Alumni in the Spotlight: Adam W.

Adam W. is a 2013 graduate of Dulwich International High School Suzhou. He was admitted to Imperial College London with excellent grades. After graduation, he started working at the KPMG London office, one of the four world's largest accounting firms. He is currently an assistant manager. We are proud of his achievements, so we invited him to share his study and job-hunting experience. We hope this will inspire our current students to work hard to achieve their dreams!

1. What is your current job position? How was your job-seeking experience?

I am currently an assistant manager in the technology consulting team at KPMG UK, in the London office. It was quite a stressful time when I was applying for jobs! I remember I applied for 30 jobs and I got to the final stage with two employers. KPMG offered me a place on their graduate scheme first and the rest is history. It was hard to receive all the rejections, but you just keep your head up and keep sending out applications.

2. Can you share some job seeking and career advice with us?

My experience will be limited to professional services, but for anyone who is interested in consulting, it’s important to keep an open mind and get stuck in. It might seem a bit scary at the beginning, but nobody is born an expert consultant; you will learn everything from doing the work – that’s the whole purpose of the trainee program/graduate scheme. Always give your all, no matter how trivial a task might seem, it’s a good attitude to have wherever you go.

3. How did you choose which university to attend?

I went to Imperial College London to study Material Science. I chose Imperial for their record of graduate employability.

4. What was it like?

Tough! It prepared me well for the professional world.

5. In which year did you graduate from Dulwich? Why did you choose Dulwich?

2013, wow 7 years ago! I was obsessed with the Cool Britannia image and really intrigued by everything British. Dulwich was the natural choice since I wanted to go to a British University. 

6. What subjects did you study at Dulwich? Which teachers influenced you the most and why?

Mathematics, Further Maths, Economics, Physics, Chemistry, English and Drama. It is hard to say which teacher had the biggest impact, they all helped to shape me into who I am today and develop my logical thinking, curiosity and confidence. I still have very fond memories of my English teacher Mr. Huckle and Drama teacher Mrs. Dorrington. They both helped greatly with my interpersonal skills and prepared me well for my life in the UK.

7. What Co-curricular Activities did you take? Which CCA impressed you the most?

Glee club and Physics club. I will never forget the time I was the soloist for the first-ever Glee club performance when we performed ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ at the school assembly, mad!

8. What is studying at Dulwich like?

I really enjoyed my time at Dulwich. While I was there, I kept thinking I want to fast forward to university. Now I wish I had just lived in the moment. I was the head boy of Year 13 and I did some cool stuff at school, such as The Earthquake relief charity, the Treasure Hunt and the Senior Prom. Dulwich gave me a lot of freedom!

9. Did your experience at Dulwich help you in college and career? If so, in what way?

Absolutely, as I mentioned, I have picked up many aspects of my personality from the subjects I studied at Dulwich. I would say the most important fact is that Dulwich doesn’t just encourage the traditional subjects such as Science and Maths, and so I was prepared for a life in the UK in all aspects such as language, culture and traditions.

10. Do you have any advice for current students?

Enjoy your time at Dulwich, explore your interests and try new things because this is the time of your life when you can do that most easily!