Author: Linsey Chaplin

Five ways to spend your winter in Sheffield

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Sheffield is a great city, full of events, activities and places to see – and although the weather gets cold, there’s still plenty to do here. So here’s my five things not to be missed in Sheffield in winter!

5) Peddler Night Market

Peddler Night Market is a monthly event held over in Kelham Island, that showcases the very best food and drink in Sheffield. Tie this in with live music from local DJ’s and bands – you’ve got yourself the perfect night! There really is something for everyone at Peddler’s, with food from just about every cuisine, and at reasonable prices, you have to go!

4) Take in some culture

When it’s freezing outside, it’s the perfect time to visit the many museums and art galleries that Sheffield has to offer. See the history of Sheffield at Weston Park Museum (only a 10-minute walk from the Management School) or catch the fantastic exhibitions shown at Millennium Gallery and the Graves Gallery. All of these have free entry, and let you take in some real Sheffield culture! If museums and art galleries aren’t your cup of tea, why not catch a film at the Showroom Cinema, which showcases everything from current blockbusters to foreign films and old favourites.

3) Winter Gardens

Sheffield’s Winter Garden is located right in the centre of the city, near St Paul’s place, and holds more than 2,500 plants from around the world. In winter, the garden is particularly useful to take refuge from the winter weather when you’re fed up with Christmas shopping. Simply dive in and enjoy a coffee and a relaxing walk around the greenhouse.

2) Meadowhall

Meadowhall is a massive shopping centre just outside of Sheffield, that houses every shop you could imagine (over 280 in fact). If you want to escape from the weather, Meadowhall is perfect, as there’s shopping, entertainment and food all under one roof. Get the tram to Meadowhall for less than £5, or the train for less than £3!

1) Christmas Markets

Every year in the middle of November is the Christmas light switch on in Sheffield, which also means the Christmas market. Find the town centre dotted with traditional wooden huts that house the shops. Inside the alpine huts you’ll find all sorts of quirky gifts and a wide variety of food, all of which is accompanied by ‘Thor’s Bar’ – a bar with log fires, wooden benches serving mulled wine and different types of cider. There are also plenty of local markets dotted around Sheffield, such as the Sharrow Vale market and Nether Edge Farmer’s Market, so be sure to check those out as well!

Guide to living on a student budget

By Katie Bryant, BA Business Management

Becoming a student means taking on a whole host of adult responsibilities that are completely new to most of us. So if you’re terrified of bills and rent and think that you’re rich when your Student Loan comes through, only to find that you’re broke at the end of the month, then follow my handy guide!

Create a Budget

It sounds very boring, but it really doesn’t have to take much time. Create an Excel spread sheet or use an app to help you calculate your monthly outgoings. Set an amount per week and make sure you don’t go over it. A Monzo card is a really good way of budgeting – it acts like a debit card and you can put a certain amount of money on it a week in order to help you budget.

Clothes 

It’s tempting once you get your loan to head straight to the shops but you’ll regret blowing your clothes budget in the first week. Save money by making the most of student discounts in shops and online by checking out deals on Unidays.

Food

It’s a myth that students live off baked beans, it is possible to eat normally and healthily whatever your budget. Prevent impulse buys in the supermarket by making a shopping list and sticking to it! Buying value products and supermarket own-brand also cuts your costs, while the products are virtually the same. It is not necessary if you don’t have the money to overspend on items such as tortilla chips when there is a cheaper, similar substitute. Another tip I’ve learned is to cook in bulk and freeze. This way nothing gets wasted, it works out a lot cheaper and you always have a back-up plan when the cupboards are bare! Another great tip is making packed lunches for cheaper meals on the go – those Tesco meal deals soon add up.

Transport

Whether it’s a bus to lectures (only £1.20 in Sheffield) or travelling back home for the holidays, you’ll need to factor in travel costs. To help, there are student travel cards out there to help you reduce the costs of getting around. My personal favourite is the 16-25 Railcard – you can get one of these for just £30 a year or free with a Santander student account. A railcard gets you a third off your rail fares – very useful if you’ll be travelling home on the train for holidays and weekends.

