Sport at Sheffield

By Emily Addison, MSc Occupational Psychology

At The University of Sheffield there are 58 sports clubs, so there is definitely something for everyone. Whether you are a sports newbie or an experienced player, there is a team out there waiting for you to join!

When I started my undergraduate degree at Sheffield I really wanted to join a sports team, but I didn’t know what sport to choose. Being someone who isn’t naturally sporty nor played competitively (other than in PE!!), I was apprehensive about my lack of ability and knowledge to just start a new sport. But I had no reason to be!

After three years, I finally plucked up the courage to join The University of Sheffield Women’s Basketball Club and I am now the captain of their 3rd team! Like many of the sports clubs here, there are various teams who play and compete in different levels. The women’s basketball 1st and 2nd teams are members of the BUCS League, while the 3rd team is a development team who have fewer matches and play friendlies against local teams and universities.

Me with my team!

The fact that there are so many teams for each sport means that no matter what your ability, you can join in and learn new skills. It also means that you can choose a new hobby that is as time consuming or exhausting as you’d like!

I have never looked back, if anything I regret not joining a club sooner! Here are some reasons you should get involved with Sport at Sheffield…

  1. You make new friends

Since joining a sports team, I have made so many new friends. You get to meet people who are not on your course, or even your department; but they may just be your new best pals! I know so many people who now live with their team mates, and that just shows the quality of the friendships you can make by joining in.

  1. It keeps you fit and healthy

Obviously keeping active can help your body stay fit and healthy but this can also help your academic performance! If you are in a good state of mind, and feel good about yourself, those essays won’t be as stressful!

  1. The social side

Being part of a sports team doesn’t end at training, there are social events that you can attend pretty much every week. Social events can include team nights out, film nights, awards evenings… anything you all want to do!

  1. Varsity!!    

Being in a club means you get to be involved in the famous Varsity events against our city rivals Hallam University. Varsity is such an exciting part of the Uni year, where everyone supports our athletes and you see people wearing black and gold wherever you look. Sheffield have won Varsity for six consecutive years now, which just shows you how good we are!

  1. Links to other clubs across the city

If you are a keen sports person, the University has strong links with external teams if playing in Black and Gold is not enough!

So… with 58 sports clubs to choose from, what are you waiting for? Whether you play netball or football, or want to try something completely different like ultimate frisbee or windsurfing, there is a club for you! And I guarantee you wont regret it!

If you are interested in joining a sports club, you can get information on all the sports available at Sheffield at the Sports Fair which happens at the beginning of first semester. If you are eager to find out more, take a look at the ‘Club Sport’ website before you arrive! https://www.sport-sheffield.com/club-sport

What studying for a Master’s degree has taught me

By Nicola Hodson, MSc Marketing Management Practice

When I first began my Master’s, I expected to learn a lot, but what I didn’t expect is just how much extra life experience I would learn. You don’t just get a degree from Sheffield, you get so much more than that – it sounds cliché, but it’s true. I wanted to share some of the things I have learnt since beginning my MSc.

Time management

Definitely one of the most useful skills I have learnt whilst doing my Masters is time management. As the deadlines begin piling up, staying on top of your work and maintaining a social life can be challenging, but I found that I learnt to do this quickly. This is a skill which will prove incredibly beneficial to have when entering the world of work and will ensure you are able to balance working hard and having fun!

Learning about different cultures

Studying alongside other students who have come from such a wide range of countries is amazing- I find that I now have friends from all over the world! From Ecuador, to India, to China, I have been able to learn about so many different cultures. Some of my friends are currently trying to teach me Mandarin!

Confidence

My Master’s course has given me a huge amount of confidence when it comes to presenting my work to an audience. We are regularly given the opportunity in seminars to present what we have been discussing in our groups. I was terrified of this at first, but the more I have done it, the more my confidence grows and I even enjoy presenting now! Having this skill will be really helpful when it comes to interviews and future careers.

Teamwork

Master’s courses often involve a lot of group work. Whilst you may not always see eye to eye with your fellow group members, teamwork is such a valuable life skill and one which is very rewarding. Listening to other’s ideas can be really interesting, particularly to see the different ways in which everyone approaches the work. One of my favourite moments so far was celebrating a successful group presentation with my team by going out for hot pot at a Chinese restaurant!

