Month: January 2019

My experience as a Sabrecats Pom Cheerleader

By Jade Ellis, BA Accounting and Financial Management

Hi everyone! I’m Jade, and I’m proud to be a Varsity Coach for the Sabrecats Pom Cheerleading team. When most people think ‘cheerleader’, they think of cheery girls waving pom poms in the air – I assure you that being a Sabrecat pom cheerleader is so much more than just that!  We train and perform at Varsity fixtures, have some of the best social events, and take part in volunteering and fundraising for our selected charities. With so many things to get involved in, I think it’s the best club going!

We are made up of three teams of all different levels and abilities – Comp, Varsity and Cheer Dance. The Comp team train twice a week at a high level and perform at competitions around England. The Varsity team train once or twice a week and perform at the larger events such as the football final at Hillsborough and the ice hockey final at Sheffield Arena. The Cheer Dance team trains once a week and also performs at Varsity performances, but has a less demanding schedule. There’s something for everyone, so don’t worry if you think you won’t have enough time – give it a go! Squad auditions are at the start of the academic year, and are posted on our Facebook page. The auditions are not as scary as you might think, and you are more than welcome to audition with your friends. Any gender is welcome – if you have a big smile, loads of enthusiasm, high kicks, huge jumps and strong arms, then you’re the type of person we’re looking for!

 

One of the most enjoyable parts of being part of the team are the socials. Most of our socials are themed nights on Wednesdays starting at Revolution and ending at Roar at the Students’ Union – which normally means dressing up! It’s always a great night, and is a fantastic way to get to know each other outside of practice. One of the best nights is the Christmas Roar, as the Social Secretaries make amazing costumes for everyone, and everyone is in the holiday spirit!

As Varsity Coach I’m responsible for 27 girls, and for choreographing two routines that will be watched by hundreds of people at Varsity events. This seems daunting, however it is an extremely rewarding opportunity, and taking on this role has given me a huge amount of transferable skills like organisation skills, time management, leadership and confidence. There are two coaches per team, so I’m not on my own, and I find it so rewarding to collaborate ideas and work together as a team. It is so satisfying watching your hard work come together to create an amazing routine and gives you a great sense of accomplishment. I am thoroughly enjoying being Varsity coach, as it has made my university experience more exciting and challenging, as well as allowing me to gain skills that I may not have if I didn’t take part.

If you’re considering having a go at cheerleading, I would absolutely recommend it! Performing cheer routines in front of hundreds of people is a great way to build your confidence and keep fit, and I’ve met some amazing friends through the team.

Highlights of my student life so far

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Being a student has been the most amazing experience, I have made the best friends and the best memories. Being halfway through my final year has made me think a lot about what the future holds, but also about how much I will miss my time at University of Sheffield once it’s all over. Here’s a few of my favourite memories.

One of the most enjoyable parts of being a student in Sheffield was my first year in Endcliffe accommodation. My experience of being in student accommodation was that it was so much fun, and there was always something going on! I made some friends in first year who I have lived with through all of my university experience, and who I believe will stay my friends for life. Living in Endcliffe was a real highlight for me!

Another highlight was the internship I did in the summer of my second year at Barclays. During this time, I moved to London, got some real-life experience and made some great friends. I’d recommend doing an internship if you get the chance, it allows you to see what areas you enjoy the most and build your CV without having to commit to much time to doing so. You can read more about my internship and my experience here.

Working alongside my studies was another great opportunity. I worked in a small local coffee shop, but I made a host of friends and earned money whilst doing so! If you can balance your studies with working I would definitely recommend having a part time job. It means you don’t have to live on such a strict student budget and can treat yourself now and again.

Being at university has been the best experience I’ve ever had, with my top highlight being the friends I have made. These friends really are friends for life, and the thought of not living together next year is so sad! But really, you’ll find a close group who you do everything with, they’ll be like your own family in Sheffield!

University has been so much fun, and I’ve made so many friends and memories along the way. It’s been an unbelievable experience, and one that I wouldn’t change at all!

Why I chose The University of Sheffield

By Katie Bryant, BA Business Management

Choosing where to study your undergraduate degree is a difficult decision. You’ll be spending the next three (or more) years at this university and in this city, so you want to make sure that it’s a choice that is right for you. Here’s what helped me to make my decision.

The Students’ Union

The University of Sheffield has the best Students’ Union in the UK! We’ve been ranked number 1 in the UK for the past 10 years in the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey.

Why is it so good? The Students’ Union is known for it’s nightlife, and has its own night club called Foundry which holds club nights six nights a week. The favourites include The Tuesday Club, which is very popular for fans of drum and base, Roar which is where all the sports teams go after their Wednesday matches and Poptarts which is amazing night full of everyone’s favourite cheesy pop hits.

The SU is home to some amazing cafes, restaurants and bars such as Bar One (famous for their burgers), Grill and Go, a Pizza counter and a vegan and vegetarian cafe. There’s something for everyone, and it’s not too expensive. There is also a shop, and even a small cinema!

Accommodation

The first-year accommodation is amazing. I lived in Endcliffe in my first year, however all of the accommodation sites are really great and welcoming.

