Undergraduate Blog

My experience as an overseas student

Hi, I’m Yunzhou, and I am a BA Accounting and Financial Management student from China. Although I’m currently in my second year of study, I remember vividly what it was like to come to the UK as a first year student, and this is what I would like to talk to you about today.

Before I landed at London Heathrow, I was full of mixed emotions – scared, excited, nervous, and more. I was so happy to find that when I landed, instead of the uncertainty and loneliness that I thought I would feel, I found myself falling in love with the country immediately. Exploring London for the first time was incredible, and I was drawn to the grandeur of the Big Ben, the tranquillity of St James’ Park, the hustle and bustle of the financial hub and the jubilance of the theatres. I found myself surrounded by exciting cultural heritage, marking that finally I had arrived in the UK, the country I had seen thousands of times on films and TV.

For my first few weeks in the UK I communicated with locals through speaking with what English I had, and using wild gestures and sign language when my English wasn’t enough. When I got to Sheffield, I found I had a passion for exploring the city, and I fell in love with the parks, small independent shops and restaurants and finding out more about the history of the city. Most importantly, I was met with kindness in everyone I met.

One thing I love about the UK, and Sheffield in particular, is the multi-ethnic and multicultural environment! Here, you can find people of all cultures chatting and laughing together in bars and restaurants, and it is easy to find food and drink from all different cultures, which helps when you get homesick. Having been born and raised in rural China, I had limited knowledge what the UK would be like, although films and TV made me think it would be full of posh people drinking tea and moaning about the bad weather! However, when I eventually made it to the UK, I found that the British culture is so much more than this, which to me, shows the importance of exploring first-hand cultures and countries that you are interested in – they may hold great surprises for you! My experience of being an overseas student in Sheffield has been a great inspiration, encouraging me to become a global citizen and plan where I can travel to after I finish my degree next year. The world is a huge place, and thinking of my future fills me with excitement – I would recommend this experience to any student thinking of coming to study in Sheffield!

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!

Societies at Sheffield – Enactus

Hi! I’m Hannah, a BA Business Management student in my second year of study. In this blog, I’m going to talk about something that I’m really passionate about, which is Enactus, a society that you can be a part of at University of Sheffield.

Societies that you can get involved with at university are never ending, and range from sports clubs like cheerleading and football, to groups such as Quidditch and film making. But there’s a society I want to talk about in particular, which is known as Enactus. We are a society that is quite different from others as we’re a stand-alone organisation that doesn’t have to adhere to the usual rules of university societies, as we have our own funding.

So, what is Enactus Sheffield?

Enactus stands for ‘Entrepreneurial, Action, and Us’. It’s a non-profit social enterprise run by students, which runs a range of projects both locally and internationally to benefit communities. Our aim is to provide aid to local and international social issues through the development of new businesses. Each year, Enactus Sheffield takes part in the Enactus National Competition with 55 other teams from all over the UK. We get to present on what impact our enterprises have had over the past year, and each team is judged – in each of the last eight years we have placed in the top four teams! We have also received recognition from the former Prime Minister David Cameron and HRH Prince William, as well as winning several national awards.

Facts about Enactus:

Takes place in 36 Countries
Over 1,730 universities take part
We have 72,000+ student members
Our work has impacted 1,300,000+ people

Opportunities at Enactus:

All of the above are obviously great reasons to get involved, however you might be asking what Enactus can do for you? The opportunities that you gain when you take part in this society are huge, and range from meeting and working with a large group of diverse people, to the opportunity to develop and enhance your skills at multiple training days and weekends. You would also have the opportunity to go to Nationals, and if successful compete in The World Cup, which this year is in San Francisco! As well as that, implementing our projects take our members around the world, with members travelling to Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi and Bolivia.

Lastly, we’re part of a global network that supports the amazing work we do, with sponsor companies such as Asda, KPMG, Centrica and Accenture to name just a few. So, if you have your eye on a graduate job (which let’s face it, all of us do) then join Enactus to have access to this network of companies keen to employ you.

My Marks & Spencer placement experience

Hi! My name is Rebecca Hubbard and I’m a fourth year Business Management with Employment Experience student. Four years at university and, boy, has it flown by!

A key reason I chose Sheffield was due to the help and support available in helping students get real life business experience before entering a competitive job market. I still remember being in my first semester of second year when the word ‘placement’ was mentioned by a group of returning students who had just returned to university from their year in industry. After hearing from Lily, a girl in the year above me, about her 12-month internship with Arla I decided I’d give it a shot. As my placement mentor, Lily helped me gain confidence and gave me practical tips throughout the recruitment process. We would meet up when necessary to discuss next steps and chat through any difficulties I encountered.

