Uncategorized – Undergraduate Blog

Online learning – a new reality?

By Frankie Paterson, BA Business Management with Employment Experience

Reflecting back on 2020, I can confidently say it was a year of surprise, personal development and of course, the unexpected. By Christmas 2019 I had completed half of my placement year – one of the best opportunities I’ve had at university. Little did I know the world was about to undergo a complete change. Fortunately, I was equipped to tackle this environment because I was already working from home twice a week. Coming back to university would be a breeze, I thought.

It’s fair to say, I underestimated how challenging it would be to sit at a laptop for five days a week. However, there was plenty going on to keep me motivated and determined throughout this period, like going for a walk around Crookes Valley or Western Park with my friends. We usually do this twice or even three times a week to make sure we’re getting out of the house and hitting those 10,000 daily steps! It’s also nice to support small businesses here in Sheffield by buying a coffee and cake while we’re out.

I am adapting to online learning and have found many things easier. Online lectures give me the opportunity to pause, stop and reflect on what has been discussed. I feel I absorb a lot more information because my notes are detailed and meaningful. Normally, I’m frantically scribbling down the lecture slides and trying to listen to the lecturer at the same time. Now I can sit in the comfort of my bedroom and go through the material at my own pace.

Organising my day has become more manageable too. On the Business Management course, I have around 8-12 hours of classes per week so I’m able to participate in other activities. For example, I have various part time jobs through the university to provide some extra income. Therefore, I can commit to working half a day for a virtual applicant open day or have video calls with my mentees who need support with their placement search.

My work placement has taught me a very valuable lesson – use your Google calendar. With my university schedule I tend to create the next day’s ‘to do’ list, then set times for when I will work on tasks. I’ve found this keeps my motivation up as studying from home is a new concept for everyone. So, I would usually have a lecture scheduled on my timetable with the building and lecture theatre number. This is a lot different now as lectures are pre-recorded and uploaded to our university account for us to watch in our own time.

In terms of meeting people, I was worried about returning to university after a year on placement, especially as some of my friends had graduated. But It’s been refreshing to see societies hosting events online. Every Tuesday evening, I attend Sheffield’s Zumba classes to let off some steam! The only difference is learning the moves over Zoom, rather than in a studio. The Management Society had a great initiative to get people together virtually: ‘Tea for 2’ is a monthly pairing for two people on my course to chat over a cup of tea to get to know one another. It’s been brilliant to make new friends and feel less isolated during these times.

Here are some ways I’ve adjusted to online learning and kept motivated over the last year:

I love a routine! This is so important, especially as I come to the end of my degree. Small things like having my lunch and dinner at the same time really helps to take regular breaks and keep my studying on track after watching a two hour lecture. I like to go for a walk during my lunch break in Weston Park with a course mate. This is a great way for us to catch up, as we’re no longer seeing each other in lectures.
Studying in different places breaks the repetitiveness of sitting at my bedroom desk. Fortunately, the university has opened the libraries so I book a space three times a week. Social distancing is in place with desks being two metres apart. There’s hand gel stations on each floor and it’s mandatory to wear a mask. Overall, I’m content the university is following Government guidelines by making the library a safe place to study.
Utilise the support available to you. The Management School assigns every student a personal tutor. This is someone in the department who holds 1:1 meetings with us to check in and see how we’re getting on. By not having these catch ups in person, a friendly reminder to take a break from your screen is very welcomed.

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!

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 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.

Five of the best coffee shops in Sheffield

By James Dylag, BA Business Management

Sheffield is full of coffee shops, they’re everywhere! One of the best things about this is that so many of them are independent and are a great way to visit new areas of the city. So why not swap that Starbucks for one of Sheffield’s very own? Here are a few of my personal favourites.

The Holt

This really is a great place, with a unique look, and super friendly staff. Located on Arundel Street just outside of the city centre, The Holt is a must visit. They roast all of their own coffee in-house and offer a great selection of food and cakes, some of which are usually vegan. Their Instagram handle is @holtsheffield.

Couch

Couch has two locations, one on Ecclesall Road, and another on Campo Lane in the centre of town. In both locations you’ll be greeted with a friendly atmosphere and lots of unique cake options! Couch on Campo Lane is much bigger, so you shouldn’t have to wait to long for a seat here, and its only about ten minutes’ walk from The Diamond. Both locations are great for an incredibly laid back atmosphere and fantastic coffee. Also, students get a discount on food and drink!

