Student testimonials

Jess Wade

"I met so many amazing new people and we quickly became friends through working together"

I could not possibly have enjoyed taking part in Grand Challenges 2016 any more than I did. After what had felt like a long and difficult first year at university, Grand Challenges came at exactly the right time for me. I met so many amazing new people and we quickly became friends through working together. I therefore look back on that week with fond memories, and I am very grateful for the experience. 

I originally chose to take part in Grand Challenges because I wanted to expand my knowledge outside of my degree course. Overall, it was certainly a fulfilling experience. I truly felt as though what my team was working towards had the potential to make a difference, and I thoroughly enjoyed being part of something with this level of significance.

The most important aspect for me personally was that I found myself in a new circle of like-minded people, and this gave me the confidence to continue on with my university studies into my second year at Exeter. I am now in my final year. Grand Challenges gave me the confidence to be more outgoing, and my second and third years have been so much better because of it. 

I highly recommend taking part! 

Hannah Tate

"Participating in Grand Challenges helped me to secure a placement at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)"

I participated in Grand Challenges Week in 2015 which helped me to secure a placement at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers). Teamwork and leadership skills, as well as the ability to innovate are sought after and this is what Grand Challenges is all about; this is why Grand Challenges appealed to me, as I was applying for jobs at the time.

I worked with a group of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and degrees, thus there were a variety of opinions which were, sometimes, conflicting. This allowed me to practice build on my team-work and leadership skills to ensure my group did not lose sight of the goal and achieved an exceptional outcome. I also had to continually act on my own initiative and think innovatively, to ensure that the outcome we achieved was ready to present, at the highest standard, on the final day of Grand Challenges.

I used Grand Challenges to demonstrate these skills in my interview for PwC and they were very interested in the project we completed as it is unique to Exeter University. I also make some great friends along the journey, and some great memories which have added to my university experience.

Adina Pintilie

"The skills I have taken away from Grand Challenges are at the top of my CV"

Grand Challenges week was a fantastic extension to my degree studies. When I signed up to the Strategy and Security Institute’s Global Security Challenge I was ready to learn more about terrorism and listen to some great speakers, but the week was so much more! All the activities we undertook during the week had a purpose and built towards both group and my own learning outcomes.

I signed up for induction sessions on team-building and personal growth. Learning how to do a team exercise on a SWOT analysis was my first team interaction of the kind and it served me very well when I interviewed for Unilever.

Individual learning was, however, my biggest take-away. I had never considered the utility of any form of applied writing and I’ve never been more grateful for being taught how to do anything of the kind. During Grand Challenges I wrote a Ministerial Submission on the raised terror threat posed by the Irish Republican Army to the UK. As there was little in formally taught modules about the IRA, this was a great opportunity to engage with highly UK-relevant security topics. My newly-found understanding of applied writing allowed me to take more responsibility in my subsequent summer work placement where I was able to turn surveys of more than 2 million data entries into concise ministerial summaries for the ministers of the European Union on topics ranging from Gender Inequality to Cybersecurity.

If that was not enough to make Grand Challenges interesting and valuable for my future career, the week was also a unique opportunity to hear from the people at the top of the security field. What was the most engaging experience for me was reading about the work EUROPOL does in my textbooks and then being able to ask Mr Rob Wainwright, the Executive Director of Europol, the questions not answered by my academic reading!

Even in my third year, the skills I have taken away from Grand Challenges are at the top of my CV, and I cannot recommend the Strategy and Security Institute’s Global Security Challenge highly enough.

Melanie Mackay

"Grand Challenges helped me consolidate various skills and build my confidence"

Grand Challenges enabled me to meet some lovely people and learn a lot in a short space of time. I gained insight into the different stages of a team project, all the way from brainstorming and research to implementing our ideas in practice. I became familiar with the emerging market for augmented reality (AR) products thanks to the involvement of an industry specialist. He really brought AR to life and showed us how it could be applied in different settings (in schools for example). Crucially, this experience helped me recognise the importance of commercial awareness in any business venture, which is something that companies really value in prospective employees.

I have used the Grand Challenges programme in interviews on assessment days as evidence of my ability to work with others, time-manage and think creatively. It came across really well, since it was easy to talk about a project that I thoroughly enjoyed. All in all, Grand Challenges helped me consolidate various skills and build my confidence, and provided me with great material with which to impress employers.

