Akiba from the UK
Akiba completed her MA in Cross-Cultural Communications and International Marketing in 2022 and currently works at the university as a Recruitment and Admissions Assistant. Hear from Akiba what she thought about the course
About Akiba's career
Describe your current occupation:
My role involves being the first point of contact for postgraduate applicants from all over the world.
I provide prompt and accurate information and advice to a range of standard enquiries and refer non-standard and complex enquiries to relevant colleagues or specialist teams as appropriate.
I loved that it was a diverse group of peers which really allowed me to experience cross-cultural communication first hand. I also loved all the different things and skills I acquired from studying.
Studying Linguistics at Newcastle University
What was your work/study experience before joining this course?
I completed my BA in English Literature at Newcastle University in 2019 and started the Master’s course in 2020.
How was the course for you?
I loved the course; I enjoyed how challenging it was in a research sense and our freedom to choose our research topics. I loved that it was a diverse group of peers which really allowed me to experience cross-cultural communication first hand. I also loved all the different things and skills I acquired from studying. The staff were very supportive, and their passions made the classes more enjoyable.
How has studying Cross-Cultural Communication at Newcastle helped you in your career?
I believe that by acquiring more insight on how to work within a cross-cultural context, it has benefited me in understanding different people better. This feels like the biggest take-away as I‘ve not had much opportunity to be in this type of space before, and I am unsure if I will be in a similar situation in the future.
What advice would you give to a student interested in studying Cross-Cultural Communication?
Definitely take advantage of everything the course has to offer, it’s only a year long, or two if you do part-time (like I did), and it will absolutely fly by. Try to be as present as you can and absorb as much as you can!
What was the best thing about studying at Newcastle?
One of my favourite things about the University has got to be the Career Service – they are super helpful and supportive! I also really love the architecture!