Victoria Crossley

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Forensic Accountant, PricewaterhouseCoopers

I came to Lancaster on a Geography degree and chose Management Science as a minor in my first year because it was so similar to decision mathematics at A-Level, which I’d enjoyed. I liked Management Science so much, that at the end of first year I changed to do Management Science full time.

This ended up being a brilliant choice; LUMS provided a great environment for learning, with world-class facilities. There was a good range of module choices within my degree scheme but I was also able to choose modules from other management school departments; including economics and finance. Additionally, I also chose modules from elsewhere in the University, such as mathematics. LUMS gave me the opportunity to tailor my degree modules to my interests, whilst giving the help, support and assistance I required.

During my time at Lancaster I got involved in my college JCR as Green Officer. This involved promoting the termly eco-competition between the townhouses and helping to run college social events. I was also on the college netball team for three years and was course representative in my third year.

I did two internships at HSBC in the summers whilst I was at university. The first was at a busy city centre branch and the second in a Commercial Centre. Both involved working directly with customers and shadowing managers doing more complex tasks, to get a complete overview of banking operations. There were also engagement activities and training days in London. This led to a graduate job offer with the bank on their ‘Executive Management Trainee’ graduate scheme.

My time at Lancaster was jam-packed, fun, educational, eye-opening and inspirational. It helped me decide which direction to go in life and has given me the foundation to do whatever I wish.

In the September after I graduated, I started working for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Manchester, training as a forensic accountant. My time is split between working in the office and training in college for the ACA qualification. The Management School careers team were instrumental in helping me to prepare for the intensive interviews.