Kristin Allan

"Grand Challenges put my skills to the test and enabled me to identify my own strengths and weaknesses"

Grand Challenges was a fantastic and genuinely enjoyable experience, working in an interdisciplinary environment where I could consider a wide range of ideas and perspectives. As a team it was important that we recognised the value of people’s inputs and this allowed us to collaborate our ideas effectively, thus creating something unique and innovating.

Having completed Grand Challenges, I have been able to apply the skills I developed in other aspects of my life. The ability to communicate and negotiate well with people has been useful during group projects at university. It is also an attractive trait that I mention when applying for internships. Working in a new environment and pitching a presentation at the end of the week improved my confidence skills greatly. This is something future employers look for and I was delighted to be able to build on my confidence in a safe and friendly environment. I also learned to take on leadership roles by delegating jobs and understanding that leadership requires you to listen to others and reach decisions based on what is best for the team and the overall outcome.

Grand Challenges put my skills to the test and enabled me to identify my own strengths and weaknesses when working in a fast pace, dynamic team. This has allowed me to work on certain skills which I can be sure will help improve my employability and general work ethos.

Iona Brunker

"Since the week, our project has been involved with the launch of the Global Systems Institute here at the university"

Grand Challenges was an invaluable experience for me. I started the week with little expectations, having signed up because I was interested in learning more about climate change outside of my course. It quickly became evident that the programme was highly flexible, and groups had an almost limitless range of areas to focus on. I loved that we were encouraged by the supervisors and academics to not shy away from large, seemingly unreachable, problems, while still having the freedom to develop our project in any direction we liked.

The week also offered me my first opportunity with video production and editing as my group used a short stop-motion video as a launchpad for our sustainability social media campaign. I found the experience so rewarding that now I am working towards a career in television production and broadcasting.

Since the week, our project has been involved with the launch of the Global Systems Institute here at the university promoting sustainability, particularly in regard to food sourcing. We hope to continue developing the project further, encouraging food outlets across campus to source their products more locally.

Overall, I have developed a wide range of skills which I can now use as examples in job applications and interviews, but Grand Challenges also benefitted me in other ways. I now feel that I can make a difference against contemporary issues, I have gained professional contacts, and I had a great time throughout the week and made new friends.

Sophie Dallison

It really sets you up for the world of work, where there will be people from all areas collaborating on one goal...

"The best thing about Grand Challenges for me was working with people from such a broad range of disciplines - my group comprised Physics to English to Psychology to Medical Sciences - and this really enables different perspectives to solve the problem as everyone has a unique skillset. It really sets you up for the world of work, where there will be people from all areas collaborating on one goal. 

I also loved the fact you had a tangible output at the end of the week which really made you feel empowered to make a difference on important matters, where we often feel like we have no voice. Global challenges like Climate Change and Mental Health seem so big and out of control, that as one person in society, you feel like you can’t make a change. But that is what is so amazing about Grand Challenges because you get to work with like-minded people to plan, design and present your idea from concept into fruition, which can often be continued into the future after the week is over. 

I can’t recommend Grand Challenges enough - where else do you get a whole week dedicated to working solely on something you are passionate about?" 

Agung Bate

Grand Challenges pushed me to understand different viewpoints due to the interdisciplinary nature of the teamwork...

"Taking part in Grand Challenges was without a doubt pivotal to my personal development as a student and future healthcare professional. The week taught me so much about teamwork and project development, as well as giving me a platform to convey my ideas about climate change education into actions. For Grand Challenges 2019, my group comprising of various degrees such as business, geography and modern language students were passionate around carbon footprint and how we could convey the importance of it to the younger generation. For our output, we made a boardgame based around this idea. My role in the team was helping to bring together all the ideas we brainstormed into the design of the board game, which allowed me to develop my graphic design skills immensely, alongside getting into the habit of incorporating feedback throughout the whole process.

The process involved with Grand Challenges pushed me to understand different viewpoints due to the interdisciplinary nature of the teamwork, and to convey my knowledge and ideas from a medical perspective into an easily digestible manner for non-specialists. These communication skills are invaluable in the modern-day workplace, with so many businesses and companies using multidisciplinary teams to spark greater creativity and innovation. Grand Challenges also developed my confidence not only with presenting, but also my own self-confidence to speak up and put forward ideas in group projects; something which I struggled with when growing up. The Grand Challenges experience has developed my confidence in all aspects of life, from leading teaching to lower years in my degree, to speaking up about issues around sustainable transport infrastructure to University management." 

