FAQs

What is AA?

AA is an online short course that supports you in planning for your future.

How are AA for postgraduate and AA for undergraduate different?

The main difference is that the postgraduate course helps to develop skills for moving into further study or a profession, while the undergraduate course is more focussed on developing the skills you will need as a student.

How does AA work?

AA is an online course which means you can participate at times that suit you and you can work at your own pace. It’s been developed using a framework called Plan: Me which is a decision-making tool.

How do I find out more?

Several introductory sessions will be held in October to introduce you to the content and answer any questions you might have about AA. These dates and times will be communicated closer to the sessions.

Why should I study AA?

All the skills covered in AA (all versions) are skills you’ll need to develop anyway as you move through the different phases of your career as a student and after.

How do I pass AA?

AA doesn’t have any assessments or deadlines for you to meet as the course holds no formal credit. However, you will receive a certificate for each module you complete and it will provide you with invaluable guidance and support as you plan for your future career or further study.

When can I take AA?

AA is fully online and you can choose which topics to cover when it makes sense for you to cover them. You may be asked to critically analyse a research paper in your course - AA has a unit to help you develop your critical analysis skills. You may be invited to an interview for a job, internship, or another programme – AA has a unit on Interviews.

When does AA start?

AA starts in early September, and some content is designed to help you before you start your course but you can enrol on any module at any time throughout your time at Imperial.

When does AA finish?

AA doesn’t have any assessments or deadlines, and you will get a certificate when you finish a module. Once you are enrolled you will be able to access your modules for a year after you graduate.

What if I already have a plan for my career?

It doesn’t matter if you have a plan or no idea at all - AA will help you achieve your next steps.

How does LinkedIn fit in with AA?

LinkedIn a great tool to help you understand different careers, network with people, and find jobs so we include it in many elements of AA. There is a private LinkedIn group that you can join while you’re doing AA and we’ll guide you through using LinkedIn effectively so that you can continue to use it throughout your career.

How will AA help me get a job or PhD?

AA for postgraduate takes you through a career decision making and action planning process which helps you decide what sort of job/PhD you want, then helps you develop the practical tools to getting them and succeed in them.

We can’t guarantee that by doing AA you’ll get a job/PhD but by completing the course, you’ll better understand what employers/PhD supervisors are looking for, what skills you’ve got that employers/PhD supervisors will need to see and how you can demonstrate these, and you’ll be more confident in how to move forward into your professional life.

If I am doing AA, can I still use the Careers Service?

Absolutely! AA is designed to link you into other Imperial services such as the Careers Service, the Graduate School and other student support services. Doing AA will enable you to make the best use of these other services and we encourage you to do so.

AA provides you with practice for a range of skills including transferable skills like time management and decision making, and career development skills like Interviews.

The AA team is always here to help you. You can simply contact us at: aasc@imperial.ac.uk and all of our details will be in the Introduction Module.

As AA is online and our introduction and check-in sessions are virtual, there are no gatherings of all AA students. However, you can connect with and discuss issues through our private LinkedIn group, and we encourage you to chat with fellow students as you study.