Study in UK: Ghaziabad girl chose Digital Marketing to gain mastery over new media

The idea of choosing Digital Marketing for my master's struck me way back in 2013 during my amateur entrepreneurial stint through a startup called Barclet magazine that featured writers, fashion bloggers and comedians. Although the venture was doing well, I lacked marketing skills to take it to the next level. It was then that I decided to pursue digital marketing as a specialised course.


While exploring the available options, the University of Southampton, UK, came across as a suitable fit, which would equip me with the concepts required to achieve success in the new media domain. An additional bonus was that I secured a £3000 scholarship from the University.

My initial time at the campus was like a rollercoaster ride, complete with induction sessions, where I got to meet people from all corners of the world. We were introduced to the University's clubs and societies and I became a part of two of them. The first — Wessex Scene, which is the student newspaper and magazine — gave me exposure as a writer.

As my undergraduate major was English Literature, I have always enjoyed reading and writing on topics such as the UN Day and the Syria chemical weapons debate, top five sexual consent campaigns, the dark web and many more, before winning the 'Best New Writer' award. I also joined the Theatre Society where I was made the assistant producer of two of their shows.

Since I did not come from a marketing background, I had to start from the scratch, learning web analytics and web applications. By the end of the programme module, I was able to create a website, do HTML coding and analytics as well. We have also been given free access to websites such as Emeralds, WGSN, The Financial Times and Science Direct, which help in projects and assignments. I had just one written exam and the rest were all assignments, which helped me gain hands-on experience.

My internships were spread across three industry sectors - the first internship was at SAVIA as a fashion marketing consultant, followed by an internship at Chiltern Wool and another at Shentons Solicitors & Mediators as a marketing assistant. Currently, I am interning at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust as a HR recruitment social media intern.

All the internships over the past one year have increased my confidence. While preparing myself for a digital marketing career, I am learning new marketing and analytical tools.