You are guaranteed to learn so much at university – sometimes the most valuable things you learn aren’t what you came to study! My Master’s course is not only teaching me all about Marketing, but I have found that it has taught me much more, and I will leave university as a more well-rounded individual than when I first arrived.

Choosing the Master’s that’s right for you

By Samuel Volpe, MSc Marketing Management Practice

The idea of a Master’s degree didn’t really cross my mind until the start of my final undergraduate year. It doesn’t always have to be your plan from the beginning, things change throughout your time at university and the horizon of its end comes all too quickly into view. In my situation I was studying a BA in English Language and Linguistics and scratching my head in terms of what to do with it and how particularly to go about it. One thing I was certain about was what route I didn’t want to go be going up, and that was back home to the north with no plan.

With English being such a broad subject I started to do some research into what career options were on offer. The buzzword that I kept being drawn to was ‘communication’. From doing this, I learned that buzzwords are helpful across all stages of job hunting; from the initial search to the interviews. From this point, I did as much research into careers in ‘communication’ as I could, reading around the area and searching through LinkedIn to see what other people were doing. Then it clicked; sitting back and thinking about it I realised what I want to do is create messages. I had been studying messages all through my undergraduate, I had been watching messages on TV, the internet, on everything really. Fitting this idea to a profession led me to marketing and advertising, the people who think of what a brand would like to portray, and work on how best to portray it.

The next step was working out how to do get there. This is where my postgraduate journey began. I wanted to specialise my then current communication skills in the real world context that marketing provided. With little marketing experience under my belt I came to the decision that an extra year to specialise and sort out my CV, packing it with experience and other activities is what I needed. That’s where University of Sheffield Management School came to the rescue with the MSc Marketing Management Practice. With a great mix of practice and theory, the course suited perfectly.

Coming to the end of my masters now, I do not regret my decision. I have enjoyed my course, specialised my skills and boosted my CV. Remember it doesn’t matter when you make your plan, it just helps if you make one! Buzzwords aren’t bad either.

International Summer School

By Sam Volpe, MSc Marketing Management Practice

Completing a postgraduate brings its benefits, however it does require hard work. The other thing it requires is your summer. Or does it?

Having completed my first three years at University of Sheffield for my undergraduate, I was used to hard work throughout the year topped off with a lengthy summer. This gave you time to sit back and relax or travel until your heart’s content, and usually allowed time to pick up some of that precious work experience to set you up for your future. However, with the added third semester from June till September, your opportunity to get away and utilise your free time is spent on your dissertation.

If I wanted to make the most of my summer, I was going to have to do some serious thinking. Fortunately, I didn’t have to. Shortly after commencing my MSc in Marketing Management Practice, I received an email from Sheffield University Management School informing me of the opportunity to attend an international summer school programme on a scholarship. Yes, that’s right, a scholarship. For free. The selection provided was Barcelona, Vienna and a few more. Pairing with a prestigious business school or university in each of the cities, the opportunity to get away to some sun, beach and culture whilst also gaining valuable experience both socially, academically and professionally seemed too good to be true.

After a successful application process, which fortunately wasn’t too daunting, I found myself on a plane to Barcelona’s ESADE Business School, the top of its kind in Spain, with three of my close friends. What followed was two of the most enjoyable weeks I had experienced whilst at university. Accompanied by course mates from all over the world, we lived on campus and lapped up the sun and the experience. A usual day would consist of attending class from 9am till 2pm. I selected Public Speaking and Entrepreneurship, and was blown away by the quality of teaching and how enjoyable the lectures were. After this, we would head to the beach as a group and enjoy the sun, beach, sea, culture and most importantly, the World Cup. The summer school provided the perfect mix of academic and social experience with fun. The best part about it was that it was geared to not be to intense, but still provide extremely good quality teaching and content.

If you are thinking of attending, I would just advise you apply. I attended from the 1st till the 16th July, and before you get too worried you are automatically granted an extension to your dissertation if you are successful in application, with the length being dependant on the duration of your summer school. It’s an experience I’ll never forget, and I hope that some of you get to experience it too!

 

Time management tips

By Nadia Zulhasni, MSc International Management

When I first came to the University of Sheffield, I told myself that I only get one shot at this – I wanted to achieve my goals. Ten months on and here I am; juggling my company project, a paid pla cement with a charity organisation under the Postgraduate Advantage Scheme (PAS) and assisting the Management School as a Postgraduate Ambassador while aiming for a Distinction in my Master’s course. I am also maintaining my social life by travelling around at every opportunity I get!

