Katie Shephard has completed her first year studying BA (Hons) Marketing at the University of Derby and says choosing to stay close to home has been the ideal decision for both her lifestyle and future career ambitions.
The 19-year-old joined the University through Clearing after initially questioning whether university was the right path for her. However, she quickly found her place at Derby and has embraced a range of opportunities alongside her studies.
Welcoming atmosphere – and an easy location to get to
Katie first visited the University of Derby for a school visit, while studying business and management at Burton College and says the welcoming atmosphere and convenient location stood out to her immediately.
Living just 14 miles away in Derbyshire, the journey to campus was straightforward, while the newly opened Cavendish Building – home of Derby International Business School – made a lasting impression.
Its city centre location and convenient transport links make getting to the Cavendish Building easy for Katie.
“I have always been interested in business, but that interest really grew when I studied Business and Management at Burton College, particularly the business management and marketing modules,” said Katie.
“I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do after college because there were so many options available.
“I knew I wasn’t ready for full-time work and wanted to continue studying because I genuinely enjoy learning.
“When I visited the University of Derby with my college for a school visit, I loved the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The location was convenient, and the fact that the Cavendish Building was just about to open made choosing Derby easy.
“It takes around half an hour to get from my Derbyshire home to the Cavendish Building, and the journey is really straightforward.”
Derby was always Katie’s first-choice
Katie originally applied to study at Derby through UCAS and selected it as her firm choice.
“It wasn’t really a question of whether I wanted to come to Derby,” she explained. “It was more whether I wanted to go to university at all.
“I was the first in my family to go to university, so it was a big deal. I felt like I had been in education a while and, as much as I liked studying, I wasn’t sure whether I needed a break.”
A positive Clearing experience
While considering her options, Katie withdrew her university application but, after achieving better grades than expected on Results Day, she felt more confident about her future and contacted the University of Derby’s Clearing hotline for advice.
She was delighted to find out that a place was available for her on the course she had originally applied for, in Marketing.
“When I got better grades than I expected on Results Day, I suddenly thought, ‘I can do this!’” she said.
“No one in my family had been to university before, so we weren’t sure what the next steps were.
“The Clearing team were fantastic. They were reassuring, gave really helpful advice and made the whole experience feel positive.
“They made me feel like no question was a silly question and reassured me that there were still options available after Results Day.”
Katie also worried she may have left the process too late and was concerned about arranging student finance before the start of term.
“But staff reassured me that everything would be fine, and it was,” she said.
“Picking up my University of Derby lanyard and timetable on enrolment day made everything finally feel real.”
Community ambassador scheme was a huge bonus
As part of her Clearing offer, Katie was invited to become a Community Ambassador. This is a paid, 20-hour work experience programme for first-year home students who entered through Clearing.
It involves working with the University’s Civic or External Relations team, and Katie opted to spend time with Derby’s social media team creating content that has been shared across platforms including TikTok and LinkedIn.
This has helped Katie to gain valuable industry experience while building her confidence and skills.
“I would love to work as a content creator and becoming a Community Ambassador helped me to gain valuable experience in this area,” said Katie.
“I learned a lot from the social media team, skills that I’m hoping to apply to my course and that I can add onto my CV.”
Cavendish Building was a big draw for Katie
Katie was among the first students to study in the University’s Cavendish Building.
Located in Derby city centre, the purpose-built, seven-storey building opened in September 2025 and is home to a range of programmes including Business, Accounting, Marketing, Tourism and Hospitality.
The building features specialist learning spaces including a Creativity Lab, a Supply Chain Lab and a fully equipped Trading Floor with Bloomberg and London Stock Exchange Group terminals.
Companies, business-support organisations, academics, and students work collaboratively in the Cavendish Building to share research, expertise and graduate talent that also contributes to student learning.
“Studying in the Cavendish Building was a huge draw for me,” said Katie.
“Every space has been designed to encourage creativity and reflect real-world business environments.
“It’s a really inspiring place to study, with great technology and lots of breakout spaces where you can work independently or with classmates.”
Working with industry
Katie says the University’s strong industry links have also enhanced her experience.
“The University has connections with big companies like Rolls-Royce, and I’m excited to explore those opportunities further,” she said.
“I also like the strong links with local SMEs. During my first year, I had the opportunity to support an art company with its social media activity, which gave me valuable practical experience.
“We don’t just learn in the classroom – we also get to apply our skills in real-world situations, which is amazing for building our CVs.”
To celebrate the end of her first year, Katie travelled to Prague as part of a university trip, where students visited a software company to learn more about how the business operates.
“The Prague trip was fantastic and a great opportunity to not only see a beautiful city, but to learn more about how businesses operate and how this relates to our studies.”
Reflecting on her experience so far, Katie said: “I’m so happy that I chose to study at the University of Derby. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made, and I want to make the most of every opportunity available to me.”
Discover where Clearing could take you. Learn more about Clearing at the University of Derby.
