Sheffield life – Undergraduate Blog

The best parks in Sheffield

By Wenxi Jiang, MSc International Management and Marketing

Whilst living in the city centre of Sheffield, especially in the past year during the pandemic, visiting different parks has been one of my biggest events and joy in life. The fresh air, the greenness, and the chill atmosphere among people is lovely – even with masks on. I would like to show you my experience through four seasons and spread the joy!

Weston Park and Crookes Valley Park

Weston Park is one of the most iconic parks in Sheffield. My first visit was when I was taking part in a city tour by international school staff as a new student. In this park, you can see Weston Park Museum, very beautiful architecture and a small lake with ducks and swans swimming and resting. If you are lucky, you can even see and feed the squirrels! Usually on sunny days, people will just sit or lie on the grass, either chatting or reading a book. This park was one of the first things I saw of Sheffield, and gave a great first impression.

Crookes Valley Park is next to Weston Park, and only around two minutes away from the Management School. The most famous thing about Crookes Valley Park is the cherry blossom trees. With the huge lake and animals, it is always the best place to bring kids, walk dogs and appreciate the beauty of the scenery.

Spring

From late March, England will wake up from the cold and rainy days. At this time, you can change to wear some colourful and lightweight clothes, which immediately makes you feel better! With the warm breeze gently blowing, the cherry blossom flickers and falls down like snow.

Summer

Summer is an ebullient season. The sky is vast, the sun is strong and the nature is flourishing. People also become more active and open. They come to the park to experience the joy of sports and do some sunbathing.

Autumn

Autumn is short. And I think this is another way to say autumn is precious. Every corner in Sheffield is covered with golden leaves and that’s the time you know you should go to the park. Even watching the sunset going down gives you a little bit sense of sadness and homesick, you know the view is worth it.

Winter

The white winter is so special. I stayed up late the night before the first snow in Sheffield in 2021. In the morning when I open the curtain, I was shocked by the snow that totally changed the view. Everything looked clean and clear under the whiteness. When I got to the park, there are kids and teenagers already started to play. They built snowmen and sledged down the slope by skate, or even just a plastic bag. It’s easy to be happy when it’s snowy!

Parkwood Springs

Another place I would like to recommend is called Parkwood Springs. It is up on the hills and little bit away from the city center. You can search “Spirit of Parkwood” in Google Maps and Uber there. It takes about 7 minutes to drive from the city center and about 35 minutes to walk. It is a park or maybe simply a playground for the nearby neighbourhood. It has a wildly-growing lawn that can be used to play football and have picnics. And the best part is that you can overlook the whole city from the hill. But the experience is only good in summer after several sunny days in a row, because it can become very muddy and slippery after rain.

How to succeed in your group assignments at uni

By Rhiannon Thefaut, BA International Business Management

In Business, the group work begins in first year with the Business Challenges and Business in Context modules. These modules can be a great opportunity to develop your teamwork – an important life skill that most employers will want after you’ve graduated.

Speaking from experience, Business Challenges is an example I’ve used in many job interviews; it shows how I successfully negotiated, listened to and worked with my team to work effectively, with our group winning the overall challenge!

However, you won’t always get a team that works together perfectly and might encounter issues along the way. You don’t choose your group and therefore you can get put with people who may clash with you personally, or who may not have the same drive as you do.

But, there are several things you can do to give your group the best possible chance of succeeding, starting before anyone even lifts a pen:

Have a preliminary meeting with everyone before you start any work.
This allows everyone to discuss their personal goals for the assignment, gauge each group member’s skill sets, and helps you get to know them a bit personally so your group can flow easier. Working with people you can get along with makes it a lot easier. I’ve made some of my best friends at Uni through group work – it’s a great opportunity to get to meet new people on your module.

Also, as you’re on a business course, networking is vital from day one – if you get to know these people and they end up at a great business, you could use this connection to help get you a job with them. They could also remember that you had strong analysis skills and recommend you to their manager!

Set deadlines for each part of the group work and give specific tasks to each person.

Designating specific tasks to each member of your group is the best way to ensure that everyone’s work is matched up with their skill set. This also holds the less motivated members of your group accountable to complete their work, and if they do not or complete it to a low standard, you can reflect this during the peer assessment stage of the group work. For those who are unfamiliar with peer assessment, this essentially lets you rate how much you feel each member has contributed to the group work, to ensure that everyone gets the credit that they deserve at the end of the module.

Make sure you stay in touch.

It’s important you know how your team is getting on with their tasks. People may be struggling with the work they’ve been assigned, so you need to make sure you know whether they need any help with it. Checking in with your group via social media is a good way of knowing where you’re all at with your tasks, and is key to remaining on schedule.