Life can get overwhelming, but I love constantly being on the go.  Here are some tips that I’d like to share in terms of time management: –

  1. Work out exactly what you need to do to achieve your goals. At this stage of your life, you don’t need to have everything figured out, but it’s crucial to know what you want so you can aim clearly.
  2. Set a time frame based on deadlines and then develop smaller sub-goals for each month, week and day. If necessary, split days into hours allocated for each goal.
  3. Make lists for each objective to be completed and crossed off as you go. You can do this with Microsoft Excel or a project management app which will mean you can visually see how much time you have left for each particular task. In my case, I like to go old school and carry a small organiser wherever I go.
  4. Always review your progress and motivate yourself in order to keep your momentum going towards your goals.

It’s important to note that you should multitask only when you HAVE TO. Doing two things or multiple things at once, like singing while cooking, is not the same as texting someone while writing a research report.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can multitask jobs effectively, especially important tasks that require your full attention. When you multitask, you’re shifting your attention back and forth between the activities quickly and mindlessly. Thus, your work tends to suffer AND takes a longer time to complete, as switching tasks means that your brain will need time to get

Me travelling in Holland!

into a new train of thought. To overcome this, prioritise your tasks. I personally think that it’s better to focus on doing one thing really well than multitasking inefficiently.

While working towards your goals, don’t forget to have fun, explore the world through travel and forge bonds with people around you. Always add a little spice to your life no matter how busy you get.

Good luck and have fun in your journey towards your goals!

Aligning your goals and using your time here

By Nia Starr, MSc International Management and Marketing

For some reason, when I was thinking about applying for postgraduate study, I had the impression that it would be absolutely time consuming and that I would have no time for a personal life or just to enjoy my time abroad. Needless to say, I was absolutely wrong, and I’m glad that I was. While my classes here were longer than they were during my undergraduate degree, I found that I had ample time on my hands to do whatever I wanted and still achieve what I deemed to be the appropriate amount of studying.

Visiting the Cotswolds for the first time to meet my new bosses!

When I moved here, one of my goals was to secure a job so that I would be able to stay in England for a few years. Another goal was to try and build a full life for myself here, a life similar to the one I had while living in America. I’m not really an idle person, so I decided to apply for the position of Student Ambassador at the Management School, and ended up being successful. This provided me a chance to meet new people and potential students on my experience, while also providing me with a little extra income. Even with this job, I found that I still had too much time on my hands, so I applied for one of the Postgraduate Advantage Scheme (PAS) internships through the university and secured my place with Undiscovered Cotswolds. The internship was in my field of study (International Management and Marketing), so I was able to practice my craft with really great employers and help the progression of their company. Applying for these different things helped me towards making steps to better my CV which would ultimately help me in possibly securing a job, but not only that, having these different activities allowed me to fill my time and have a fuller and active life here in Sheffield. Finally, I applied for a company based project, which I secured. Not only would this project give me great out of class experience, but if successfully completed, would be an outstanding thing to have on my resume and to discuss with future employers.

I feel that I have best utilized my time here in Sheffield to best serve the long and short-term goals I had when moving here. No matter what your goals are, it is important to make sure that you are taking the appropriate steps to reaching those goals. The university has a lot of resources that have been paramount in my success and could be in yours too!

Lesser-Known Job Application Tips

By Nadia Zulhasni, MSc International Management

As someone who is graduating within the next few months, I understand that ‘adulting’ can be tough and searching for a job can be challenging and time consuming. The leap that you have to take from graduating into work life feels huge, so I don’t find it surprising that candidates are scouring the internet for hours, days and even weeks for some effective job hunting tips!

We no longer need to be told to proofread CVs and spend time writing a cover letter for every application; we’ve heard that a gazillion times before. Instead, implementing some lesser-known strategies can help you gain a competitive advantage over other applicants. Below are some of the tips I’d love to share:

  1. Apply for several jobs; do not restrict yourself in one sector

It is great to be selective but you should also be open to new opportunities! Send as many job applications as possible to maximise your chances of being called for an interview. Scout out as many relevant opportunities as you can. It is crucial to set a target and track your progress. Whenever possible, make timely follow-ups contacting the prospective company’s HR department.