Upshot Espresso

Upshot Espresso also has two locations, one in trendy Kelham Island and the other on Glossop Road, which is conveniently on your walk into uni if you’re living in Endcliffe. Upshot is a relaxed café with a simple design – perfect after a long day at uni (or if, like me, you need a coffee stop to face a day of work in the library). Their Instagram can be found at @upshotsheffield.

Tamper Coffee

A super cool and relaxed place that offers some really interesting dishes. Tamper is a New Zealand-style café, which is apparent when you look at their menu. The ‘Kiwi Burger’ and ‘Kiwi Classic’ are incredible, and they also have a breakfast menu that is pretty hard to beat. They’re famous within Sheffield for their coffee, and have a long list of ways that you can try it which is sure to satisfy any coffee-lover. Tamper can be found either on Sellerswheel (pictured) or Westfield Terrace.

Steam Yard

Steam Yard can be found just off Division Street, which is one of the best student areas in Sheffield. Jumping

on the ‘cronut’ trend (a very Instagram-friendly cross between a croissant and a doughnut), Steam Yard’s are the best in Sheffield, along with their massive range of other cakes; my favourite is their cheesecake brownie (which is also gluten free) – delicious!

All of these places are great to relax with friends, or even to do work in when you need a change of scenery, so why not give them a go! Most of these places also offer student deals, and offers – always check their Instagram pages beforehand to get the best offers!

A student’s guide to Sheffield restaurants

Hi! I’m Rebecca, a third year undergraduate in Business Management. Having spent three years in Sheffield I’ve tried much of what the city has to offer when it comes to food. Whilst cooking at home is a massive lesson to learn for many freshers, there are times when you become sick of pasta and oven food and decide to see what Sheffield’s restaurants and cafes have to offer. So here’s my suggestions of where to go when you fancy a change.

Breakfast

Alyssum Cafe brunch – @alyssumcafebistro

Famous for their Instagram-worthy food, Alyssum is the place to be if you’re looking for an aesthetically pleasing brunch. Their menu features brunch staples with a Greek twist, like avocado toast with poached eggs and grilled halloumi, baklava pancakes and Greek inspired mezze boards. If you’re more sweet than savoury then they have a range of stunning cakes that look as good as they taste, always temptingly posted on their Instagram (@alyssumcafebistro). Bonus – it’s a five minute walk from the Management School.

Lunch

Independent cafes are everywhere in Sheffield whether you’re living city centre, Ecclesall Road or in Crookes/Broomhill. In the city centre there’s the New Zealand-inspired Tamper Coffee, serving up some exotic lunches (also highly Instagrammable – @tampercoffeesw). If you’re around quirky Kelham Island, there’s The Grind, which serves amazing coffee as well as healthy salads and sandwiches. Lastly, up in Crookes, Five Rivers specialises in great coffee and snacks and is a popular study spot for Management School students.

Dinner

If you want to eat out but also look after your bank account the key is to go on weekdays. There’s so many deals to encourage custom from great restaurants like 2-4-1 on pizzas at Craft & Dough on Campo Lane as well as at Bloo 88 on West Street. With a Revs card you can get 25% off all food, including weekends, as well as some great deals on cocktails.

For the student on a budget, I’d recommend following Independent Sheffield’s Instagram page (@indpndntshef) as they often advertise deals on food and drinks around the city. As a relatively inexpensive city, Sheffield is a godsend to students who want to eat out but don’t want to break the bank!

How to get a part time job

My name is Charalambos Phokou, but people call me Harry because Charalambos 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 constantly 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.

No.1 Students’ Union….9th year running!

By Frances Kendall

As a student at the University of Sheffield, it is rare to find anyone that doesn’t think our Students’ Union is pretty amazing. For me, that’s why it was unsurprising to find out that we recently won, for the 9^th consecutive year, the award for the best SU in the UK in addition to ranking 1^st in Student Experience among the Russell Group Universities. However, after writing this blog, reflecting on my student experience, I believe I have taken this all for granted.

Looking back on this week, I realise just how much the Union has contributed to my time at Sheffield. On Tuesday, I had group meetings in Coffee Revolutions, sorted referees for a lacrosse match in the Sports Office, grabbed lunch at New Leaf and had a lecture in the auditorium. I spent Wednesday evening at Bar One and Varsity ROAR, the sports night at Foundry, Studio and Fusion.

