Two students from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) recently travelled to London to the Undergraduate of the Year Awards to find out if they were crowned winners in this year’s categories.

The annual competition is aimed at finding the best undergraduates in the UK. Each award is partnered with a prominent graduate recruiter who provides fantastic prizes for the winners including paid internships, trips abroad, and other exclusive opportunities.

Second-year students Alton Fernandes and Sana Jalal were joined by two other Lancaster students as finalists at the award ceremony: Aaron Chin (Mechatronic Engineering) and Catherine Dickens (Computer Science).

Over 100 applications were submitted from students at Lancaster University, placing the University in the top ten of applications submitted across the country. The four Lancaster University students were selected from over 4,000 entries nationwide to be in the final top of each category.

This year, there were thirteen awards on offer and the Lancaster University finalists and their categories were:

• Sana Jalal (LUMS, shortlisted for the Management Undergraduate of the Year Award; partner: Enterprise Rent-a-Car)
• Alton Fernandes (LUMS, shortlisted for the First Generation Undergraduate of the Year Award; partner: BT Group)
• Aaron Chin (FST, shortlisted for the Maths, Physics and Economics Undergraduate of the Year Award; partner: Glencore)
• Catherine Dickens (FST, shortlisted for the Software Engineering Undergraduate of the Year Award; partner: Skyscanner)

Sana, who was a top ten finalist for the Management Undergraduate of the Year Award sponsored by Enterprise Rent-a-Car, said, “I applied for the Undergraduate of the Year Award because I wanted a summer internship with Enterprise. The process was extremely insightful to see how companies recruit graduates and I found that this process really helped with my confidence. When I discovered I had been selected as a top ten finalist, I was surprised and the news took a while to sink in; however, on reflection, I feel that this has given me much more confidence in my abilities, especially for the future when I apply for graduate schemes. This was also an amazing opportunity to network with fellow finalists as well as senior leaders, helping me expand my network and progress with my career. After attending the finals, I am still in contact with the Enterprise team and this will be beneficial for future job opportunities. My advice would be that students take every opportunity because this will lead to many more.”

LaVerne Handfield, Employability & Events Coordinator for the LUMS Careers team, said, “We were very excited to have two LUMS students and two other Lancaster University students make it to the finals. This competition is a great way for students to explore and experience elements of the graduate recruitment process before entering that stage. It’s wonderful seeing students put their best selves forward year after year to enhance their skills and having employers network with the great calibre of students that LUMS has to offer.”

Although the student finalists from Lancaster University were not crowned winners in their categories this year, the process of applying to the Awards allowed them to experience elements of the graduate recruitment process including taking psychometric tests, attending assessment centres, participating in interviews, and networking with employers and fellow students with similar interests and academic backgrounds. The Undergraduate of the Year Awards is a wonderful opportunity to enhance students’ employability skills. To find out the results, visit the Undergraduate of the Year Awards website and view the marketing video to learn more.