Third year business student Gillian Fitzpatrick will find out on April 16 if she is the overall winner of the Business and Finance Undergraduate of the Year, after a series of assessments and tests which have run from January and have seen her get to the final 10.
The award, run by Target Jobs and sponsored by Morgan Stanley, has an overall prize of an internship with Morgan Stanley and a week-long trip to their New York headquarters.
Gillian (21), who is studying International Business specialising in marketing and management, first read about the award on the university careers service website and decided to enter. She was one of around 500 students from across the UK to do so and after the initial stages of application questions and psychometric tests, she was told Gillian Fitzpatrickshe had made it to the next stage of the selection process, which took the form of a telephone interview. Gillian impressed at this stage too and was invited to take part in an assessment day at Morgan Stanley's headquarters in Canary Wharf, London, on March 23.
Gillian was the only student from a Scottish university to progress and says she hopes she did Strathclyde proud. The four hour assessment, alongside 15 other students from universities such as Bath, Cambridge and London School of Economics, consisted of an interview with a Morgan Stanley executive, a numerical assessment, a presentation to another senior employee of Morgan Stanley, networking with recruiters and a panel presentation.
"The day went very well, but it was extremely intense. It was stressful from the word go but I, surprisingly, remained calm and collected on the outside!" said Gillian.
On returning to Strathclyde, Gillian was then told she had been selected as one of the final 10 students who will return to London on April 16 for the winner to be announced by Michael Portillo. Lunch and networking with corporate leaders in UK business and finance is also on the menu.
"I can't believe I've progressed to the final stage of such a prestigious award. I'm so thrilled to be going back to London and meeting the other candidates whom I got on so well with at the assessment centre. I will enjoy what will inevitably be an unforgettable day, regardless of the outcome.
"The first prize of a summer placement with Morgan Stanley would really elevate my career prospects as they are highly regarded worldwide as a leader in the financial services industry and would complement my international business degree. When I graduate, I'm very keen to pursue a career with management consultancy and to have experience with Morgan Stanley both in the UK and US would hopefully give me a far wider perspective and above all great contacts for the future."