Textbooks

Don’t buy new books! They’re far too expensive, and can end up setting you back hundreds. Instead, look on sites like Amazon and eBay to buy second-hand. Also, countless numbers of students will be looking to sell their old textbooks for a reduced price. Websites such as I Swap Books and Uni Book Swap are also a good starting point for purchasing second hand material.

Entertainment

From freshers’ week to club subscriptions, student nights, gigs, fancy dress, sport or a quick coffee with friends, the cost of socialising can soon mount up.

Allocate yourself a certain amount for entertainment and try not to go overit. Being sociable doesn’t have to be expensive – think nights in with housemates, free events at your union or two-for-one cinema nights. If you’re going to go out partying, go in the week on a student night, not on a Friday or Saturday as everything is so much more expensive. Student-specific discount websites such as NUS Extra, Unidays and Student Beans offer deals on cheap days and nights out including theme park visits, eating out, and cinema and theatre trips.

Part-time job

Whether you’re looking for a little extra cash to ease those concerns over paying bills, or you want to indulge yourself, a part-time job is a sure way to receive a steady income. Not only this, but it can help to give you a variation from your standard university life while helping you to become a more rounded, dependable individual when you inevitably apply for a summer internship, placement or graduate job. Be careful not work too many hours a week though – the University recommends no more than 16. You don’t want it to distract you too much from your studies and extra-curricular activities.

NUS extra card

Purchasing a 1-year NUS extra card for only £12 will really save you costs over a variety of items. With an NUS card you can receive over 200 exclusive discounts across Fashion, Mobile, Food and drink, as well as a wide range of other fields.

Good luck with budgeting at University. Follow these tips and you will be an expert on budgeting!

My favourite things about Sheffield

By Katie Bryant, BA Business Management

Ask people from outside of the city what they know about Sheffield and they’ll describe it as ‘The Steel City’, home to the 90’s film The Full Monty and actor Sean Bean, to name a few! But, there is so much more to Sheffield…

 

The Views

Sheffield was built on seven hills. Walking around the city makes you very fit because of the number of hills, however when you get to the top of any hill the views are 100% worth it. Everywhere you go there is beauty in Sheffield, from the architecture of the old buildings to the modern, there isn’t a light it doesn’t look good in.

The Parks

This is Weston Park, only a five minute walk from the Management School

It’s good to get out of the city every now and then to experience some nature, but the great thing about Sheffield is you don’t have to. Sheffield is rumoured to be the greenest city in Europe with the highest tree to person ratio, but if all that isn’t enough we also have the glorious Peak District surround us. There are 13 city parks, 20 district parks and 50 local parks across Sheffield, and there are over two million trees in the city (estimated); that’s more than four trees per person.

The Pubs

There are loads of amazing student friendly pubs in Sheffield. A student favourite is the Nottingham House, serving an amazing selection of pies and ales.

The Events

Every month there are multiple events that you simply just can’t miss. With Sheffield being home to some of the best live music venues, sporting events, inner city festivals, club nights and theatre shows you’d be crazy to miss them. Sheffield Theatres is the largest theatre complex outside London. Across the three auditoria: The Crucible, the Lyceum and the Crucible Studio, they offer a huge variety of home-grown and touring productions, as well as a thriving programme of participatory events and activities.

The Music

Sheffield’s musical talents stretches further than the likes of Pulp and the Arctic Monkeys. In fact, it’s awash with musical talent and heritage with the likes of Reverend and the Makers, Bring me the Horizon, Def Leppard, The Human League and Richard Hawley to name a few. Venues like The Leadmill and The Harley to keep you up to date on the up-and-coming artists. We even host an annual music festival called Tramlines, which is popular with the locals and students alike!

The Food

The vast array of restaurants have been the driving force behind the independence of Sheffield. There is a great restaurant in every postcode and the food scene is a true representation of the all-encompassing attitude towards different cultures.

