Reach Award for Best Digital Marketing Communication and Leadership Student goes to Jenny Lindsay!
Congratulations to Jenny Lindsay on winning the Reach Award for Best Digital Marketing Communication and Leadership Student! Like Jenny, the class of 2020 faced a totally different University experience. Check out what Jenny has to say as she reflects on the final year of her degree studying BSc Interactive Media at Ulster University and how that then led to currently completing a MSc in Digital Marketing! Well done Jenny and good luck with your dissertation!
In June last year, I graduated from Ulster with a First-Class Honours degree in BSc Interactive Media. When I say I graduated what I mean is that because of the Covid-19 pandemic I received my degree in the post. Strange times… but I suppose it saved me having to buy a new outfit! Although I was disappointed for my parents and grandparents who were looking forward to a big day out.
As I prepared to graduate, I thought ‘What should I do next?’. I spent my placement year with the Community Engagement team at Magee Campus. This was a great learning experience and through this and my undergraduate studies, I developed an interest in Digital Marketing.
Having talked to some of my lecturers and fellow students, I decided to apply for an MSc in Digital Marketing, Communication and Leadership at Ulster. Luckily, I was accepted onto the course as a full-time student. Our lectures began in September and because of the pandemic all the lectures were online.
In the first semester, we learned about the Digital Consumer and Organisational Transformation. For each of these modules we had to produce an assignment. One was carrying out an audit of a website and involved comparing and contrasting websites in the same industry. The other was analysing the evolving use of digital techniques and tools by a business. Because of Covid, many businesses have had to develop online services so there was lots to learn and research here.
In semester two, we studied Digital Campaigns, Research Methods and Data Analytics. Again, we had to produce assignments for each subject. The Digital Campaign assignment was group work and I really enjoyed working with my three colleagues on this. This was the highlight of the course. The Research Methods and Data Analytics assignments were dryer and more challenging but I learned loads.
Although studying at home was tough, I have been lucky enough to keep myself occupied on our stud farm where we breed and produce Connemara Ponies. It is nice to have that to balance with my academic studies and keep myself sane! As for my coursework, I managed to get everything completed on time to meet our deadlines and always tried to do my best – you can imagine to my surprise when the Course Director contacted me to say I had won the Reach Prize awarded to the student who achieved the highest mark in the Digital Marketing Communication and Leadership course.
During the summer I thought I was lucky to have been accepted onto the course and here I was getting a prize!!
We now have to complete a Dissertation over the summer months so it’s a good job travel opportunities are limited. There’s plenty of time for that next year. Whilst completing an MSc online has been challenging, the fact we can do it, does highlight that we are now firmly in the digital age so here’s to plenty of digital marketing opportunities in the future and maybe a big day out in December 2021 to celebrate a Christmas Graduation…