Cara McCulloch

After graduating with a BAcc (Hons) in Accountancy and Finance degree, Cara secured a full-time position with William Duncan Accountants and is currently studying towards her Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland (ICAS).

Talking about the impact that studying at Stirling had on her career, Cara said:

“Studying at Stirling set me up for my career as a Chartered Accountant. Instead of completing a dissertation in my fourth year, I completed a finance report and presentation. I found this to be beneficial as it reflected more on what I would be doing in my career than what a dissertation would. The subjects I studied at the University gave me exemptions in my first year of professional exams (ICAS).

“As well as aiding me academically, studying at Stirling also helped me build on many skills that contributed to a successful career. Through my four years of studying, I built up confidence (through study and being part of clubs), learned how to work effectively as a team, and improved on my interpersonal skills that I now utilise on a daily basis.”

Having “fallen in love with the beautiful campus”, Cara notes that the sports offering as well as the “closeness of everything and everyone” as some of the key benefits of studying at Stirling.

“Stirling University is a very close-knit community, between the lecturers, staff members and other students, you get to know everyone well. There are over a hundred clubs and societies to join, quite literally something for everyone. For me, joining a club was a great way to make friends, have fun and keep fit – and definitely enhanced my student experience.”

Talking about the advice Cara would give to prospective students considering coming to Stirling, she said:

“The University of Stirling will set you up with an education, connections, and friendships for life. It is a wonderful university with a great reputation and has connections all over the world. If you decided to study at Stirling, my advice would be to dive right in and take part as much as you can from what Stirling has to offer.”