If you don’t communicate with your team and complete the work, then everybody’s grade is going to suffer.

Arrange regular meetups to go through the work together.

All the libraries have group rooms which you can book out for up to 4 hours, and the management school normally has space you can use as well! If you can’t physically meet in the same room, then group video calls are a good way around having to make the long trek from your dorms to the library!

The challenges I’ve faced during group assignments have helped me to grow and learn how to deal with difficult situations. In work, you’ll find you disagree with people, however, you still have to work with them so use these experiences as practice!

My Favourite Third Year Module

By Rhiannon Thefaut, BA International Business Management

One of the best things in third year is that you have such an amazing choice of modules that you can take. The wide range of topics and specialisations you can do is really cool – there were so many modules I’d never even considered taking such as ‘Work and Employment in the 21^st century’ and ‘Creativity and Innovation’ which honestly were so interesting and developed your business thinking immensely. You can choose modules that are exam based if that’s your strong point, or modules that are more coursework based – whether that coursework is through groupwork or through individual essays.

When I was choosing Universities, I had a taster lecture of Consumer Psychology and I absolutely loved it. It was one of the main reasons I chose Sheffield University – in the hopes of getting to study this module. I cannot remember the woman’s name who took the class, however, she was so enthusiastic about the topic. I had done business at A-level, but had not got to look at it from a psychological aspect before. One of my main memories is that she asked me about my most recent purchase – why I purchased it, how much it cost, what the value it was to me. I was a awkward, unconfident, red faced sixth former and went home and overthought all my answers and how awkward I was when answering the questions. However, the overthinking led me to realising how interested I was in this topic and how much I’d love to study it more.

Fast forward three years and I’m halfway through this module, in my final term at the University of Sheffield. The module has been interesting so far – we’ve learnt about what motivates a person to make a purchase, how companies use psychology to make their adverts appealing and how we make decisions.

With regards to how it’s graded, there is an individual essay and a group work. The individual essay is similar to the taster lecture I had 3 years ago in which we get to analyse how and why we made a purchase for ourselves and for somebody else. There’s also group work which requires you to make an advert and a poster, based on the theories you’ve learnt in class. Our group is advertising Mac make-up, and we’ve aimed to use repetition and humanistic psychology (which focusses on emphasising an individual’s potential). It’s been really cool to create and edit your own video as it’s allowed me to develop my editing skills, alongside my analytic skills for writing the essay section of the essay!

I do recommend this module if you are interested in understanding why people make purchases and how. I think it’s vital to have this understanding before you work in a business, especially if you want to work in Marketing – as you’ll be trying to sell products to consumers. Knowing how to do that is important.

Applying to University – a horror story?

By Olivia Chavigny De Lachevrotiere, BA International Business Management

Hours, and hours, and hours of research. Documents. Eligibility. Studying. Financial planning. Research. Universities, courses, rankings, research. Studying, and again research.

Deciding to study in the UK wasn’t the easiest one. Moving abroad, figuring out how to afford the living, how to design my university experience and make the most out of it. Planning for so many details, yet little did I know how different the whole experience would be.

I was a strong person back in Poland, back home. I would always come up with the initiatives, offer my leadership and organise events. I knew I wanted something more for myself, I wanted to develop on more dimensions than it would ever be possible, had I stayed in the country. The decision wasn’t the easiest, because financially speaking, such a life turn wasn’t really feasible. The entire application process didn’t make it any easier, requiring so much organisation and planning – first, the choice of a course. Then, the universities (research, research, research). Finally, the accommodation, the finance, societies, finding my flatmates, walking through Sheffield on Google Maps so many times, trying to gauge the distance between student halls and my future department.

I didn’t have the opportunity to come to Sheffield, or any of my chosen universities, before actually moving here; but if you have that opportunity, please take it. For me, choosing the perfect place was like walking in the dark – I could see the general shapes and contours, but never the full detail. The University of Sheffield organises a few Open Days for the applicants throughout the year. The successful ones are also provided with a detailed brochure, which is sent over by post. It walked me through the rather difficult time of trying to understand the city and where everything is, the accommodation and the university facilities. The university offers help in all sorts of issues you might have during the application, but also once you arrive here or later in your studies – be it problems with your landlord, financial issues or job hunt. If you’re still hesitant, let me assure you – the university will welcome you, no matter which country or what family you come from. In the EU and UK in particular, you don’t have to be super wealthy to have access to the top higher education!