As well as making the most of the advice I gained from my placement mentor, found it essential to take advantage of all the help and support available from the Employability Hub within the Management School. I kept up with their weekly emails advertising different employer talks and skills sessions, managing to gain insight into different recruitment processes. From this, I got to sit in on talks from businesses such as L’Oreal, IBM and Rolls Royce, and find out from them what they looked for in a placement employee, as well as attend skills workshops such as practice assessment centres. I also had a one-to-one meeting with a Careers Advisor who helped me build up my CV and think critically about my applications.

After an application process involving psychometric tests and an assessment centre, I was thrilled to receive an offer for a placement with Marks & Spencer. During placement I worked in six different Marks & Spencer stores around South West London, from small Simply Foods stores to larger department stores. During my time there my role included managing staff, assisting with recruitment processes and selecting candidates, and leading trade during the key events in the year such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. All of this meant that no two days were the same, and that the experience that I came out with was really varied. Having been in the retail industry for a year, returning back to university was surreal! Knowing that I could apply all that I’d learned from my year in work was great, and it has definitely helped me with my work during my first semester back. I would advise anyone starting university with the Management School to take full advantage of all the amazing services it offers – it’s a great feeling to know that I’ve gained invaluable experience that I know will put me above other graduates when I finally finish this year.

How to enhance your CV in first year

Hello, my name is James, and I’m a second year Business Management student. In my first post for the blog I am going to talk about how to enhance your CV in your first year at University!

This might seem like a boring topic, especially when you’re not even in first year yet, but trust me – first year is the best time to get stuck in and try loads of different things, all of which will build your CV!

One of the great things about university life in Sheffield is the massive amount of volunteering available to students throughout the University. As a fresher, you’ll get the chance to attend a volunteering fair. This is a really good way to find out about the different volunteering roles available and get a feel of what might suit you. At the fair you’ll find a massive range of opportunities – from working with Sheffield Museums, helping out at an animal shelter, and even helping local students with their homework! Broomhill (about a five-minute walk from Endcliffe/Ranmoor student village) is full of charity shops which are always looking for people to come in and help them out. The best part about so many of the volunteering roles in Sheffield is that you don’t have to commit to a set number of hours each week; you can just sign up to the different projects being run by the organisation and only commit to what you are able to do!

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience, build your skills, meet new people and learn more about your new city! All of these things just give you that little bit more to talk about in any future interviews which might just give you the edge over other candidates.

Joining societies at University is another way to get involved and enhance your CV. There are literally hundreds of societies that will almost definitely cater to your interests. All societies have positions such as president, social secretary, and finance secretary. Any member of the society can apply to these positions. Being involved in a society gives you real life experience of working to maintain an organisation – which is a great transferable skill. Not only this, but you will have the chance to meet lots of new people and get involved in all the societies events! All of which, you guessed it, give you more to talk about in any interviews you might have in the future!

The University also offers students services such as 301 – an entire department dedicated to developing your skills. Here, you’ll be able to book appointments with advisors who will help you work through and develop your CV. The Management School also has its own Student Experience Office, and a dedicated careers service through the Employability Hub. Both of these departments will work alongside students giving you advice about things such as applying to placements and writing your CV.

Like I said, building your CV in first year at this point might feel like a million miles away, but first year is a great time to get involved in all of the activities offered to students by the University, which will not only benefit you and your CV, but also give you the opportunity to make new friends, try new things, and develop your skill set.

Making your money go further

I’m Tommy, a third year Accounting and Finance student and, at risk of sounding like- well… an accountant- it’s time to talk about money!

Starting university is an exciting time, and whilst it’s easy to fritter away your student loan on nights out, Meadowhall shopping sprees, or those fairy lights that make your room look like Blackpool Illuminations, you don’t want find your card being rejected whilst doing the weekly shop. So, here’s just a few tips for saving whilst still having fun!

Student Discount:

It perhaps goes without saying, but student discount is a huge help when you’re trying to look after your bank balance. Not only can you save in various clothes shops and supermarkets, but a number of restaurants, pubs and bars offer deals for students too. Furthermore, some societies have link-ups with local businesses, meaning discounts on drinks or food in certain places with your societies cards. You can also get buses around the city for just £1 too, so don’t be forgetting your student card!

Nights Out:

Going out with your friends is what makes your uni experience great and gives you memories you’ll never forget, but if you’re not careful it can also break the bank! One of the biggest tips I can give is to budget. Take £15-20 out before you go out, and know that when it’s gone, it’s gone. Make sure you know where you’re going to, as some nights have themes and cheaper/free entry if you get involved.

Shopping:

Whilst it’s no doubt easier just to go to the shop on the corner of your road, is it cheaper? I found that when I spent an afternoon walking through the city centre to Aldi and the Moor Market and doing my weekly shop there, I would save considerably compared to weeks where I shopped locally. So, don’t be lazy! Also, if you find yourself waking back from the library late on, why not drop into the shops on the way for those delightful yellow ‘reduced’ stickers. I mean, who doesn’t love 9p donuts?!