Lizzie Arnold

I believe that this scheme is a true asset to Exeter and a programme that all students should take part in during their time at university...

"A highlight to my summer was the week I took part in Challenges Online 2020. It was an incredibly engaging and coordinated project, organised as a replacement to the typical Grand Challenges format run by the university. It was a brilliant opportunity to stretch myself outside of degree studies and immerse myself into a global challenge that faces the world today. Especially due to having online lectures the previous term, it was a welcomed opportunity to meet new people and work as part of a team again!  

Harry Parrett

It is a challenging but rewarding week that I would wholeheartedly recommend to any students considering it...

"After lockdown had cancelled whatever summer plans that I had made, I decided to sign up to Challenges Online on a whim and without any expectations. It ended up being a great experience and I could not have been happier with how the week went. You are given a lot of freedom in what you want to work on and how you want to present it, whilst also having constant guidance and support from academics and facilitators who help you create the best project possible. 

Working in an interdisciplinary team was a real highlight. Seeing how people from different academic backgrounds had very different ways of viewing and tackling problems really helped develop my team working skills, especially in an online environment. These are skills I will be able to use in group projects and work in the future. 

The week was adapted really well to work online. It all ran very smoothly, and many groups took advantage of the platform with my own group choosing to make a website for our project. I was even able to take an optional tutorial in app design and it was great being able to develop entirely new skills. 

Overall, it is a challenging but rewarding week that I would wholeheartedly recommend to any students considering it. It is a great way to meet new people and develop new skills whilst also working a project you can be passionate about."

Brogan Kerr

I have found myself discussing Challenges Online in various interviews as a way to demonstrate digital teamwork and project planning...

Kim Evans

The skills I have gained have aided in job applications and in securing an industrial placement...

“Grand Challenges provided me with an excellent platform to develop both professionally and personally. Having limited work experience prior to this, I was quite nervous when I started the week. However, this was not a problem as we were all well supported by our challenge supervisors and skills workshops organised by the university. I greatly improved my teamwork and communication skills through working in an interdisciplinary team of students who each brought something unique to our project – an innovative scheme to combat the global ocean plastics problem by means of a circular economy. 

I also was able to further develop my time management and organisation skills to complete our project outputs by set deadlines. The week allowed me to meet and work with great people, which expanded my social networks and created a fun memorable experience. Grand Challenges exposed me to a variety of aspects which became extremely useful in the subsequent years of my degree, such as when working on group assignments and presentations. The skills I have gained have aided in job applications and in securing an industrial placement, of which the 9-5 exposure during Grand Challenges proved to be valuable in helping me settle into the new workplace environment. Participating in Grand Challenges is an opportunity I will never forget as part of my university experience and I would highly recommend it to any student!”

Osaru Akpata

Katya Green

Challenges Online really feels like an opportunity to make change, whether that means on a small scale within the university or on a larger scale.

Challenges Online was a lifesaver for me last summer. Having signed up for the in-person Grand Challenges, I was apprehensive about the new online programme, but they couldn’t have done a better job in adapting it to the circumstances. The balance of group and individual work gave us the freedom to work on our projects ourselves and still keep in contact with our team and the programme, with support readily available if we needed it. Despite being scattered around the country, our team were able to work together on creating a database of wellbeing support for the Loneliness and Mental Health Challenge in the form of a website whilst also improving our personal wellbeing through interacting with the team. With the programme being online, it made it easier for us to split up the work to do individually before meeting each day to discuss it, giving each of us a defined role to take away from the challenge.

Above all, Challenges Online really feels like an opportunity to make change, whether that means on a small scale within the university or on a larger scale. I know I learnt so much about what support services are available to students through the research we did as a team and the online format really pushes you to learn new ways of using technology which is more useful now than ever. I am proud of what we achieved as a team and I am so glad I signed up to Challenges Online.

Ethan O'Gorman Davies

Challenges Online has shaped much of my university experience and I cannot recommend it enough to students.

I took part in the Fighting Fake News Challenge last year, and it was by far the most rewarding thing that I have spent my summer doing. Not only did it bring likeminded people together, but it allowed me to learn more about a topic that I may not have been able to learn about in my degree. From this, students on this project and I decided to create the Exeter Media Watch society that has a focus on continuing the work we did during this week. This is how much the Challenges Online week influenced us and pushed us to want to make a difference.