I can’t remember the last time I didn’t go out to the Union because I always have the safest and most enjoyable nights there; this is partly due to one of my favourite services that the SU runs. If you don’t fancy staying out too long at a club night or want to work late at the library, there is a Women’s Bus which runs every hour. It takes you from the entrance of the SU all the way home, regardless of distance, for just £1.50. I regularly use it so I don’t have to wait until all my friends also want to leave, which enables me to feel secure and still be independent. It’s hard to imagine how different life would be without the convenience of the SU and its facilities on your doorstep!

Coming to the end of my time at Sheffield as an undergraduate I am so grateful for my student experience because I have had the most fantastic time here. Academically and socially I have loved it, although I honestly had no idea how much the various SU events, facilities and services had contributed to it, up until this point!

Advice from a Placement Ambassador

By Hannah Mclennaghan

Hi, I’m Hannah, a student Placement Ambassador for 2016-17, and also studying for my BA in Business Management with Employment Experience. I carried out my placement year at Virgin Media in 2016.

If you’ve already got a house in Sheffield for next year or want to stick around Sheffield while on Placement, I’ve put together some really useful advice about how and where you can find a placement in Sheffield, that might just help you.

Why do a placement year in Sheffield?

It is the perfect opportunity to get the best of both worlds! You can remain in the City you love whilst gaining an invaluable experience and a complimentary asset to your degree. It also means if you have only just decided to do a placement year it is not too late, as you do not need to drop out of your housing contract for next year!

Where do I find a local placement?

The easiest place to start your search is the University’s internal portal Career Connect. You can access this through MUSE and use the filters: Yearlong placements, (the business area) and South Yorkshire as your location and you will arrive at a list of opportunities. Other great job sites are Milkround, Graduate recruitment Bureau, Rate my placement & Linkedin

What kind of opportunities are in Sheffield?

There is a magnitude of placements currently available; on Career Connect alone there are 50 currently still open. A local placement can be a great opportunity to gain experience in a corporate or slightly smaller company which can provide a more unique, tailored and rounded experience- giving you an insight into the company’s operations in its entity. Many local placements advertise solely to the University of Sheffield management students, giving you an extremely high chance of success!

What support is available for me?

If you would like to do a placement year, contact the employability hub: mgt.employability@sheffield.ac.uk and you will be assigned a mentor. They will provide you with support in searching for placements, doing your application, preparing you for interviews and general advice and guidance. The employability hub can also check CVs and cover letters. Once out on placement your degree will change to add “with employment experience”. You will be visited twice during the year and you will need to carry out a small assessment at the end (which is easier than you think!)

If you would like any further advice you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk

Applying for a placement or internship

By Ellie Thornber

Hi, I’m Ellie, one of your Management School Placement Ambassadors for 2016-17. I did my placement last year at Accenture, a large management and technology consultancy company. I am so glad I did a placement and would recommend it to anyone. I developed so many transferrable skills, established a really valuable network of colleagues and secured a graduate job too. Here is how I found my placement, the application process, and my hints and tips to help you secure a placement or internship.

How did I find my placement?

It is helpful to know what kind of organisation you want to work in before you start applying. Websites such as Rate My Placement allow you to read about other student’s experiences whilst on placement and can give you more information from the responsibilities they held, to the social side of work. This helps you to understand the type of job you want to be doing and can help you create a list of companies you might be interested in.

Websites such as Rate My Placement, Milkround and Career Connect provide a great database of companies which are offering placement and internship opportunities and will show you those with deadlines approaching. If a company you are interested in isn’t formally advertising any opportunities it is always worth contacting their HR department and asking, especially for smaller companies. Family and friends are also a great network to use to find opportunities!

The application process

The application process for placements/internships can sometimes be long and daunting, but I found that once I had submitted one, they got much easier. The length of the process varies, often depending on the size of the company. Some can have multiple stages to their application process such as online tests, telephone interviews, assessment centres and final interviews. However small companies may simply ask for a CV and cover letter before inviting you to interview. I found the Employability Hub and the Careers Advisors really helpful in going over my applications before I submitted them, helping me prepare for telephone interviews and giving me tips for assessment centres. I also used the online learning tools on Career Connect to help practice for psychometric tests such as verbal and numerical reasoning.

Hints and tips

Tailor your CV to highlight the skills you have that the company is looking for
Ask someone else to check your application – a second opinion always helps!
Use websites such as Glass Door to find out common and tricky interview questions

Contact me at: ethornber1@sheffield.ac.uk if you would like any further advice or you can get in touch with all of the Placement Ambassadors at mgt.pl.ambassadors@sheffield.ac.uk