extracurricular activity – Undergraduate Blog

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.

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.

Work-life balance

By Frances Kendall, BA International Business Management

I’m a third year studying International Business Management and last year I lived in Denmark attending Copenhagen Business School. Suffice to say, coming back to Sheffield for this academic year has been a big shock after living independently abroad!

There are many people who tell you that the point of university is simply to get a degree, but I think university is about much more than that. In my eyes, at least, it’s a lifestyle and a learning curve combined, not purely a means to a future career.

Work-life balance is, therefore, something I have definitely learnt to appreciate more than ever this year. Third year unsurprisingly spells more work and responsibilities, but also provides more opportunities to take part in the multitude of activities which Sheffield University has to offer.

In Denmark, they place a huge amount of emphasis on flexible working hours which researchers have found contributes substantially to it being consistently rated the ‘Happiest Nation in the World’ by its inhabitants. Thus, I am hoping to pass on some of the lessons I learnt abroad and have tried to implement here in Sheffield!

Plan your time and prioritise. As long as you know the amount of time you have available, you can keep track of the days and hours left until your next deadline. This means you can afford to do the all activities you want without having to ‘pull an all-nighter’!
Do not feel guilty (if you have planned right)! When others around you are working, you shouldn’t feel bad if you want to take a break to have a coffee or a day off in the Peaks. Some people take longer to work than others and this shouldn’t put you off.
Always allow an extra half an hour to do things. I always find that things take longer than I expect. The last thing you need is to be stressing about getting to a lecture or meeting on time, on top of everything else, so just prepare for it! The Sheffield hills may take a little longer to climb when you are tired or you might come across a friend and want to have a chat, either way it’ll all take time.
Enjoy the little things. Personally I think that little treats or regular breaks is the way to go when aiming for happiness and balance. I can’t deal with being overloaded and then having to take a while to recover. It’s better to not get to that stage in the first place – prevention not cure is key!
Don’t be afraid to do things independently. Many students come to university after having participating in activities with their friends from home which they have known for years. Coming to university and trying something on your own can be daunting. Don’t worry! You will make friends whilst there and everyone is in the same boat, even if they might not look like it or tell you so! I joined the Lacrosse team and have made so many friends this way. Take that step and it will help so much in keeping that balance between social and work life in check.

I really hope these five pieces of advice are helpful, both for prospective students looking to get an insight into student life, and for those current students nervous about giving something new a try. Finding that balance will help you to become a more rounded individual and enjoy the years you have at university so much more!