The Peak District

The Peak District National Park is only a 5-minute drive from some parts ofSheffield. The incredible scenery is a must see. City centre buses go to the Peak District for only £1.20 if you don’t have a car. My personal highlights of the Peak district include Dovedale, Castleton and Buxton, and Sheffield is a haven for rock climbers, mountain bikers, road cyclists and hikers. With easy access to the plentiful rock in the Peak District, these passionate individuals flock to the city to indulge in their hobby and be among a community that holds their chosen sport and the outdoors close.

Meadowhall

For anyone who loves shopping – Sheffield is the place for you! Meadowhall is an indoor shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It lies 3 miles north-east of Sheffield city centre and 2 miles from Rotherham town centre. It is the largest shopping centre in Yorkshire and the eighth largest in the United Kingdom. Meadowhall is only a short tram journey away from the city centre.

I hope that this whistle-stop tour of Sheffield was helpful for anyone thinking of visiting, and if you do I hope you enjoy everything Sheffield has to offer!

My placement experience – Lloyds Banking Group

Hi, I’m Rosie and I am a final year BA Business Management with Employment Experience student. This blog post is about my placement year which I have just returned back from, the skills I developed and how I would recommend a placement year to everyone and anyone… so here’s why!

The application processes can be brutal, as you’re spending considerable time on applications and often hear nothing back. I’m happy to say it’s all worth it when you finally secure a placement and know that it’s not all been for nothing. The sense of achievement is a great feeling when you’ve successfully got your first job and got your foot in the door. My placement was at Lloyds Banking Group. This is where your journey – and potentially your entire career – starts.

My placement began a few weeks after my final second year exam. My team were welcoming, supportive and most importantly I had a ‘proper’ role within the team, not just making the cups of tea and filing away documents. Without getting into too much detail of what I did in my day to day role due to confidentiality, I worked in the PMO (Project Management Office) for the Risk Division. We ensured all running projects were in line with their scope; finance, resources, planning, time and internal and external governance. So what did I learn from this role? The ability to question the status quo. The team had to complete numerous, tedious tasks, I booked myself on excel courses and took it upon myself to automate these tasks which are now heavily embedded into the team. Definitely got myself some brownie points there.

Come Christmas time, the company was undergoing a huge restructure. It was good to experience this as it occurs quite often in larger organisations. I could see that morale of certain individuals dipped and others seemed happy to have the chance to do something new. Time for a team away day and a team building football game!

On the back of the restructure, my role did change and I became a Risk Strategic Analyst. This meant that instead of checking projects whilst they were in the process of being delivered, I now decided which projects were to go ahead. With a set budget, which projects would benefit the group the best? To do this, my communication skills had to be excellent. I was now dealing with the board, the head of risk as well as many other senior members of staff. I had to learn how each individual preferred to be contacted, when was appropriate and be clear with why I was contacting them. Daunting to say the least.

So my year at Lloyds Banking Group was coming to a close. I enjoyed it so much I decided to go for the graduate programme that Lloyds Banking Group and the Risk Division had to offer. I’m happy to say I was successful! I will be returning in September 2019. I would recommend a placement year just purely for the experience. I gained so much confidence, belief in myself and now as a Futures First ambassador for the Management School I will happily lead lectures for 200+ first year students. You definitely wouldn’t have seen me doing that a year ago!

My summer internship

By Tommy Fletcher, BA Accounting and Financial Management

After second year, following the various stages of the application process, I  was lucky enough to gain a place on Ernst & Young’s summer internship programme, based in the Audit team at their Hull office. With the graduate job market becoming increasingly competitive, experience has become a hugely valuable thing to have on your CV. This was perhaps best summed up on my first day with Ernst & Young, when I was told that the internship essentially works as a trial for both me and the company. If the company liked me then the chances are a graduate job offer would be on the table, and if I liked the job role and the company, then great! However, if I didn’t like that role, I had the chance to get a taste of other service lines which also could lead to a graduate position, or at the very least, I’d come away with an idea of what I didn’t want to do and another name on my CV.