Textbooks:

Textbooks are an essential part of uni, but they don’t come cheap, with some even costing around £60! However, if you’re on the ball you don’t have to pay that. There’s a number of charity shops stocking text books and ManSoc puts on book sales too, where you can buy second hand from students in the years above you. Failing that, the library stocks all necessary readings and some are even available free online!

Budget:

Budgeting is key! Use an app or Excel spreadsheet to plan how much you need for food shopping, rent, bills, books etc., and then anything else is yours to have fun with! Yes, it sounds boring and yes, some of your flatmates may laugh at you for it, but believe me, it’ll be you laughing when you’re away on your summer holidays!

How I settled into University life- an international student perspective

Hello, 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.

Coming 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 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.

Running for SU Officer

By Margaret B Barrionuevo Camacho

Last February, I decided to run as International Officer candidate for the 16/17’ SU officer elections. After receiving loads of emails from university about nominations and the available positions at the Student’s Union, I booked an appointment with some of the current SU Officers in order to find more about it and also looking forward to hear their first-hand experiences. I managed to meet and talk with the International and Women SU Officers, who were very happy to share their experiences with me as well as answering all my questions (always one too many ha-ha).

Encouraged by their involvement with their roles and their passion to make change happen, I decided to take the challenge and hopefully become the 2017-18’ International Officer. On the first week of February, I and my fellow candidates, attended a ‘Candidate Training session’ which covered all the aspects from running a campaign to recruiting friends to be part of our campaign team. It was a very intense and long (4 hour) session which made me realize the challenge I got myself into! Reality hit me, I had so many questions and so little time to get everything ready. What would be my slogan? How could I design my posters? Who could edit my campaign video? Would I be able to make lecture shout-outs in front of hundreds of strangers? Luckily, I received help from my friends, who supported me throughout the campaign which lasted about 2 weeks! The whole experience was very intense and tiring but I enjoyed every single moment. I stretched myself and got out of my comfort zone by doing public speaking in big lecture rooms; especially the ones in the Diamond, those are massive and scary! I also retook my ‘artistic career’- ha-ha. I had to be creative, from creating a slogan to painting t-shirts and banners; my fingers were multicolored for weeks!

Election results were announced on the 9^th of March, where I came second out of the four SU International Officer candidates. Even though I didn’t win, I was so grateful to the 1200+ people who trusted and voted for me. And also very thankful for the whole experience itself, I got to make new friends, challenge myself, and feel supported by my mates. Definitely an invaluable experience, where every candidate was a winner. Many little achievements I am proud of such as; speaking in front of several (uncountable) big lectures, learning to use the green screen and feeling confident to stop and approach anyone, anytime, anywhere. Being a SU Officer candidate is demanding and challenging I assure you, you will feel great after completing it!

Women in Business

By Margaret Barrionuevo Camacho

Hello everyone, this is my first time writing for the blog! My name is Margaret (Gigi) and I am currently on my final year of International Business Management at the University of Sheffield. In this, my first post, I would love tell you about one of my favourite societies at university; Women in Business (WIB). This is a brand NEW society, founded by Olivia Lynch, who was the 2016-2017 society President and one of the most driven and determined persons I have ever met. After months of planning and working along with the SU, Liv finally achieved her dream to create a society which not only aimed to empower women but also to provide them with support to enter a career in Finance, Business or Commercial Law.

I joined the Women in Business society in September 2016 when I attended their very first event which consisted on a skills workshop in collaboration with EY. During this session, I did not only get the chance to meet other society members but I also discovered more about my own strenghts and weaknesses and how to tackle the latter. Furthermore, I got to meet the committee members and see how passionate they were about helping us to develop professionally. This is the reason why, later on, I decided to run to be on the WIB committee. In October 2016, the society announced 2 available positions on the committee; activities officer and publicity officer. I ran for ‘activities officer’ and after writing and sharing my manifesto with other society members, I achieved to get into the committee.

My role as an ‘activities officer’ has consisted on building partnerships with recruiters from various companies such as PwC and Enterprise Rent a Car (ERAC) as well as planning and delivering events aimed at helping our society members to develop their professional skills and career aspirations. These events have included: LinkedIn master session (PWC), Commercial awareness session with DLA Piper, MOCK assessment centres and even a visit and networking event at Slaughter and May in London!

The society is fully committed to help every member to achieve its full potential, however, it also aims to promote integration and friendship between our society members. As a result, we have organized various socials which have included: pub quiz, Bollywood dancing class and an evening of free pizza at Bloo88 (yummy)!

During its first year, the Women in Business society has achieved to gather more than 120 members, organize a wide variety of events and also holding 3 nominations for the 2017 Activities Awards: (1) Academic society of the year, (2) New society of the year and (3) Most enterprising society.

What are you waiting for joining WIB NEXT year? I totally recommend it and I can’t stress enough how much I have learnt out of the different workshops, a society that definitely cares about you and your development!

This picture was taken after our first AGM, where the new committee members were elected! Old committee on the low row; Olivia Lynch (President) is the third from left to right, and I am next to her on the white blouse.