the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the European Union in Brussels, where I have been working at the economic and financial policy section for two weeks now. I have an opportunity to participate practically in what I learned about at university lectures for two years. I can say now that this is an incredible experience for me.

The internship is not paid, so I had to raise the required funds (and living in Brussels is not exactly cheap). I obtained a financial grant under the Honey Pot Scheme, provided by the University of Birmingham’s career center to several carefully selected second year students every year for the purpose of unpaid placements. The grant program is fully funded from the donations of the University of Birmingham alumni, and to obtain it, one has to beat tough competition in a stringent selection process. So far it seems that the effort was well worth it.

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