Undergraduate Blog

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 1^st 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.

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!

Things I wish I’d known as a first year

By Thomas Jarvis, BA Accounting and Financial Management with Employment Experience

Hindsight is a beautiful thing, something I feel no more so than now as I graduate and enter the big wide world. Though I have much to look forward to (after graduation I’m joining a job on the finance graduate scheme at E.ON), I leave behind four incredibly happy years at the Management School in Sheffield. However, there is always the question of whether I could have made even more of my time here, so here are my 3 top tips for an undergrad.

Join Societies

Societies are student-run groups in which members have a common interest, basically. Here at Sheffield we have over 300 societies to join from interests, faith, nationality, sports and academic. They are a wonderful way to meet people outside of your immediate course and flatmates; thus, widening your social circle. This has many great benefits, as well as an improved social life. Informally, older students may be able to give you good advice, hints, and tips. It may also be a good chance to do something you’ve not done before or cut down on your book costs by taking part in the Management Society’s book sale. Join as many societies as you want, as many only ask for a nominal joining fee, and most do not need large engagement or effort. Also, society bar crawls are great.

If the society doesn’t exist yet, why not approach the Students’ Union and they may well support you to create the society.

At my last Management School ball, run by the Management Society

Do a placement year

Earlier in the undergraduate blogs, Rebecca spoke about her placement year. I also did a placement year, where I undertook a work placement for the NHS in their Finance department. For more in depth about placements, see Rebecca’s earlier post. In my opinion, they are a fantastic way to boost your employability as you have the chance to network with potential future employers. You’ll also get a taste of work, have valuable experience in job applications before you start thinking about graduate jobs, get a good reference and last but by no means least, earn some money and be able to go on some cracking holidays. It also acts as a clever way to break up your studies, and I found myself coming back to final year with a renewed passion for my course, and a much-improved work ethic.

Engage with your course

This sounds simple but it’s easier said than done. It is extremely easy, starting as an ungraduated to think “I’ll enjoy myself now and work later”, by the time “later” comes around, it may in fact be too late. By keeping on top of reading, completing tutorials, and generally getting ahead with work, revision will be 100x easier. Instead of trying to learn the whole course in a matter of days (impossible, believe me, I’ve been there), revision will be a breeze as it’ll be literally just going over things you already know, and you’ll be banking a good mark – important for those placement years, grad jobs, and particularly if you’re on International Business Management and want to go abroad. Also, while you’re here, you might as well make the most of everything available to you while you can.

My favourite society – ManSoc

Hi! I’m Katie, and I’m a first year student on BA Business Management. Today I’d like to tell you all about my favourite society that I’ve joined since I started university, which is ManSoc.

What is ManSoc?

ManSoc stands for Management Society. The main purpose of the Management Society is to ensure you have the ultimate experience at the Management School. The society is run by students for the benefit of students, and is open to all Management School students regardless of year of study.

Socials

A big part of ManSoc are the socials. Being a member of ManSoc means you get discount cards for many local bars and places to eat, which is a very handy thing to have when you’re on a student budget. We hold many bar crawls along West Street, which is the best street for a student night in Sheffield. Even if you don’t drink, these socials are such a great way to meet people and socialise!

Another highlight is the end of year ball, which is always amazing. This is a great chance to celebrate the end of the year with all your new friends you’ve made. This year’s ball was ‘Casino Royale’ themed, which gave us all a chance to dress up and have some fun.

Trips

ManSoc is famous for its trips away, and in the past we have been to places like Berlin, Prague and Budapest. The trips are always very popular and are heavily subsidised, meaning it’s good for a student budget! This year the trip to Budapest was £259 for flights and accommodation and the payments are timed with when your student loan comes so it shouldn’t hurt your bank account too much.

They also organise trips within the UK, which are always loads of fun – last year ManSoc joined Invasion and visited Nottingham for a night, which has gone down in history as the social of the year!

Sports

As well as social events and trips away, ManSoc has its own football, hockey and netball teams. I’m part of the ManSoc netball team, and through this I’ve made a lot of good friends. These teams are all mixed with students from all years of study.

The teams all play within the intermural league, which is the league within the University where all the teams play different departments. It’s a really good opportunity to make more friends with Management School students and play competitively or just do some exercise. You can also put it on your CV, which is a bonus! Each sport has several teams of different abilities, so whether you play to a high ability or have never played before you are welcome to join.

So why join?

ManSoc helped me to get involved with university life by making lots of friends on my course and getting involved with sports teams. It also gives you the chance to make friends with people on the same course as you, but in a different year – which is especially good in first year, as they can give you great advice!

Finally, it’s a great extracurricular thing to get involved with alongside your studies. Obviously the biggest part of coming to University is your course, but a lot of University life is also about the clubs and societies you get involved in.

If this society isn’t for you there are hundreds of others you can join, so you’ll definitely find something that you enjoy! There are academic ones such as Women in Business, Economics Society and Investment Society. But then there are many others such as Belly Dance Society, Poetry Society, and Chess Society. My advice would be to get involved!

Exam revision tips and tricks

Hi, I’m Katie, and I’m a BA Business Management student. Today’s blog is going to be on a topic that I’m sure has been on the mind of a lot of students recently – exam revision! Since the dreaded exam period starts in a couple of weeks, I thought I’d share some tips and tricks I’ve picked up throughout school and university.

Start revision early – You can never be too prepared, so make sure you start revision as early as you can. By doing revision little and often, you’ll hopefully be saved from cramming loads of information just before your exam.

Make a timetable – Making a timetable it helps you manage your time so much better. Assign time for each topic you’re going to revise but also timetable in your fun activities, breaks and social events. Bonus points for making it colourful!

Find a revision method that works for you – Everyone learns in different ways, whether it’s by making notes, spider diagrams, past papers, speaking out loud or reading. Personally, I found making notes and then trying to teach what I had learned to a family member or friend worked really well for me.

Use colour – There’s nothing worse than plain boring revision notes. By using coloured pens and highlighters, you’ll make revision a lot more exciting and your notes will suddenly be more memorable!

Get enough sleep – Sleep is so important. You cannot concentrate or revise properly without having a good night’s sleep. Get at least 6-8 hours, so that your brain is well rested and you can be ready for another day of revision when you wake up. There’s nothing worse than revising when all you want to do is nap!

Take breaks – Don’t sit for a whole day staring at your revision. You need to take regular breaks for your revision to be beneficial, as your brain can only take in so much information at a time! I have a very short attention span, so find that working for 30 minutes and then having a 5 minute break works for me. If you have a longer attention span, then you might be able to work for an hour and take a 20 minute break – find what works for you!

Food and drink – Without drinking enough water you will get headaches and you won’t be able to concentrate. Staying hydrated is so important for effective revision. Ditch the junk food over exam season! Try your best to eat healthy – eat lots of fruit and vegetables and brain foods like oily fish, nuts, seeds and blueberries.

Get up early – When you’re revising don’t waste your day! Set an alarm so you wake up – start revising at 9am instead of 1pm and you can reward yourself with more time to do other things like see your friends, going out for lunch and taking longer breaks.

Past papers – Personally, I found these are the best way of revising. They help with your time management in the exam, and there is no better way of testing your revision than checking how you can answer real exam questions.

Get enough exercise – Being active is so important! Going to the gym, playing a team sport or just taking the dog on a walk is such a good revision break.

Believe in yourself – Nerves before an exam are so normal but you have to believe in yourself! As long as you are prepared, once you get into the exam you will surprise yourself with how much you know. Be confident in yourself – you’ve got this!