The Endcliffe/Ranmoore site has an onsite gym, bar, restaurant, canteen and shop. It has everything you need and it has a lovely student community feel. There is 24/7 security so you always feel safe, and every flat is assigned a residence life mentor that visits your flat each week to ensure everyone is settling in well and that any problems are looked after quickly.

Student City

As there are two universities in Sheffield, it is a very student-orientated city. The cost of living in Sheffield is low compared to other cities, which was something that was important to me. The city has everything you could possibly want as a student; great shops, markets, cinemas, theatres and places to eat.

As a student, you’re always on a budget, and there are loads of free activities to do around the city, including exploring the vast array of parks and museums Sheffield has to offer. The Peak District is on your doorstep in Sheffield and the city buses take you there for £1.20 with your NUS card. There is breath-taking scenery, fantastic walks and traditional pubs for you to explore in the peaks.

Alumni

The University of Sheffield has amazing alumni. Some of the most famous names include:

  • David Blunkett – former MP for Sheffield Brightside
  • Stephen Daldry CBE – director of films Billy Elliott, The Hours, and The Reader. Artistic Director of Royal Court Theatre (1992–1998).
  • Jessica Ennis Hill – Olympic Heptathlon Champion, London 2012. European Heptathlon Champion, Barcelona 2010. World Heptathlon Champion, Berlin 2009
  • Eddie Izzard – comedian and actor
  • Amy Johnson – pioneering aviator of the 1930s
  • Sir Harry Kroto – Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1996
  • Lee Child – best-selling author of the Jack Reacher novel series
  • Hilary Mantel CBE, FRSL – author and winner of the Man Booker Prize 2009
  • Helen Sharman OBE – Britain’s first astronaut

Societies

At the University of Sheffield there are over 300 societies and committees to choose from. If you can’t find a society you want to join, you can even make your own! Societies are a great way to begin a new hobby or continue an existing interest, make friends and have some fun. From a list that includes beekeeping, horror, Quidditch and cooking, you’re sure to find something that will interest you! As well as special interest societies there are volunteering and fundraising societies too, which allow you to help a good cause and look great on your CV.

Sports

Sport is available at any level – whether you haven’t played in 10 years, or you play competitively, there is a place for everyone to fit in. Give It a Go sessions are run by Residence Life, where you can try out social sports for fun. This initiative is great, as it allows you to try out new things that you might end up loving. Intramural is a higher level where courses compete against each other. There is intramural football, netball and hockey. Finally, there are BUCS teams, which represent the University and compete against other Universities in a very high level of sport.

My internship at Barclays

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Over the last summer I was lucky enough to be able to complete an internship with Barclays in the Business Banking division. In this post, I’ll tell you about the experience I had whilst on the internship programme and the highlight of my internship.

My internship began a few weeks after I finished my second-year exams. As part of my internship, I was expected to relocate to London. For the duration of my internship I would be based at the Barclays head office in Canary Wharf.

My first day was very nerve-wracking, but I was fortunate enough to be placed into an incredibly welcoming team, who were very open to me asking questions and giving me some real work to get stuck into. I think that is one of the misconceptions of being an intern – that you won’t be given ‘real’ work to do… I can confirm, after 9 weeks and some long (but rewarding) days – this is not true!

In my first week, I had lunch with my line manager who was keen to find out what I wanted to gain from my time at Barclays, and what they wanted to see from me. I actually found this helpful as it allowed me to create a clear picture in my head about what was expected from me, and to think about the ways that I would ensure that I delivered. Together, me and my line manager set goals for me to reach over the nine weeks I was due to spend with Barclays. After doing this, my manager introduced me to the rest of the team who were all my key points of contact for my internship. Then it was really down to me to get started!

One of the most important things for me was to get to know the team and build relationships with them. One of my objectives required me to work very closely alongside certain members of my team – so I reached out to them, and they were very receptive. We actually went out for coffee together to discuss a strategy which would allow me to reach my goal (which was originally their goal). I truly felt like during my internship that my team were very accessible and willing to help me at all times.

As an intern, we were expected to arrange meetings with 2-5 managing directors of various departments in the bank.  Whilst this seemed daunting at first, it was actually a really useful activity, that allowed me and all 456(!) other interns to gain exposure to senior figures in the bank and understand the scope of the business. Barclays also held several networking events which gave us the opportunity to speak to people from the bank in an informal setting and ask any questions we might have about their role.

If I had to say, the highlight of my internship would be an event I was invited to attend in Manchester. The event was organised by my line manager and involved both my team and their clients. As a team, we put on a networking event for our clients – and had a guest talk from the CEO of the business bank. This was a really exciting opportunity for me, and really interesting to be involved in the front line, client facing roles of banking – which we often don’t hear about!

There were 456 interns in total with Barclays – so it was a really sociable internship. I have made some great friends that I still keep in touch with now – some of these weren’t even interns but instead part of the graduate cohort from previous years! Doing an internship has been a really rewarding experience and helped me gain a clearer picture of what I want to do in the future. If you can, it is definitely something worth doing – make sure you use the Management School’s Employability Hub to keep up-to-date with vacancies and get tips for the application process!