Into the internship itself, and after a couple of days’ induction and training, it was straight onto real audit work, with clients ranging from small local businesses to FTSE listed companies and even a company that was no longer in existence. I spent a number of days out on client sights, where exposure to high ranking clients provided the perfect opportunity to develop my soft skills when obtaining information to complete the audit, as well as a chance to get to know your team better and find out more about working for the company. I also had the opportunity to shadow a partner, a unique prospect which enabled me to sit in on a partner meeting, before discussing career paths over lunch. The internship culminated with the Ernst & Young Hull summer social, before a final celebration with other interns from across the north.

A few weeks after the internship I found out that I’d received a graduate job offer, something which really allowed me to relax and focus on my studies in my final year without the worry of time consuming applications. I was also able to call upon my experience during the summer, particularly in the final year audit module where I could incorporate real life examples from practice into my work. Now that I’ve graduated and looking forward to starting my role after summer, I’m glad I put in the extra effort during my summer internship, and would recommend it to anyone.

My feelings on finishing university

By Vyugar Nadzhafov, BA International Business Management

Entering university in first year, people warned me that the three years would fly past. I can now attest to this, as I have now experienced my graduation and am waiting to enter the real world of work at the end of the summer. Despite the time going fast, looking back I am grateful that I got to achieve a lot of things, and I did this through prioritising. In your years at university, you’ll get many opportunities – perhaps to undertake a summer abroad, a placement, a part-time job or just a holiday with your flatmates. With all of these, it’s important to review your priorities, and how this opportunity fits in with your goals.

Leaving university and entering the world of work has provided me with a sense of perspective, and searching for a graduate job really makes you think about what you enjoy and what you would like to spend your time doing. From a young age, we all are trying to pursue the “game of society”, and the more time you spend with yourself, the more you start focusing on things you love. I love filming videos, talking to people and making people laugh. So I guess this is what I am going to try and spent the most of my time on.  I also love risk-taking. I feel that this is the best time for me to try to take a risk and pursue entrepreneurship. In the world of evolving social media, it is much easier to establish your product or service, and this is what I am hoping to take advantage of.

For all students entering university this year, I advise you to figure out what you do not like. It is much easier to figure out what you do not like than what you like. For example, I am not really into maths, chemistry or physics, so I made sure I avoided these things at all costs. It will take time for you to figure out what you enjoy and have passion for, and do not panic if it doesn’t come quickly or naturally to you. It’s good to remember that your interests might evolve, change and completely turn around, but as long as you keep looking for what makes you get up in the morning, you will be fine.

Life post-exams and pre-rush hour

By Nathan Allaby, BA Business Management

As a final year student, so much focus is on exams during the spring and early summer months, and rightly so; the end result sums up whether or not you have used the last three or four years of your life well. However, post-exams, myself and many of my friends finishing university felt an odd sense of emptiness and lack of purpose. What do you do with your time when you haven’t got an Excel spreadsheet planning out ‘revision blocks’ and ‘lunch breaks’? For many, the summer holiday can be enjoyable for the first week or two where you go back to your family home and receive free food and laundry services. After this, the novelty soon wears off and your old friend boredom kicks in with vigour. In this blog I will give you a brief outline of what I’m getting up to during my 2018 summer break so far and to hopefully provide you with some ideas of what you could get up to in the future!

ESADE Business Summer School (June 16th – June 30th)

Sheffield University Management School offers scholarships to attend a 2-week long summer school programme at a number of universities such as University of Twente in the Netherlands and University of Mannheim in Germany. The scholarship funds the cost of course fees plus accomodation so all you need to pay for is your flight and everyday expenses. The application process is very simple – just a 250 word form explaining why you want to go! I went to ESADE Business School in Barcelona and had the most amazing time meeting people from the US, Kuwait, Belgium, Colombia, India, Italy and Germany, whilst taking classes in social entrepreneurship and e-commerce. Would highly recommend this to anyone!

