From First Generation Student to Multi National Award Winner: Tim’s Journey at Alliance Manchester Business School

My lower socio-economic background
Growing up as a young carer from six-years-old and coming from a low-income family where no one had pursued higher education or corporate careers, I never thought that it would be possible for someone from my lower socio-economic background to go to university and achieve a career in accounting and finance.

Why I applied to Alliance Manchester Business School
I attended an open day and knew pretty much straight away that I wanted to study at Alliance Manchester Business School. I loved the campus, its location, and the facilities, as well as the friendly and diverse student community and the supportive, accomplished academic staff. I was excited by the prospect of studying at one of the UK’s highest-ranked universities and the most targeted university by the country’s top graduate employers.

Why I chose to study BSc Accounting
I chose to study BSc Accounting because I wanted to push myself to take on a challenging subject. I liked how the programme structure would build up my knowledge of different areas of accounting and keep my options open for the future. I was also drawn to the prospect of becoming a qualified accountant beyond graduation. The BSc Accounting programme supports this by providing exemptions from a number of ACA, CIMA, and ACCA exams and exposure to leading employers in the accounting and finance profession.

Becoming a national award-winning student
I loved every second of my undergraduate studies and found myself falling in love with accounting academia. I really enjoyed the lectures and seminars and spent lots of time studying outside of the timetabled teaching with my course mates in the study spaces on campus. It was a dream come true when I graduated with a First Class. My hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm as an undergraduate earned me a national accolade when I was awarded PQ magazine’s Accountancy Graduate of the Year.

My journey beyond graduation
Since completing my undergraduate studies in 2023, I have been gaining professional experience on a three-year finance graduate programme while studying for the CIMA professional qualification to become a qualified accountant. I have passed every CIMA exam on my first attempt and was awarded CIMA UK & Ireland’s Student of the Year, marking my second national accolade. I am very excited to return to Alliance Manchester Business School to begin my postgraduate studies once I have qualified as a Chartered Global Management Accountant in September 2026. My ultimate dream is to become a university professor.

Advice for prospective students
My advice to prospective students would be to make the most of every second of your time at Alliance Manchester Business School. Make sure you engage with the teaching during lectures and seminars, study hard outside of the timetabled teaching, and make use of office hours to seek feedback and guidance from your lecturers. Also get involved in extracurricular activities, make lots of friends, and remember to take lots of photos!

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