  1. Tailor your CV; it shows that you are serious about the specific vacancy

Relevance is crucial when applying for any job because no two jobs will be exactly the same. The recruiter is more likely to notice you if you specify your wants and skills suited for the company and position that you are applying for. You should always try to match your skills, education background and experience with the position you are applying for to stand out from other generic applications.

  1. Use various sources for your job applications

Job websites are a great source of vacancies and should definitely be utilised, but do not restrict yourself on applying through these platforms. Many adverts on major job sites receive extremely high volumes of applications which means that there is a higher tendency of your CV to be overlooked. Online networks or social media platforms are also great alternatives for you to connect with prospective employers. I manage to stay connected with many professionals in my home country of Malaysia through LinkedIn.

On top of the above, you should utilise as many opportunities as possible from the University such as the Careers Service and the Employability Hub in Management School.  With their help, I successfully landed my third sector paid placement, which gave me great experience and looks great on my CV!

Finally, best of luck to all the students out there that are close to graduating and entering the job market! It’s a difficult time, but your hard work will be rewarded in the end!

Moving to a new country – what I did and what you can do better!

By Nia Starr,  MSc International Management and Marketing

Last September I packed up my bags, said goodbye to my family and friends, and made a move across the pond (from America to England). I’ve never really been a homebody and had lived abroad before, so I wasn’t particularly afraid to be starting a new life in a new country. I was quite excited actually, for the new classes I would take, the new adventures I would have, and the new friends I would make. In my head, I thought I would arrive to a house full of people and instantly make connections with my housemates that would jump-start my adventurous journey in Sheffield. Life throws you curve-balls sometimes, and that was not the case.

As it turns out, my first week was spent solo, as only one of my housemates had moved in and school did not start for another few weeks. I spent most of that time aimlessly wandering around the Sheffield, getting to know the city and buying things for my new room. After about a week and a half, I signed up for a few Give-It-A-Go activities. This was really the turning point of my time here. I signed up for a Zumba class, which ultimately got cancelled, but while I was waiting for the class to start, I made a friend. She was also waiting for the class, and she wound up becoming one of my closest friends here.

Tip 1: Delve right in! Because I waited nearly two weeks to start getting active and involved, I missed out on the opportunity to have made more friends. Friends who would have made shopping for new room decorating things, that much more fun and who would have been great to explore a new city with.

Not long after school started, that friend that I mentioned earlier convinced me to try out for the university futsal team (indoor soccer). I had played soccer for a large part of my life, but had never played indoor soccer before. I was really reluctant but agreed to try out with her. We both made the team. Joining the futsal team has really been one of the most enjoyable experiences that I have had since moving here. It is something I look forward to every week, not only because I love the sport, but also because I was able to forge great friendships with my teammates. Joining the team also allowed me to travel and see different parts of England that I might otherwise never would have ventured to.

Tip 2: Try something new! Don’t be afraid to join a new club because you are afraid you will fail. The sooner you do it, the sooner you will find out if you enjoy the activity or if you don’t. This is also a great way to gain a new hobby that could be instrumental in making your life the best it can be here.

My first semester here, I had so much excess time on my hands! With that time, I really didn’t do anything productive or anything that would greatly enhance my life. Second semester, I started applying myself a lot more. I got a job, an internship, and applied for a company based project. I applied for these things and managed to successfully attain a position for all of them, which gave me more confidence to apply for other things that I wanted.

Tip 3: Don’t waste your time here! Take advantage of all the excess time and fill it. Join a gym (which I didn’t do until the end of the first semester, and regretted it), go out with friends, and apply for those things that will enhance your future. If I had applied myself and been more productive during first semester, there is definitely a guarantee that I could be further along in every aspect of my life here in Sheffield, right now. Opportunity awaits, don’t let it pass you by!