The whole process of taking exams, getting a language certificate, researching and organising might seem a little daunting, but the reward is worth it more than anything – so don’t give up! There is so much more awaiting you!

Zero-waste in Sheffield

By Serena Wong, BA International Business with Study Abroad

For my first blog post, I’ve decided to share with our fellow friends how I do zero-waste in Sheffield!

Back home in Malaysia, the closest zero waste store was an hour drive away with majority of the stores congregated in the Central Business District. This lack of access proved to be an inconvenience when I first started going zero-waste. It was also difficult to implement small, incremental changes in my household, as my parents deemed it easier and cheaper to buy plastic-packaged products. The biggest change I made back home was designating a recycling area at home.

Six months later- today, my flat mates and I compost, recycle, and we do not use kitchen rolls at all!

In just about every university building- the Sheffield Students’ Union, Information Commons, the Diamond, we can purchase food and drinks in recyclable packaging and then toss them out at the many and easily-available recycling bins. In addition, our Students’ Union has an outlet- Our Zero Waste Shop- dedicated to plastic-free wholefoods and environmentally friendly household goods.

One of the best aspects of the shop is the refilling station for both food and household liquids. You can refill your shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent as well as rice and herbs. My personal favourite however, is refilling my empty jars with delicious sweets!

Its wide array of zero-waste products coupled with the affordable prices, makes Our Zero Waste Shop (https://www.facebook.com/OurZeroWasteShop/) one of its kind in Sheffield.

I am so proud to share that the store makes ZERO profit from their reusable pads and menstrual cups range. It’s incredibly heartwarming to know that our university prioritise making sanitary products both accessible and affordable for our students. As perfect alternatives to regular sanitary essentials, they make perfect gifts for ladies! Just last month, I bought a set of 6 with 1 wash bag, for just £15.76! If that’s not a bargain, I don’t know what is.

If you’re looking for an easy way to reduce your plastic consumption, why not ditch the cling film and grab bags, and head down to your local market for some fresh and cheap fruits and vegetables. I particularly enjoy doing my grocery shopping at the Moor Market for plastic-free fresh produce. From a plethora of cheeses, to freshly-baked scones, Moor is my go-to destination for fruits, vegetables, fresh poultry, free-range eggs and buttery scones! You can even find stores that stock oriental spices and sauces.

My zero-waste lifestyle will always be a work-in-progress, but to know and believe that our university isn’t just a supportive platform but rather the support, I have no doubts I will continuously lead the lifestyle that fills my heart and brings me happiness.

Where to eat in Sheffield when you’re dairy-free

By Rhiannon Thefaut, BA International Business Management

During first year, I developed a dairy allergy. As someone who constantly ate chocolate and drank a pint of milk a day, this was a very difficult things to come to terms with. However, now in 2020, it’s easy enough to get a dairy free pizza, a soya milkshake or a bar of chocolate – especially in Sheffield. Sheffield is an amazing place to be vegan or have an intolerance – so if you’re worried of the faff of going out in Sheffield, here’s my 5 favourite places to eat in Sheffield – that have yet to make me ill!

Pieminster
My dad and I first visited Pieminster a few months ago – and it was a revelation. It was the first place I’ve been to that sells vegan mash potato and it was so good! They have numerous vegan options for their pies; I had ‘Chooks away’, which contained vegan ‘chicken’. It’s also cheap – which isn’t always the case for vegan food and is a definite plus!

Steamyard
So, unlike Pieminster, Steamyard is quite expensive – but as a local business, it is worth supporting if you can. It’s also not a restaurant, it’s a café and so it’s more a place to go and chill with your friends and have a donut and a coffee. The vibe in Steamyard is amazing, and you could easily go there to revise or do some studying, whilst you enjoy one of their vegan treats.

Blue Moon Café
This is the longest standing vegan café in Sheffield and is worth visiting if you want to be sure you can eat everything on the menu! It’s unique in that the menu changes every day, so you’ll never know what exciting new thing you’ll get to try. You can go for an afternoon tea, lunch or breakfast. The only negative is that it’s not close at all to the University, meaning it’ll be a slight trek for you to get there.

Make No Bones
This is a favourite place of mine; it has such a wide variety of foods including Gyros, Satay and Korean style food. It’s great to have some different food – sometimes dairy free food at restaurants can get quite repetitive and therefore, it’s always nice to have the chance to try new foods.

The Cabin
This place is perfect for a brunch or breakfast. It’s on the Moor, so it is slightly further out your way – however, it is so worth it! They have a Canadian theme, with fluffy American pancakes or waffles. The vibe is very homely, warm and picturesque. The best brunch place I’ve found in Sheffield.