Leiths School of Food and Wine (July 1st – July 5th)

During my final year at university I became particularly interested incooking and hosted a couple of dinner parties for friends in my student house. I knew that this summer would be the last opportunity to have a significant block of time free, so decided to take a 5-day cooking course in London. Obviously cooking isn’t for everyone but potentially you could spend some time improving a specific skill that you want to learn such as a musical instrument or language.

Amalfi Coast (July 6th – July 15th)

This was a week of complete relaxation just sitting by the pool and strolling around the Amalfi Coast with my family taking regular breaks for lemon granitas. I also loved having the opportunity to practice a couple of recipes I had learnt the week before. Make sure that you spend a good amount of time just resting after exams as I guarantee you will need it!

Berlin (5th August – 9th August)

I went to Berlin for 4 days with a friend and stayed in the eastern district of Friedrichshain. We went to a number of museums and art galleries but the stand-outs for me were the DDR Museum (exploring life in the Soviet Union occupied East Berlin during the Cold War) and the Stasi Museum (looking at the methods of the Stasi to monitor its civilians and suppress opposition). We also went on an amazing walking tour of street art [posh word for graffiti] with a local photographer.

George Street Social Cafe (23rd July – mid September)

I was having brunch with a friend in this cafe and quite liked the atmosphere and staff so I asked if I could work there. Three days later I had my first shift and have really enjoyed learning how to make ‘proper’ coffees and cocktails, although less-so cleaning tables. This job was also vital as I realised that I was severely broke. Just so you know, money is very important if you want to do cool things…who knew?!

When thinking about your own future summer break between the end of university and starting a job, I would advise you to try and plan a mix of things that: allow to you relax and have some fun, develop a certain skill or interest that you have and gives you the opportunity to meet new people that you wouldn’t normally interact with.

Throw yourself in the deep end and have fun!

A guide to internship applications

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Applying to internships is a really daunting thing to be doing. Whilst most companies make the process as painless as possible, it is still really nerve wracking, so this blog post is here to help guide you through any applications you might be thinking of submitting.

One of the first things to do is to make sure you have an up-to-date CV. Pretty much all applications will ask for a CV, or will at least ask you questions where answers can be found on your CV (e.g. work history, education history). The University offers lots of help in CV writing, whether this be through the Futures First module that all Management School students take, or 301 Study Skills services.

Now that your CV is up-to-date, you must ensure that it is original and will help you to stand out. The best way to do this is through having experience on your CV such as volunteering, part-time work and extracurricular activities. Another important thing is to make sure your CV is formatted in an effective way. Try and avoid using templates, as while it seems like the easiest option, it will result in a CV similar to lots of other peoples.

Applications do take a while to fill in and submit, however you should try and apply to as many internships as you can. If you know what sort of career path you want to take, then apply to as many companies within this sector as possible. Internships are competitive, and this will help to maximise your chances of getting one.

Due to the large number of applications received per internship, it is absolutely essential that you follow the instructions given. This may sound mandatory, but if you miss a little bit of information on the application process it could mean that the company discard your application completely. Just be sure to double check the instructions and ensure you’ve followed them.

Probably the most dreaded part of the process… the tests. I’m not saying allapplications require you to complete any tests, but from my own experience lots of them do. Most of the time, these tests are what you’d expect, so you shouldn’t panic too much. You’ll usually be given a practise question or two, so you can get a feel for what you might get asked – there are also lots of websites who offer their own practise tests. Whilst these might not be exactly the same as the companies own tests, they’re a good way to get some experience answering this style of question.

The final thing to remember is that rejections are likely to happen, but you can’t let this get you down. Just because you’ve been turned down by one place, doesn’t mean you will be turned down by everyone. Keep applying, and eventually you’ll get exactly the internship that you’re after.

Good luck!

