Month: April 2016

Why choose to study abroad?

Reece BracewellBy Reece Bracewell

There are many benefits to studying abroad other than the obvious, that you get the chance of a life time to go have an amazing experience studying in a foreign country. One of these benefits of Sheffield’s IBM is that the course is still only three years, it’s not a sandwich year and the year abroad does contribute your degree. It also means that when you come back you are still in the same year as your friends from first year, making it that much easier to settle back in to university life when you come home. You are also able to get out in to the real world and put your skills gained from the programme into practice much sooner than most people that study abroad so in this respect study abroad really does set you apart from the competition. MS108
When it comes to choosing which university to study at overseas it can seem daunting but don’t panic, Sheffield are very good at providing information on all the possible universities and basic information about them, you will have many talks/meetings about your options as well the chance to hear from other students that have been on the study abroad programme which is great to get a real student insight. It is then up to you to research and find out which university you are interested in the most and which will suit you best and from there you can chose your six preferred universities which be followed by a short interview with the program leader to see where your study abroad adventure will begin.

MS041After choosing where you want to go then comes the time to hop on a plane and jet off to your new home. Let the adventure begin. The experience of moving to a new country can feel scary and being nervous is to be expected but the nerves are quickly offset by the excitement of a new challenge and a great year ahead. After the initial worries which everyone has moving to a new country is a great chance to learn new cultures meet new friends form around the world and of course experience new ways of learning at your new university. It is important to remember is that there are always people there to help you out with any issues you may have and that everyone is in the same boat, you are not alone. You will settle in in no time and your tutor/programme leader at Sheffield is also only an email away.

What I studied on my year abroad: University of Mannheim

Reece BracewellBy Reece Bracewell

Whilst looking at possible universities to study at, part of the research I conducted was around the modules they offered and what I could study whilst abroad. I Reecewas given some specific/core areas by the Management School which were mandatory to take whilst on study abroad, this was to ensure I was able to progress in to my third and final year when I returned to Sheffield. The other modules I was free to choose from the business school in Mannheim (where I was studying). After selecting which modules I wanted to take they then had to be approved, this is done when you complete the learning agreement form, which you then have to get signed by both home and abroad universities. It sounds like more work than it actually is, it was relatively painless.
While I was studying in Germany I took a range of different modules, and as the  credit system was different in Germany (ETCS) it meant that I was able to take a larger number of modules than if I had been in Sheffield as the courses were smaller in content than what you may be used to, allowing me to explore more areas of business aReece 2nd gain a wider range of knowledge. For instance I studied financial behavioural psychology which was a completely new area for me, I feel this was a major benefit from the study abroad programme and one that not all students get the opportunity to do, it is just another reason to grab the opportunity with both hands and take advantage of study abroad.
Some examples of the range of modules I had the chance to study included; Strategic marketing, production and operations management and international and strategic marketing. Whilst studying abroad there were also many guest lectures from global companies such as Nivea and SAP which always brought a great insight to real business and added depth and context to what we were learning throughout the modules.