There are so many more places than these to try, so just keep looking whilst you’re here. The chains all have many different options now, as I’m sure you’re aware. But, make sure to try the local businesses! They may be slightly more expensive, but their food is usually fresher, tastier and more unique.

Spiderwalk 2019

By Natalia Tsenova, BA Business Management

It is not a surprise that our Students’ Union has been ranked 1st in the country for 10 years in a row, from 2009 to 2018, by Times Higher Education. You name it, our SU will most likely have it. From Sheffield Volunteering to over 350 clubs and societies, there are close to an infinite number of opportunities to engage in university life, beyond the content of your degree, and make your experience in Sheffield more interesting and memorable.

Such an opportunity that has contributed towards a great start of my second year has been volunteering at Spiderwalk 2019. The spiderwalk is an annual 13 mile hike at night, organised by Sheffield RAG and it is one of the many fundraising events that Sheffield RAG (Raising and Giving) holds throughout the year to raise money for different charities. The aftermath of Spiderwalk 2019 is unbelievable – over £10 000 raised for four charities, which you can get more information about on the event’s Facebook page.

In the next lines, I will give you a glimpse of what it was like to participate in Spiderwalk 2019.

On the day of Spiderwalk, all of the volunteers were instructed to be at the SU a couple of hours before the event. We were given a 10-page detailed description of the track and a set of instructions on what to do in different situations. As stewards, our main responsibilities were to make sure our group followed the map and to help in case any of the participants were injured.

Once we were allocated to our groups, it was time for hiking. In the beginning, the route was quite flat, as can be expected with our starting point being the Students’ Union, followed by Eccy Road and Endcliffe Park. As we continued walking, the terrain changed quickly and soon, we were in the peaks, breathing heavily and covered in mud. However, unlike my initial expectations, I was enjoying this more than I thought I would. The whole group was having fun, we were laughing and talking all the time and it was great to have such nice people to share this experience with.

The half-point was Whirlow Hall Farm – a beautiful farm in Sheffield and one of the charities that participants in Spiderwalk raised money for. The atmosphere was amazing: live music, good food and a lot of friendly people enjoying the night. We stayed there long enough to warm ourselves and to gather energy for our return journey. This time the route was designed to take us to the SU through Sheffield’s streets. And to be honest, a 6.5-mile walk on Sheffield’s roads is as equally tiring as a 6.5-mile hike in Sheffield’s peaks. Both are hilly, very hilly at some points :).

By the time our group reached the SU, it was already thirty minutes past midnight. I remember going home with my legs hurting, but my soul cheering. It was one of the best nights I have had since the beginning of this academic year and I could not have been happier to have decided to volunteer in the first place.

Thankfully, events like this happen very often in our Students’ Union. Explore the different opportunities the SU offers and enrich your student experience. You will not regret it and who knows, I might see you at Spiderwalk 2020.

My first Christmas in the UK

By Serena Wong, BA International Business Management with Study Abroad

The holiday season is finally here- which means it’s time for all things red, green, merry and bright. However, that’s not all there is to this wondrous season of the year. Christmas is not only the perfect excuse to sate your appetite with mulled wine, honey-glazed gammon, and all the dessert one can possibly eat, it is also the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with your friends and family.

As an international student who’s not going home this Christmas holiday, I knew that this season of joy and giving can be equally lonesome if not for having friends to celebrate with! I am incredibly grateful to have commenced my winter break with a Christmas dinner together with my flatmates.

However close you are with your flatmates, it’s always a brilliant idea to gather everyone for a Christmas dinner. Since none of my flat mates mentioned having one, I decided to propose the idea. Lo and behold, everyone was so excited in the preparation for our dinner. We went grocery shopping, cooked, played some games, had some drinks and ate until we felt like throwing up!

Amidst the preparation, I had learned a little more about how cherished the Christmas spirit is in the UK. My friend and flat mate, Nicole, guided us in making many traditional English Christmas delicacies such as roast gammon, Yorkshire pudding and pigs-in-blankets. She taught us local games and traditions which everyone enjoyed learning. My highlight of the evening was seeing all our international friends embrace new delicacies and traditions because our first Christmas in the UK will forever be remembered.

If this is your first Christmas in the UK, I hope you will fill this time with new experiences, good food, and good company. It’s perfectly normal to miss home – more so if you’re an international student who’s not going home (like myself). But I truly believe, if you treat yourself to a good cup of hot chocolate at Sheffield’s Christmas Market or take a short trip to a different city, you’ll start feeling the Christmas spirit (and dance to Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You).