My Sheffield graduation

By Rebecca Hubbard, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

After four years at University it was finally my turn to get up on stage, receive my degree and say my last goodbye to Sheffield. My whole day was a whirlwind of emotions, and I woke up with a strong feeling of anticipation. You see your lovely friends who you’ve perhaps not seen since you stepped out that final exam hall. You try to navigate your parents so they don’t encounter said friends, as both your mum and dad are both beaming and embarrassingly proud. Everyone is buzzing with nerves and excitement. The chancellor shakes your hand and it’s all done – you’re now graduated from university!

I left Sheffield with a sense of sadness but also joy as it made me who I am now. Yes, through academic and professional development, which gave me a great desire to learn more, but also through great times with great people at the amazing independent cafes, the beautiful surrounding Peak District and, of course, the infamous West Street bars.

In terms of university, my four years at the Management School was full of opportunities to get involved in. I attended many employer talks in the quest to find out what it was that I wanted to do and then was supported through my year in industry at Marks & Spencer. In my third year I worked for the Management School as an Employability Assistant as well as becoming a Student Ambassador representing the University. As long as I was willing to give a little time and effort there were always opportunities for me to better myself and future career prospects.

And in terms of Sheffield; I couldn’t have chosen a better city to be a student in. I’m going to miss Arctic Monkeys playing at the end of every night out, the cheap beer and maybe even the gigantic hills. But not to worry, I’ll be coming back to pretend I’m a student again soon enough!

My favourite society – Sheffield Engineers Rugby Football Club

Hi! My name is Tom and I’m a final year BA Accounting and Financial Management with Employment Experience student. In my blog post today, I’m going to tell you about societies more widely, but in particular my favourite society, Sheffield Engineers Rugby Club (SERFC).

At the University of Sheffield, the SU has over 300 societies. Societies are just groups of students who share common interests – such as nationality, faith, sports, politics, degree subject, hobbies, or anything else you can think of. They range from Acapella & Beatbox Society to Zumba Society, and everything in between. Societies are a great way to extend your friendship circles and meet new people, and what each society meets up to do differs depending on what society it is. Generally though, you’ll meet up a couple of times a month and do what you love doing, with like-minded people. Nearly all societies hold some sort of social, and some have an end of year ball and dance. Some societies, like the Management Society (a.k.a ManSoc, the subject society for the Management School) will do a number of things.  ManSoc, for instance, have socials, intra-mural sports teams, book sales and the famous end of year ball.

One society that I am a part of is SERFC. I have been a SERFC member since my first year and we are an inclusive rugby union club who play in the Saturday rugby leagues. Although called the Engineers, you don’t have to be an Engineer to join – we accept all subjects, there is a large Management School cohort who pay for us. We have a culture of no initiations, and we pride ourselves on being inclusive and friendly rugby that anyone can join in with regardless of ability. We have a number of very talented and dedicated players who represent the 1XV and 2XV, and a number of more social members who will represent both the 2XV and the Development XV throughout the year. The club is great because we train twice a week and play once. As other university sports teams tend to play on Wednesday, playing rugby on a Saturday leaves our members free to play other university sports, so if you have two interests you’re free to enjoy both. The club not only plays full-contact rugby union, we also have a Touch rugby team who plays on Sundays (great for players trying to hone their skills or those recovering from injuries) and we have a very successful intra-mural football team, too. As well as rugby, we have the best socials going. The club also has an end of year tour to Croatia and takes part in 7’s tournaments during the summer.

The club has afforded me the opportunity to make a number of long term friends, and I would count my rugby friends as my closest at university. You’ll find that as a younger student, you will be able to get favours/advice/tips from the more senior members which is absolutely priceless as a 1st year student. The club has afforded me the opportunity also to become a committee member, something which helps boost my skills and my CV. I act as the treasurer for the society and as an Accounting student it is great to be able to do so, as it means I’m able to talk about something else other than my placement in Interviews. In fact, I brought up my role as treasurer for SERFC in my recent graduate job interview – one in which I was successful.

In summary, to any prospective students maybe trawling our blog looking for tips, mine is simple – join societies. Societies are one of the best things about social life at university, you’ll have great fun and make friends for life.