The annual student-led conference showcased talent and inspiration from the Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing.
Date: 25 March 2014
The second annual Horizon Conference gave students and staff the opportunity to share and learn from each other’s experiences.
The Horizon Conference, organised by Associate Dean and Head of School of Computing, Peter Chalk, took place on 18 March, and was led by students from the Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing, celebrating their student experience at London Met.
Last year’s conference was a huge success, providing a strong baseline for this year’s event, giving students valuable insight into how fellow pupils were finding their courses, as well as plenty of inspiration about how to get more from university life.
"For the second year running, the Horizon student experience conference attracted a very high standard of proposals and, subsequently, presentations on the day,” said Peter Chalk.
“For many of them this was the first opportunity to test and demonstrate their ability to promote their perspective and ideas.”
The conference was chaired by Shara Lochun, Learning and Teaching Coordinator, alongside Jekaterina Rogaten and Amara Anyogu, who both work as Academic Mentors and are London Met alumni.
Ambition and willingness to learn
The student speakers shared personal experiences at the conference, discussing internships, volunteering experiences, running student societies or returning to university as a mature student.
Second year BSc Computer Science student Jack Jackson spoke about the challenges of finding an internship as a student. While applying to a placement he showed his ambition and willingness to learn, ultimately finding it was his attitude which won him the job.
London Met is proud to welcome high numbers of mature students and the University is constantly developing new ways to help these students manage their work and home-life balance. Science Extended Degree student Louise Usher shared her experience of handling the combination of studies and family as a mature student.
“I had wanted to become a dietician since I was a kid but I was discouraged at school and didn’t do A Levels,” said Louise. After starting a family and working in the hospitality business for a long time she decided to follow her dream.
“If the Science Extended Degree didn’t exist I wouldn’t have been able to come back to higher education.”
How to make the most of your time at university
Studies can take up the majority of the time but being at university is more than attending lectures. There are many things you can do to boost your CV while studying.
Third year BSc Psychology students Messiah Aissa Korte and Monica Pereira spoke about their volunteering experiences, explaining how it has complemented their studies and given them a wider understanding of their subject.
“Volunteering with autistic children gave me an insight into different social backgrounds and developed my skills greatly, which will help me get on a Postgraduate Degree later,” said Messiah.
Second year Business IT student Jason Krumm backed the idea that students should be involved in more activities than just studying. He recently founded the Computing Society, which is affiliated with the British Computer Society, Chartered Institute for IT.
Lauren Shepherd, a third year BSc Sports Therapy student and the winner of the first FLSC Student Enterprise and Employability Competition, shared her business idea of providing healthy food to gym-goers. Lauren was able to develop her entrepreneurial skills through the Business Development in Sport module.
Wonderful tradition
The Student Horizon conference has become a wonderful tradition that not only showcases the talent and ambition of the students in FLSC, but also inspires fellow students and staff to work even harder to improve the student experience.
“The huge variety of talks, from using assertive technology, to voluntary work in the field of mental health, and pitching your business enterprise proposal, was truly inspiring," said organiser Peter Chalk.
Find out more about studying at the Faculty of Life Science and Computing.
