Month: June 2019

How to balance university work

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Coming to university is a big jump from A-Levels! Not only are you now living independently, but you’re also in charge of your own learning. This blog post is all about how to balance university work, with all the other things you’ll know want to do as a student!

My first tip would be to start doing any work you have as soon as you get it. Whist it might seem like the deadline is ages away (and it might well be) time goes fast when you’re at uni! Even if you don’t start writing the essay, you can start doing your reading early and noting down any quotes that you think will be useful when actually writing your essay. If you do this, when you come to write the essay you’ll basically just be filling in the gaps and padding out what you already have. This makes the process so much quicker and easier!

One of the mistakes I made in first year was not using the gaps between lectures efficiently. There were days where I’d have two or three hours between my first and second lectures, and pretty much every time I would walk back to Endcliffe or go out for lunch. Two years later in third year, in each of these gaps you’ll find me in the library. It is a much better use of time, and it means when you do get home after uni you can just relax!

Doing work with friends is also something that really helps me, especially revision. I think it is really useful to be able to talk to others about what you’re doing and hear what they’re doing. This can take the pressure of all the revision and reading if you divide topics/readings up between your group of friends. Revision breaks are also much more of a break when you’re with you friends!

Timetabling has really helped me with my university work. If you set aside certain days, afternoons or mornings for specific modules it creates a structure for your work, which I find really useful. Just make sure you stick to this timetable!

I hope these tips have been useful, good luck with your studies!

Adjusting back to student life after a placement

By Juliet Norreys, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

Undertaking a placement year is an extremely formative period in your university life. Going into my year in industry I was quietly confident in my ability to work as a team, be proactive and manage my time well; all the buzzwords which surround employability and were used in my applications for jobs. Little did I know that my year would completely surpass all expectations of how much I could learn and the extent to which my knowledge was lacking initially in practical workplace skills. The processes that I had taken for granted, such as creating an email that is both appropriate and coherent whilst also being professional and eloquent, was something that I thought I had down to a tee. When arriving at work I quickly learnt how not to write an email and realised how steep of a learning curve it was going to be! With this said, my year was incredible, and the investment in my development was second to none – I learnt more than I ever thought possible and have come out of it with more confidence in my ability to succeed in my graduate role.

Just as I had adjusted to my working life, working 8-6 every day and enjoying the freedom that came with my weekend, it was time to return to Sheffield. Initially, I thought that I would slot seamlessly back into student life; I knew it well and had done it for the 2 years previous. I was faced with a weird feeling of uncertainty; Sheffield itself had stayed the same (apart from the concourse near the Students’ Union finally being finished!), and yet I didn’t feel prepared for switching my ‘academic brain’ back on.

Thankfully, it only took a few days to settle back into my old student life, and I quickly felt like I had never left. The biggest difference I found is the mind-set I have now means that I can’t help but pick apart my modules, reflecting on what I learned on my placement and taking a more analytical/practical stance towards my studies. I am also much more productive with my time; the pattern of working 9 hours a days has become habit, and therefore the days of long lie-ins has ended! With these extra few daylight hours it means that I have more time to give to extracurricular activities, so I have thrown myself back into sport and part-time work. The one piece of advice I would give anyone returning from a year in industry is to create bucket list of all the things you have wanted to experience in Sheffield that you haven’t got around to yet. If you want to try out for a sports team, learn a language, or take part in something fun like Bummit, now is the time to do it! The last year goes incredibly fast and therefore you need to make the most of the time that’s left to enjoy Sheffield and student life in general.

How to look after your money at university

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Surviving on a student budget can at times be challenging, but there are ways to make living more manageable, without too much compromise. Here, you’ll find my top money saving tips.

One thing that has really helped me budget during my time at university was having two bank accounts. I had my primary bank account, which is where my loan etc. was paid into, and I then had a second account which I topped up weekly. I personally opted for a Monzo account as my secondary account. The Monzo app is really great – it shows you where you’re spending your money, how much your spending, and if you’re on track to have any money left over at the end of the week. Being able to closely monitor your money through the Monzo app really helped me be more conscious of my spending decisions. It’s free to open a Monzo account and is all done online extra ease!

Another tip which I genuinely believe has saved me hundreds of pounds is leaving my card at home for a night out. Instead, I decide how much I want to spend and take that amount of cash out with me – that way you’ll only have a poorly head, not a poorly bank account. Sheffield also has Uber, so if you do run out of money on your night out, fear not you’ll still be able to get home – just pay on the Uber app.

Being a student means that we get exclusive discounts at most retailers. To unlock this host of discounts, make sure you have a Unidays account. Unidays operates through an app, which gives you access to discounts from a multitude of shops – easing the cost of buying yourself the things that you need! You can sign up to Unidays as soon as you have your Sheffield email address!

One thing that still surprises me in my final year is the cost of university level text books. They can set you back up to £50 (don’t worry though, you don’t have to buy textbooks for every module). A way to save money on the cost of textbooks is to look out for society sales. This is where a given society will organise a book sale, where second and third year students can sell their textbooks on to first years or second years alike. For example, the management society, ManSoc, has a book sale every semester in the management school, where students sell on last year’s text books. Make sure you join the relevant society and look out for these sales!

Living on a student budget can be tough, but being thrifty and saving money where you can will really ease the pressure of money – and mean you can still have all the fun that you should be having at uni!