During this festive season of giving, let us take time to slow down and enjoy the simple things. May this wonderful time of the year touch your heart in a special way. Wishing you much happiness not just today, but throughout the New Year!

Tips for finding accommodation in second and third year

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

When you’re in first year, you will live in University owned halls, which makes moving a lot simpler. However, in both your second and third years it is up to you to find your own accommodation. which sounds like a daunting task! Follow this guide to make the process as easy as possible!

Firstly, you need to decide who you’re living with. I lived in Endcliffe in my first year along with nine others. As a flat, we decided to split into a group of six and four – as finding a house large enough for everyone was quite the task (it is possible to find ten bed houses, but you have to be quick!). The ideal time to start thinking about this is late October/early November. This seems really early, but it allows time for changes if anyone decides they want to live with another group, or you end up recruiting a new housemate.

Once you’ve split into your groups, the next thing to do is to start looking. The majority of people live in an area called Crookesmoor (Crookes), which is a short walk away from Broomhill and conveniently located 10-15 minutes away from Uni. Crookes is scattered with shops, cafes and pubs – most notably Alyssum, a green grocer, and the Dam House – all of which help to make Crookes a perfect area for students. There are other areas to consider such as: Broomhall, City Centre, and along Ecclesall Road – however Crookes is the most popular.

Now you’ve decided on an area, it’s time to start viewing houses! You can start doing this as early as November, or after the Christmas break. However, the best houses tend to go first, and after the Christmas break you also have revision to contend with. In my opinion, its best to do this sooner rather than later. Sheffield has loads of estate agents which offer properties specifically tailored to students. The University has an agent inside of the Students Union called Smart Move. This is a good place to start your search. However, there are several other agents – for example: Fit Property, Home Accommodation and Broomhill Property Shop. All of these agents will have a variety of options for students and specialise in this area.

When you start viewing houses there are some key things you might want to think about asking the estate agent/tenants, it’s worth noting these down as a group beforehand so you don’t forget anything. For me, the key question is – are the neighbours’ students? Having another group of students next door is the ideal situation, because both you and them should (hopefully) be quite relaxed about noise to a certain extent. You might find that neighbours who are not students will be less tolerant of noise, which is understandable.

Hopefully this has been a useful blog, and you’re armed with some tips to go and find your perfect student house! Happy hunting!

What I’ll miss the most about Sheffield

By Eloise Howard, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

It’s sadly come to that time, after four incredible years at Sheffield University, where I have to say goodbye! Here are some of the things that I will miss the most about lovely Sheffield!

The people!

As soon as I came to look around on my open day, I knew Sheffield was the place for me as everyone at the university was so warm and welcoming. Over the past four years I’ve met my best friends, who I’ve been lucky enough to be able to live with each year. University is the perfect place to meet loads of people from all different backgrounds and walks of life, and it’s so easy to find people that have similar interests, as you can make friends with coursemates but also meet people through societies or volunteering.

Not only have I made friends for life in Sheffield, I’ve had many inspiring lecturers that have opened my eyes and taught me about the real world of business and how everything we learn can be applied to the real world. They have also introduced me to exciting new spaces in business management, such as organisational psychology.

The city

Sheffield is a beautiful city that has many perks for students. The nightlife is very fun and cheap, and there’s a night that suits everyone, whether you’re into indie, pop, dance or rock music. There are so many hidden gems around the city waiting to be found, with little independent coffee shops, boutique vintage stores and quirky bars dotted around the backstreets of the city. Kelham Island is one of my favourite areas in Sheffield, previously known as a manufacturing site, which has now evolved into a fun area with lots of alternative new bars, night markets and shops.

Despite the multiple hills that take a toll on your legs, you can also see some incredible views – I would definitely recommend taking a trip to Bole Hill to watch the sunset! Not only this, the Peak District is right on your doorstep, offering some stunning scenery when you want to escape the city.

University

I couldn’t have asked for a better experience at University. Throughout my time here, I have received excellent support from my tutors and have had the opportunity to study exciting new topics in my area of study that have been engaging and challenged the way I view the world. In first year I was a dual student studying French and Business Management, however I knew that this wasn’t the right choice for me. With my personal tutor’s help, I was able to make that tough decision and change my course to single honours Business Management, and I’m so happy that I had that support.

There is so much around the university to get involved with, with endless societies for everything you can think of, from hockey to gin tasting! Finally, the Students’ Union has been a great hub – it really does meet the needs of every student, and is full of great food places, the Sheffield Store, the Student Helpdesk and some amazing nights out every week!