Alumni Speak
‘I miss the sense of belonging I felt within the school community’
An alumnus of ASI says that the teachers here were more like friends than educators
She graduated from Apeejay School International (ASI), Panchseel Park, and is from the 2022 batch. At present, she is pursuing her undergraduate degree in BA Fashion Marketing and Management (FMM) at the University of Southampton in the UK. If this was not enough to add to her laurels, she has also been awarded a Southampton Global Dean and Talent scholarship worth £10,000! Meet Lavanya Sharma.
She is a bit intimidated and excited now that her school journey has come to an end. “Intimidated, knowing I was going to have to become more independent and head onto a path closer to my future career. Excited because I passionately looked forward to gaining a lot more new experiences in a world of endless possibilities,” she stated.
In a candid conversation, Lavanya shares the one that she loves about ASI among other things.
Why did you choose the university to study abroad? What are your goals?
I chose Southampton firstly, because of their reputation for a strong dedication to academic excellence and the friendly learning environment. Being part of a Russell Group institution means we are offered valuable research opportunities that would greatly benefit my career. Second, the modules offered in the FMM course are very diverse which interests me, I enjoy learning about the creative and management fields at the same time!
After completing my degree, I’m hoping to gain real-world experience in the corporate world, with a career in a field of my choice such as Digital Marketing or Styling. Towards the end of my degree, I’m hoping to specialise in a module that would further open doors for a Master’s programme, and I’m sure the university will prepare us well for such future challenges.
What challenges did you expect living in a foreign country alone? How did you tackle this?
The biggest challenge I was afraid to face when moving abroad for university was feeling homesick and being away from home for long periods. I tackled this by joining and being part of the university’s Indian society. We have and host numerous events throughout the year and celebrate all festivals. This gives me a sense of belonging and makes me feel closer to the community away from home, while also staying connected to my roots.
How well do you think the IB curriculum prepared you for university-level studies?
The structure of the IB curriculum, such as writing IA’s, the Extended Essay and HLE’s prepared me well to conduct in-depth focused research, which is essential at university for everyday assignments. More importantly, I found myself doing references in my research papers efficiently due to all the practice I had from IB.
What advice would you give to current IB students who are considering studying abroad?
I would strongly recommend to surround the focus of your Extended Essay around the subject area you wish to pursue in university. This would further help you show your interest in the subject in your university applications, which is what most universities look for aside from grade boundaries. It would also help you gain a deeper understanding of the level of research you would be required to do in university.
One thing you loved the most about ASI.
The thing I love and miss the most about ASI was the sense of belonging I felt within the school community. We (the class of 2022) were the first DP batch to graduate from ASI therefore were a close group of only five students. This helped us build a stronger and closer relationship with our teachers for two years, and by the end, they felt more like our friends than teachers!