During the week, the Challenges team were enthusiastic and helpful. From experts in their field, to passionate students wanting to give back, there was not one member of the Challenges team who was not supportive of each project.

The week has made me friends and has been the reason for my involvement in the Exeter Media Watch society. It is for these reasons why I can safely say that Challenges Online has shaped much of my university experience and I cannot recommend it enough to students.

When I first heard about Grand Challenges, I was so excited at the prospect of getting to dedicate a whole week to a topic that I was passionate about but didn’t get the chance to explore much during my degree.  I must admit that I was slightly nervous before starting Grand Challenges as I didn’t have any friends doing it with me, and was apprehensive about staying in my Uni accommodation to complete the Grand Challenges week. I was worried that maybe I had made the wrong decision. I couldn’t have been more wrong!! 

Grand Challenges was such a fun and rewarding experience that I recommend to all my international friends. I loved meeting new students from other disciplines who were also interested in the same topics as me. I was so inspired with the projects that other student groups presented at the end of week showcase and it was amazing to see how much everyone had achieved in just one week. I really got to know the people in my group and have stayed friends with them long after the project week ended. It was so fun being in my Uni accommodation and getting to experience the city of Exeter without the stress of exams, and more importantly, in the nice sunny and warm weather! 

With the help and guidance of leading academics, me and my team were able to create a project that I was really proud of that helped to tackle economic poverty. This experience of working in a group to create a project has been invaluable, giving me the perfect talking point to bring up in job interviews, and actually helped to give me an idea about what I want to do after University. Grand Challenges is an amazing opportunity for international students to get involved in because it gives you the opportunity to meet other students from different disciplines and cultures that you otherwise might not have met while at university, to work on solutions to problems that you are all passionate about. As it’s running during term 3, still having your university accommodation makes it so easy to really immerse yourself in meeting new people and having fun creating your project. It really helps to create a sense of community while at university and it is amazing to be a part of an event that revolves around making real, meaningful, and impactful change in a multitude of different areas. 

There really is no other opportunity like this at University and as an international student you can bring a fresh new perspective to tackling the most pressing global problems.

Morgan Smith

Grand Challenges was an exciting opportunity for me to work with my peers to help solve a societal problem. I took part in the first Challenges online week where I was able to choose my preferences in order to work on the future landscapes challenge.

Due to the online nature of the event, I was able to develop my ability to work collaboratively on Microsoft teams. My group decided to create an informational campaign on the environmental impacts on landscapes of certain food consumption choices. We named our campaign Agri-Impacts. Having split up the tasks amongst us I oversaw the website development, and this acted as a great opportunity to further develop my IT skills during the week.

Our project ended up gaining a decent amount of local traction and through working alongside a similar project group during the week we were able to have a distinctly positive impact on the local community in order to help people think more about their food consumption choices.

Overall, I had a great time working on the project and I made a number of new friends. I was also able to develop my interpersonal communication skills as well as practical technological skills that I can take forward in my future career. I now feel that I have a renewed sense of purpose in my ability to tackle problems!

Olivia Page

During my Grand Challenges week, we produced a social media campaign and some posters to help to advertise both to people who would use the service and to volunteers. This was great for me, as it enabled me to look at something outside my degree that I’m passionate about (I’m a Classics student, so dealing with modern problems was a whole new experience) without being assessed - great after a month of exams!

I was the only first year in my group of four, which I initially found slightly intimidating, but within an hour or so I couldn’t feel the difference at all. During the week, we split up our tasks, working either individually or in pairs to complete some part of our project (whether that be putting together a PowerPoint for the presentation of the Friday, making a poster, designing the Instagram posts, or doing research into different locations we could operate from), before sharing them with each other and with our mentor at the end of day. This meant that while we could work on our creative thinking individually, every member of the group was still part of the discussion, and our mentor really helped to give us ideas, highlight potential problems and encourage our work.

The best part of Grand Challenges for me was watching us all develop our skills over the week. A few members of my group were nervous about presenting and I had few social media skills. But we worked together – I sat down with another member of my group as she taught me how to use editing software, and I gave people pointers on presenting, running through it with them until it was perfect.

I would definitely recommend Grand Challenges, it’s a great way to develop and apply your skills in a realistic, but supported, way.