April 2017 – Undergraduate Blog

Running for SU Officer

By Margaret B Barrionuevo Camacho

Last February, I decided to run as International Officer candidate for the 16/17’ SU officer elections. After receiving loads of emails from university about nominations and the available positions at the Student’s Union, I booked an appointment with some of the current SU Officers in order to find more about it and also looking forward to hear their first-hand experiences. I managed to meet and talk with the International and Women SU Officers, who were very happy to share their experiences with me as well as answering all my questions (always one too many ha-ha).

Encouraged by their involvement with their roles and their passion to make change happen, I decided to take the challenge and hopefully become the 2017-18’ International Officer. On the first week of February, I and my fellow candidates, attended a ‘Candidate Training session’ which covered all the aspects from running a campaign to recruiting friends to be part of our campaign team. It was a very intense and long (4 hour) session which made me realize the challenge I got myself into! Reality hit me, I had so many questions and so little time to get everything ready. What would be my slogan? How could I design my posters? Who could edit my campaign video? Would I be able to make lecture shout-outs in front of hundreds of strangers? Luckily, I received help from my friends, who supported me throughout the campaign which lasted about 2 weeks! The whole experience was very intense and tiring but I enjoyed every single moment. I stretched myself and got out of my comfort zone by doing public speaking in big lecture rooms; especially the ones in the Diamond, those are massive and scary! I also retook my ‘artistic career’- ha-ha. I had to be creative, from creating a slogan to painting t-shirts and banners; my fingers were multicolored for weeks!

Election results were announced on the 9^th of March, where I came second out of the four SU International Officer candidates. Even though I didn’t win, I was so grateful to the 1200+ people who trusted and voted for me. And also very thankful for the whole experience itself, I got to make new friends, challenge myself, and feel supported by my mates. Definitely an invaluable experience, where every candidate was a winner. Many little achievements I am proud of such as; speaking in front of several (uncountable) big lectures, learning to use the green screen and feeling confident to stop and approach anyone, anytime, anywhere. Being a SU Officer candidate is demanding and challenging I assure you, you will feel great after completing it!

Women in Business

By Margaret Barrionuevo Camacho

Hello everyone, this is my first time writing for the blog! My name is Margaret (Gigi) and I am currently on my final year of International Business Management at the University of Sheffield. In this, my first post, I would love tell you about one of my favourite societies at university; Women in Business (WIB). This is a brand NEW society, founded by Olivia Lynch, who was the 2016-2017 society President and one of the most driven and determined persons I have ever met. After months of planning and working along with the SU, Liv finally achieved her dream to create a society which not only aimed to empower women but also to provide them with support to enter a career in Finance, Business or Commercial Law.

I joined the Women in Business society in September 2016 when I attended their very first event which consisted on a skills workshop in collaboration with EY. During this session, I did not only get the chance to meet other society members but I also discovered more about my own strenghts and weaknesses and how to tackle the latter. Furthermore, I got to meet the committee members and see how passionate they were about helping us to develop professionally. This is the reason why, later on, I decided to run to be on the WIB committee. In October 2016, the society announced 2 available positions on the committee; activities officer and publicity officer. I ran for ‘activities officer’ and after writing and sharing my manifesto with other society members, I achieved to get into the committee.

My role as an ‘activities officer’ has consisted on building partnerships with recruiters from various companies such as PwC and Enterprise Rent a Car (ERAC) as well as planning and delivering events aimed at helping our society members to develop their professional skills and career aspirations. These events have included: LinkedIn master session (PWC), Commercial awareness session with DLA Piper, MOCK assessment centres and even a visit and networking event at Slaughter and May in London!

The society is fully committed to help every member to achieve its full potential, however, it also aims to promote integration and friendship between our society members. As a result, we have organized various socials which have included: pub quiz, Bollywood dancing class and an evening of free pizza at Bloo88 (yummy)!

During its first year, the Women in Business society has achieved to gather more than 120 members, organize a wide variety of events and also holding 3 nominations for the 2017 Activities Awards: (1) Academic society of the year, (2) New society of the year and (3) Most enterprising society.

What are you waiting for joining WIB NEXT year? I totally recommend it and I can’t stress enough how much I have learnt out of the different workshops, a society that definitely cares about you and your development!

This picture was taken after our first AGM, where the new committee members were elected! Old committee on the low row; Olivia Lynch (President) is the third from left to right, and I am next to her on the white blouse.

Operations and Supply Chain Management: A Rolls Royce Sponsored Module

By Hannah McLennaghan

BA Business Management with Employment Experience

Hello! My name is Hannah and I am a final year Business Management student. As my graduation date is steadily approaching, I’ve been looking back over everything I have learnt across my degree and all my best bits. For me, my most challenging yet rewarding module was my Second Year Supply Chain Management module. This was a core module at the time and made up of a group project and a written exam at the end of the semester. The most amazing thing about this module was that it was sponsored by Rolls Royce! This meant that senior industry professionals from the company were involved in the creation/ structure of the module content and the assessment. The group project was our way of applying the theories we had learnt throughout the module, to a real life business!

