Author: Maddie Stewart

How I settled into University life- an international student perspective

management-blog-picHello, my name is Titus Njoroge Kuhora. I am a second year BA Business Management student from Nairobi, Kenya. Coming to university is filled with a mixture of anxiety and excitement, even more so for international students. Being thousands of miles away from home in a foreign country is a daunting prospect. However, personally, all this changed when I joined the University of Sheffield. The friendly nature of the locals and the amazing support and social activities which the university has to offer helped me fit right in. I would like to talk about some of the activities I got involved in that helped me settle into university life.

Sheffield and its international nature

Coming to a foreign country as an international student, can sometimes be lonely. At these times all I wanted was someone I could talk to in Kiswahilli (Kenyan’s national language), or and I missed Ugali and Skuma (Kenyan delicacies). Thankfully, the diverse nature of the University of Sheffield allowed me to meet people from Kenya, through its East African Society. For me, being part of this society has had the greatest impact on university life. Knowing that you have people who share the same humour and viewpoints on life as you, can be very comforting.

However, the University of Sheffield also has many other societies such as the international student committee, which helped me meet other international students from around the world. With students from 125 countries, it has been a pleasure getting to understand different cultures, which is very important as the world is becoming even more globalised.

Support systems

The support systems provided both by the Management School and the University are incredible. It has been amazing to know that I have not come to a university where I am not a mere statistic, but where I am valued and supported.

management-pic-blogComing from so far away, there is a sense of expectation from parents that we should get the best grades possible. Such pressures can sometimes weigh us down, and make us crumble under pressure. However, with the support systems from friendly lecturers and the 301 Student Skills and Development Centre, I have been able to avoid such pressures and get the hang of university life. This support enabled me to understand what is expected academically and over time I have seen a significant improvement in my evaluative and critical thinking skills.

Coming to university is not easy. Being an international student can bring a lot of baggage (no pun intended), but hand-on-heart the University of Sheffield is an amazing place. It allows students- local or international – to express themselves, and be integrated into university life. Being in my second year of study, I have to say that I love this university and feel part of not just a student community, but a family! 😊

How to get a part time job

My name is Charalambos Phokou, but people call me Harry because faceCharalambos isn’t the easiest thing to pronounce. I am originally from Cyprus and before moving to the UK I did some quick maths, I realised that if I got a minimum wage job when I arrived here together with my maintenance loan I could live entirely financially independent. So I vowed to do just that.

Slight issue was I had ZERO work experience, but despite that I have now worked 7 jobs since stepping foot in the UK. So using what I have learned over the past year I have come up with this brief guide to getting a part-time job while studying at the University of Sheffield.

Get experience! You can get some through the taste of work scheme with the Careers Service here or by volunteering at local shops. In my case I worked at Sport Sheffield for a day and my mentor there acted as my reference which made it easy to volunteer at Oxfam, a charity shop.

Now that you have experience or if you were lucky enough to already have it you need to develop your CV and cover letter writing skills. We go back to the Careers Service. They are an excellent resource where you can book an appointment to go through your CV and give you tips and tricks to apply to new jobs.

With your great looking CV it’s time to apply. The Careers Service constantlycservice post local vacancies that are appropriate for students. My top tip is to apply to any university job that seems appealing, the pay is great, they are usually extremely flexible and also fun! You can may contacted directly about vacancies through a group email or you may have to go the university website to search for student job vacancies. Another source of jobs are local shops. I applied to everything I was remotely interested in. Getting a job is a job.

After hours of personalised applications, I got a job with Tesco through an online application and worked there for 6 months, upping my hours from 15 during term-time to 30 hours during the summer. I have since left Tesco and am currently working 3 jobs. I am a Student Ambassador for the Management School, a Global Campus Ambassador for the University of Sheffield and a Brand Ambassador for Circle.

From working hard in my first year I was able to afford a trip to Greece which was simply the best experience of my life. I was able to develop a decent CV and a strong LinkedIn page by connecting with all my employers. It’s what I’d say the best part of university, the sheer amount of opportunities thrown at you as a student. You just have to make sure you catch them.