Choosing accommodation as a postgraduate student

I’m Nia, an MSc International Management & Marketing student, and my blog today is going to be about how I chose my accommodation as a postgraduate student. When I was back home, in America, the most popular choices for accommodation was to live in the student dorm rooms or to get an apartment off-campus. When I attended my undergrad in New Orleans, the only real option for me for the first few years was to live on campus. It saved me the trouble, or pressure to go out and actively make friends because I had girls on my hall and I would be sharing a room with someone. As it turns out, my assigned roommate never showed up, but that still worked in my favour because I still had several people on my hall to make friends with. Another upside to living on campus was the easy accessibility to food and I was literally a five-minute walk away from any class that I had on campus. During my last semester at the university I moved into an apartment with one of my good friends. It was a nice experience, but it came with challenges. I was now further away from school, which meant that I had to get up earlier to commute, I didn’t see my friends as frequently, I didn’t have easy access to food anymore, and if I wanted to use the resources at the library on campus then I had to stay extra late on campus to get work done.

Because I was accustomed to living in an apartment, when I made my choice to attend the University at Sheffield, my instant thought when it came to what kind of place I was going to live in, was to get an apartment. While the student housing is nice and would have been a good entrance for me to make friends, getting an apartment was more in line with my budget. I started my initial search for apartments in Sheffield, from America, before handing over the reins of finding my accommodation to a friend of mine who already lived in Sheffield. When he presented the places to me, the options he showed me were all houses, which I had never considered before. Needless to say, I fell in love with one house near one of the big student areas in Sheffield, called Ecclesall Road. The house was perfect for me. It was nearly equidistant from the city centre and the Management School, where most of my courses where located. As a plus, there was a gym located on my street – no more excuses to skip it!

Me with my amazing housemates!

I share this experience to say that sometimes you have to be willing to accept an option that had never previously occurred to you. When my friend came forward with only houses as options, I was not ecstatic at first. The thought of living with 6 other people did not appeal to me at all. I was afraid that we would not get along and that their living habits would be so different from my own. As it turns out, I couldn’t be happier with my housemates. We all get along great for the most part and I can call them all friends. Living in a house turned out to be the better option for me in the end because I was lonely when I first arrived and having a house with so many people in it allowed me to meet people and make friends. The house also allowed me to stay within my budget and be situated in a prime location to make memories!

My favourite Semester 1 module

nadiaHi all! I’m Nadia, a postgraduate student studying MSc International Management. I get asked a lot about what my course involves, especially from my friends in Malaysia, because it sounds really broad. Well, I am learning about management on a global scale, to gain a critical understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing both multinationals and SMEs in a rapidly evolving and dynamic global economy.

What first attracted me to the course were the modules listed on the university’s website prior to my application. I saw the words ‘Economics’, ‘Marketing’ and ‘Business Strategy’, and I was sold! My previous undergraduate studies in Analytical Economics mainly involved research and mathematical subjects, so I was thrilled to learn something different. I have always wanted to learn business skills and real-world solutions which I can apply later on within the workplace, from internationally-known experts in their respective fields. In my course, I am also exposed to case studies and lots of group work to develop intercultural collaboration with my course mates.

In my first semester of MSc International Management, my favourite module was Marketing. I fell in love with learning about core marketing concepts such as marketing mix, consumer behaviour, ethical issues and pricing strategies by companies. I particularly loved how the module organiser, Dr Nicki, approached the subject, as it was a very interactive module. At the end of the semester, there was a group film submission on ethical issues in marketing.

My group mates and I (who had never before had any experience in directing, filming, video-editing or script-writing) had the opportunity to write and produce a short film from scratch! We decided to create a film on behavioural advertising and privacy concerns. To put it simply, behavioural advertising is a practice carried out by companies to deliver adverts to web users which reflect their interests and preferences, based on their web-browsing behaviour information. We wanted to increase the public awareness on the latest EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will be enforced across the EU from 25 May 2018 and will address some major privacy concerns online.

Before we began filming, the University of Sheffield CiCS Creative Medianadia-camera team was more than helpful in explaining the function of each piece of equipment before they loaned them to us. We turned our storyboard into reality by starting off our film with a fictional piece depicting the breach of online privacy, which was then followed by a quick talk show on behavioural advertising.

I wish I didn’t have to return any of the camera or lighting – I felt so attached to them! Although sometimes it did make me feel a little short…

nadia-awardsAnother great aspect was that the module team held an awards ceremony, giving out awards for various categories such as best on-screen talent, best sound effect and best film overall. Kudos to Nicki and Jesse, who made our learning experience a very rewarding one! Overall, they were impressed with the quality of the videos produced by the students. And my group did not go back empty-handed, of course! *clears throat*

Steve Jobs said “the only way to do great work is to love what you do”. I definitely think this has proved his point!