Our task was simple; generate a 10-year operations and supply chain plan for one of 4 companies in the aviation industry; Rolls-Royce, Pratt and Whitney, Airbus or Boeing. My group chose Pratt and Whitney, a major competitor of Rolls-Royce. Each group member was given a director role within the company: Director of Operational Design, Planning and Control, Enterprise Resource Planning, Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain Management and my role which was Director of Quality Control and Total Quality Management. Working collaboratively, we analysed the company’s current situation and how the market was operating. Using the theories, we had developed during the lectures, some of which were given by Rolls-Royce executives, we applied it to Pratt and Whitney to generate a plan for their future operations. Although this may sound complicated, it was incredible to take on a task that felt so real! It was also the kind of thing I’ll have to do when I graduate and work for a real company so it was really great practice.

Our plan was assessed through a written report, and a formal presentation to the module leaders from the University of Sheffield, and senior executives from Rolls-Royce. This was the starting point for me developing my presentation creation and delivery skills which I am now extremely confident in thanks to all the chances I have had to practice during my degree. My groups hard work finally paid off when we were awarded second place for our 10 year plan out of the entire module! This meant we were awarded the Rolls-Royce Academic Award of Excellence, something that looks INCREDIBLE on my CV, and I have found that employers just love it in interviews! Specially to have my academic work accredited by senior professionals such as Ian Shellard- Director, Global Physical Logistics, Rolls-Royce, it’s a great talking point that really makes me stand out.

This is just one example of the way Sheffield University tries to link the theory of management studies to a real industry organisation. It was a strong turning point for me in becoming a more practical learner, which also gave me a greater confidence in my own academic and business operational ability. I hope you get a chance to do this module as I absolutely loved it- Good luck!

No.1 Students’ Union….9th year running!

By Frances Kendall

As a student at the University of Sheffield, it is rare to find anyone that doesn’t think our Students’ Union is pretty amazing. For me, that’s why it was unsurprising to find out that we recently won, for the 9^th consecutive year, the award for the best SU in the UK in addition to ranking 1^st in Student Experience among the Russell Group Universities. However, after writing this blog, reflecting on my student experience, I believe I have taken this all for granted.

Looking back on this week, I realise just how much the Union has contributed to my time at Sheffield. On Tuesday, I had group meetings in Coffee Revolutions, sorted referees for a lacrosse match in the Sports Office, grabbed lunch at New Leaf and had a lecture in the auditorium. I spent Wednesday evening at Bar One and Varsity ROAR, the sports night at Foundry, Studio and Fusion.

I can’t remember the last time I didn’t go out to the Union because I always have the safest and most enjoyable nights there; this is partly due to one of my favourite services that the SU runs. If you don’t fancy staying out too long at a club night or want to work late at the library, there is a Women’s Bus which runs every hour. It takes you from the entrance of the SU all the way home, regardless of distance, for just £1.50. I regularly use it so I don’t have to wait until all my friends also want to leave, which enables me to feel secure and still be independent. It’s hard to imagine how different life would be without the convenience of the SU and its facilities on your doorstep!

Coming to the end of my time at Sheffield as an undergraduate I am so grateful for my student experience because I have had the most fantastic time here. Academically and socially I have loved it, although I honestly had no idea how much the various SU events, facilities and services had contributed to it, up until this point!

Getting used to university level teaching

By Ali Januwala, BA Accounting and Financial Management

The thought of studying at University brings about mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness, as you prepare yourself for the upcoming adventure of University life. University is a place that allows you to come out of your comfort zone, explore and bring the best out of yourself.

An important aspect of University experience is to obtain a degree with a good score. During the initial weeks it is highly tempting for majority of students to devote time in settling in and leaving the real study for later, however this can lead to a huge amount of work piling up before you know. I’ve found that forming a study routine as soon as your course starts, will put you in a better position when its time for assessments and exams.

The academic and study skills that you have learned at school or college, may not necessarily be suitable for higher education, especially if you are an international student. Struggling with study and academic skills is a key problem most students face, as education at University involves students to undertake large amounts of independent studying, due to fewer contact hours with lecturers.

I attended a few skills workshops and MASH (Maths and Statistics Help) sessions at the 301 Students Skills and Development Centre. The 301 study skills tutorials provide students a one to one discussion with a tutor, which includes guidance on effective note taking techniques during lecture, exam revision, planning essays and by providing additional resources to learn from.

Reading and listening in English was a challenge for me, as English was not my first language. The 301 Student Skills and Development Centre, referred me to the English Language Teaching Centre and I got help to boost my written English skills, which tremendously benefited my essay writing.

Studying at University and in a foreign language can be challenging at times. It is very easy to feel overwhelmed, however you’re not the only one going through this phase. University services such as those provided by thee are a great resource for students and helps to support us to achieve our best.