From a small village in Oxfordshire to delivering events that make a difference, Milly explains how studying BSc (Hons) Sociology at Bath helped her start a career she's proud of with Spinal Cord Injury Charity, Back Up.

With a love for people, a flair for communication, and a degree that broadened her perspective, she has found her place and voice in a role that requires adaptability and self-assurance.

Discovering sociology at Bath

I spent the first 18 years of my life in West Oxfordshire and studied geography, psychology, and politics for A-level. When it came to my university research, I knew sociology was the right fit for me.

I’d always loved Bath. We used to visit as a family when I was younger, so I had really fond memories of the city. I knew I wanted to go to a campus university that felt safe and friendly, and Bath was certainly welcoming. It’s also consistently high in the league tables for sociology, which helped make the decision easy.

What I really loved about studying the course at Bath was the breadth and range of units. When I started, I chose units covering topics like politics, gender, and climate. I think everyone should study some sociology in their education.

Coming from a small village and an all-girls school, university also opened my eyes to new perspectives.

Finding my place during my placement

My professional placement was one of my favourite years. I found a role at GlobalGiving UK through Bath’s placements listings. As a business partnerships intern, I worked on corporate partnerships, including major projects with companies like HSBC and Salesforce. It was such a brilliant experience.

I did not have much confidence going in, but I got on well with my manager and the team, and they helped me grow so much. We worked remotely, but it didn’t hold me back.

The placement gave me real-world experience and helped me believe in myself, especially in terms of communication and relationship-building. I also realised how useful my degree was. There was so much I could put into practice, from understanding global issues, data analysis and research, and group presentations, I had lots of useful skills and knowledge. This all helped me understand the work the organisation was doing and why it was so important.

Coming back into my final year, I felt like a completely different person. I was more motivated, more confident, and more productive. I treated my last year like a 9-to-5 job, which made a huge difference – working those hours had become the norm and I just embraced it.

I wouldn’t have achieved a first without that placement experience; it helped focus me. It also shaped my dissertation, which looked at how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted charitable giving in the UK. I even interviewed people from my placement role for it; I highly recommend doing that!

Placement to my career

I worked for six months at a research agency in London, a role I started two days after graduating! It was a fun and demanding environment.

Although I was not doing the research myself, my sociology background, which included data analysis, really helped me understand the work that I was supporting.

Not long afterwards, I helped my best friend at one of her events and realised I loved event planning. That led me to apply for events roles in the charity sector where I joined Back Up, a charity that supports people affected by spinal cord injury. I'm working there still and have progressed to the role of Special Events Coordinator.

I have worked on amazing projects like The Push, where teams of supporters, including one wheelchair user, work together to reach the top of Snowdon. It’s intense but so rewarding. Having done my placement in the third sector, I knew how fulfilling working in this industry can be; you're contributing to something with greater purpose that is more than you and your career. I often have to speak in event committee meetings or talk in front of groups of volunteers or supporters at big fundraising galas. This is something that my course prepared me for.

Sociology: The foundation to succeed

My degree helped in ways I did not expect. Group work, presentation skills, and public speaking have all been essential. I still remember a module we all loved, ‘The Sociology of Death,’ which completely changed how I thought about feedback and learning. The lecturer, Dr John Troyer, was brilliant, and the regular feedback helped me improve without feeling criticised. That mindset has stayed with me.

I loved the university experience; I made amazing friends, learnt so much, and grew as a person. Sociology is one of the most valuable degrees you can have. It offers a broad understanding of the world, fosters critical thinking, and helps you develop skills that are useful in so many careers. I have friends from my course working in government, education, fashion, charities, and more. It is such a flexible degree, and, at Bath, you can really shape it around your interests.

You do not have to know exactly what you want to do at 17, and this course gives you space to explore, grow, and figure it out along the way. Being a BSc, it is grounded in data analysis and research methods, which are practical and help you stand out in a crowded work market.

Sociology didn’t just prepare me for a job; it prepared me for a career with purpose.