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 attenmash-logo-blackded 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 juysfor 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.

 

 

 

 

Go Mavs!

By Aleena Raikundalia, BA International Business Management

management-school Hey everyone! Happy New Year!

A little flashback to last year… Christmas in Dallas is beautiful! The streets are full of pretty lights and decorations. Also, there are many Christmas Lights events and markets at malls such as Grapevine, Gallchristmas-spirit-at-the-libraryeria, Shops at Legacy and many more. As if that isn’t enough, there are extra shows, musicals, events and parties all over downtown! So, rest assured that there will be some sort of activity for everyone to be involved and get into the Christmas spirit!

Back to 2017… It has already been one month into the Spring Semester and I love my classes so far! Being an International Business major, I have the freedom to choose from a wide range of disciplines within the business field. This semester, I decided to take classes in Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing and Operations.

Since this is my last semester in Texas, I am looking forward to experiencing as many events as possible. Speaking of which, on Monday 30th January, my friends and I went to watch a NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was an incredible nba-stadiumexperience especially with the exciting atmosphere amongst the crowd, the speed of the game and most definitely the skill of each player. Final score: Dallas 104, Cleveland 97. Go Mavs! I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the game, and although Dallas won, I’ll be honest; watching LeBron James play, was spectacular in itself!

I’ll be sure to catch up with y’all soon with more updates!

IBM with an Industrial Placement

eliseBy Elise McDonald, BA International Business Management

Hi guys! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.

Slightly weird post this time as I’m actually writing this from the UK nearing the end of my incredibly long Christmas/semester break. I am definitely so excited to be returning to Vienna next week.

Towards the end of last semester, I started applying for industrial placements to add in to my course before returning to Sheffield for myfinal year. The main reason I picked the IBM course at Sheffield was actually because it was the only University I could find that offered the opportunity to complete both a year abroad and a placement. I was so surprised to find out that I’ll be only the 2nd person on this course to do both, so I just thought I would share my experience of the application process with you all to encourage you to consider doing the same as me!

So, I started applying for placements towards the end of November which was fairly hard to manage with my final exams of the semester, but definitely doable. To be honest, most of the application deadlines weren’t until the end of December/January so it worked out perfectly with the holidays. If you’re worried you won’t be able to attend interview/assessment centres due to being abroad, don’t be! These days most of the application process is carried out online and I was therefore able to do telephone interviews and videos whilst in Vienna. Although, even if you do need to fly back, the company tends to pay for your travel expenses. Logistically, there have been no issues for me during this whole process (if anything the long holiday has been ideal!). Throughout the whole recruitment process I was able to talk about my experiences abroad, which was so helpful. Not only was I able to talk about my interest in international business, but also my ability to work in multicultural groups which is definitely a selling point.

Now comes the bragging… but I promise I’m only mentioning it to show you all how amazing the year abroad looks on your CV and application. I was lucky enough to be offered a Marketing placement at the FunileverMCG Giant Unilever. Some of you might be reading that with a blank expression, but I’m sure you’re all familiar with Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, Lynx, Marmite, Persil, Domestos and PG Tips, to name a few! Well, Unilever owns all of those brands. I was also invited to the final stages for Microsoft, Hyundai, Bosch and Panasonic but was unable to accept these due to my place at Unilever. So, my advice to all of you considering doing IBM instead of another normal Business Management course – please do! Not only will you have the most amazing time but you’ll also make yourself much more employable.

I should also add that I also took the decision to work for a year in a junior office role before attending University and I also do some temporary office work in the summer holidays – I have been working at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles during my semester break. It’s therefore also a good idea to make the most of your time away from Uni to gain some valuable work experience. Don’t underestimate how important work experience is for a Business undergraduate’s CV.

Sorry to deviate away from the usual study abroad blog post, but I thought it might be something interesting to share with anyone that was considering a year in industry, like me.

I will keep you updated with how the next semester goes as much as possible!