Laura Salisbury Jones

I decided to do a postgraduate course because I did quite a lot of work experience in property as an undergraduate, and I decided that without doing a postgraduate qualification I probably wouldn’t be able to get into one of the big firms.

Oxford Brookes was my first choice of university. Nick French, who is the leader of the course, is fantastic and I had heard a lot about him, which is why I decided to come to Brookes. He introduced us to some really interesting, very varied topics, which have been so useful going into the industry. He has a lot of good contacts within all the big property companies, and took us to the likes of Knight Frank and Savills on open days.

The postgraduate qualification was hugely challenging but massively rewarding at the same time. I did a lot of research, which has helped me going into the industry in terms of knowing where to look for things and knowing what sources to use.

I found the support at Oxford Brookes really strong, especially when coming to apply for jobs. The careers department was fantastic and obviously going to somebody who’s very knowledgeable about the content of applications and running through interviews with them was really useful.

I am currently working at Savills in London. I’m on the graduate scheme there and am really enjoying it. I am on a rotation programme so we have four months in each department over a course of two years and I sit my APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) in autumn 2012.

I have ongoing connections with Oxford Brookes: I am on the OBREMS committee, which is a specific society based on real estate, so I organise social events and get-togethers for the alumni. We have done all sort of things, including drinks, parties and we organised a ball last year. I have got to know some really fantastic people that I would never have met otherwise.