5 UCL finalists shortlisted in Target's Undergraduate of the Year Awards

Only 120 students made it to this final round of the competition, out of a total of 3,255 applicants. The successful UCL candidates include Charlotte Mulhearn (European Social and Political Studies BA), Ingvild Peerson (Mechanical Engineering BEng), and Economics undergraduates Arshia Hashemi, Ilya Altschuler and Jacopo Brioni.

Karen Barnard, Director of UCL Careers, attended the Awards ceremony last week in Canary Wharf featuring guest speaker Fiona Bruce, and commended the students' achievement. She said, "To be shortlisted for the TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards is a fantastic achievement and I am so proud that 5 UCL students achieved this, this year. Getting shortlisted will not only look amazing on the individuals' CVs but the whole application process has given them, and all the other entrants a chance to hone their interview and assessment centre skills".

Graduate roles

The competition process for the TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year Award is very similar to applying for graduate roles. Entrants must past several stages, including online tests, a written submission, and participation in an assessment centre. The awards are divided across various disciplines, each one sponsored by a major company. Winners of the competition receive paid internships as prizes, alongside additional bonuses such as trips abroad, or iPads.

Charlotte Mulhearn was shortlisted for the Future Civil Service Leader of the Year Award, sponsored by the Civil Service Fast Stream. Ingvild Peerson was shortlisted for Engineering Undergraduate of the Year (sponsored by E-On). Ingrid said, "I thought I had a lot of experience, but by meeting other bright students and potential employers with tons of experience, I have discovered so many opportunities which I didn't know existed. My to-do list has definitely grown several pages."

Three of the candidates came from the Economics department: Arshia Hashemi, shortlisted for Future Chief Financial Officer of the Year (sponsored by ACCA); Ilya Altschuler, shortlisted for Male Undergraduate of the Year (sponsored by L'Oreal); and Jacopo Brioni, shortlisted for Public Interest Undergraduate of the Year (sponsored by Bank of England).

Incredible experience

Ilya urged students to consider applying in the future. She said, "The Undergraduate of the Year Awards were an incredible experience, and the opportunity to meet exceptional students across the UK, as well as employees from top companies, made the whole rigorous process more than worthwhile. I would definitely recommend more UCL students apply in the coming years!"

Jacopo also praised the benefits of participating. He said, "The competition allowed me to meet students from different backgrounds and universities and to gain valuable insight into the application and selection process."

UCL Careers encourages students to take part in business challenges and competitions to support their career development and employability skills. We have dedicated page of our website to promote career-related competitions and we share these on Twitter.

For more information on the competitions visit the UCL Careers website. Check back often as this page is frequently updated. We also would love to hear from students who have successful in a business challenge and if UCL staff  come across relevant competitions, please pass them on to us.

Weronika Benning, UCL Careers