A taste of home

By Nik Aisyah Safiah, MSc Management (International Business)

As an international student, coming to a university in the UK has a lot of differences! You have left behind your home country to a new place, new culture, new experience and new friends. How nerve-wracking but extremely exciting at the same time? Once you have settled in your accommodation, your mind starts to wonder about food, but not just any food. It’s food that brings you back home. If you are a Malaysian, you’ll start to hallucinate about that delicious laksa noodles your dad always buy for you after every Friday prayer.

 

Is food-homesickness really a thing? As a Muslim Asian student living in Sheffield, I say, fret not! You live in one of the most ethnically diverse cities with a lot of Asian restaurants that sells Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, Vietnamese, and Arabic cuisine. Alternatively, with easy access to halal meat and oriental stores in Sheffield, you could also make your own favourite dish from scratch! In this blog, I will share some of my go-to stores in Sheffield that has helped me make my everyday meals.

 

Ozmen Ltd (supermarket), Yafai and Sons, Al-Amir Halal Food

Located near the city campus, you can easily get halal meat from these stores, which sells chicken, beef and lamb meat. Not only that, but these stores also offer you all the Asian ingredients, spices that could help you make a replica of your favourite dish back home! From soy sauce, chilli spices, galangal, Asian fruits, bamboo shoots, instant noodle, shrimp paste, south-east Asian instant spices, Middle Eastern instant spices. You name it! With a simple Google search of the recipe and the ingredients you can find in these stores, you will get to eat your favourite dish in no time!

 

Moor Market 

The Moor Market is definitely the go-to place if you are looking for fresh groceries. Here, you can find a few merchants who offer fresh and imported Asian ingredients. Believe it or not, you can also get halal chicken from one of the butchers, Smith & Tissington. Top tips, you might get a reduction in price if you buy the chicken in bulk!

Tesco Express (Edward Street) & Tesco Superstore (50 Montgomery Terrace) 

These Tesco stores have designated halal meat section in their chiller that sells a variety of halal meat options, including raw chicken and processed meat such as nuggets, sausages, burgers and many more.

 

Oriental supermarket 

KH Oriental and Oriental West Street 

If you are looking for Asian ingredients, snacks, sauces, instant noodles, fish cakes, seaweed, specific noodles or sushi rice, then this is the place for you! One of my personal favourite snacks that I love is mochi, seaweed and pepero sticks.

So, there you go! All the stores you need as a Muslim Asian to bring some flavours of home while living in Sheffield! With that being said, here are some pictures of my favourite Malaysian dish that my housemates and I have made a few days ago!

 

My top five tips for adapting to a new education system

By Maria Victoria Hernandez Jurado, MSc Human Resource Management with CIPD pathway

Every country has a different education system, and it can be difficult for international students to understand and adapt to a new system. I’m from Peru, and I’ve found the system here very different! In this blog, I will describe some points that I found different from my home country, and explain what helped me to familiarise myself with the British education system. You can try these things if you come to Sheffield or you are struggling with it. I consider the UK’s system to be quite good; in my experience, it motivates students to work on weaknesses.

1. Grading Systems

Honestly, this was a shock for me. In my country in South America, we normally use grades of 0-20, and in the UK, 50-59 are the lowest passing grades for PGT students and from 70+ start the highest marks. In the beginning, I did not understand it very well, but with time and research, I understood it clearly. I recommend you to become familiar with this before you join.

2. Intro week

The first week of your university experience in the UK is known as ‘Intro week’, where you register at the university and settle in. I attended some workshops related to how to make the most of my experience at the university, which recommended taking part in extracurricular activities or social societies. The University of Sheffield has the best Students’ Union in the UK, and actually, it is. You can meet many people by taking part in these extracurricular activities, and also they are good to put on your CV if you want to find a job after your studies.

3. Critical thinking

This has been a major challenge for me up to now. In my BA, my assignments were more descriptive than critical, and at a masters level the critical aspect is deeper. However, the university can support you in this. The 301 Study Skills centre offers some workshops and personal consultations, which can help you develop loads of skills including critical thinking, as well as others such as revision and essay writing. I am attending some workshops and trying my best to improve.

4. Constant communication with fellow students and teachers

The only way I could understand this system much better is by talking with other students. It was challenging whilst in online learning, but I knew that this would be essential. Another key is communication with academics. Most of them are very kind, reply to an email quickly, and are willing to support you. I remember a module in which I did not know what a term meant, and the teacher quickly calmed me with a good explanation about it.

5. Organisation

The huge tasks that are required when studying for a Masters are incredible; I consider that I need more hours to read and prepare for my tutorials than I actually need to spend in the tutorial. Being organised can lead to have good concentration and your assignments always being on time.

Finally, adaptation to a new education system needs time, patience, and effort, especially in being a critical thinker! But, these are all skills that will be valuable for the future. I hope that this blog helps!

My experience of joining university during a global pandemic

By Maria Victoria Hernandez Jurado, MSc Human Resource Management with CIPD accreditation

As an international student, moving to a new place with a different language always comes with feelings of fear – understandably, I think! My home is Perú, and I chose to come to the Sheffield for postgraduate study last year. Travelling to a new country and adapting to a new culture is always a shock – and in the middle of the pandemic it was a little crazy! Here’s my experience of travelling during the times of Covid, and a few tips on how to make it easier!

Visa, document process and travel

First, let’s talk about the visa. In the middle of the pandemic, it can be stressful to get a visa due to lockdowns or restrictions. Some embassies or VFS (Visa Facilitation Services) can be closed, or difficult to get to within your country. But, in my opinion, it’s worth it. In my case, receiving my visa took me around a month, and I was lucky because when I started the application the VFS office in my country had opened recently. My first tip for any international students hoping to come to study in the UK is to make sure all the documents you will need for your visa appointment are correct and ordered.

About the travel. My itinerary was Perú -> Amsterdam -> London, and something interesting was the strict rules in all the airports. The rules are not only in the airports but also in the planes. Something that I did was check all the documents I needed to travel not only in Perú, but in all the airports I landed in. My second tip is that you to print all the documents that you might need, such as your accommodation contract, CAS Statement, Locator Form and Covid test result. These can be really useful when you will pass migrations.

Adaptation

I have to admit that for me, adapting to life in the UK was not bad. Days here fly by, especially when you’re in classes and tackling assignments.

There is something that I like about Sheffield, and it is that you will find good people who can help you with everything. This helped to make my adaptation easy. Moreover, The University of Sheffield has implemented a lot of mechanisms to support its students. For example, the wellbeing department called me several times to talk about how I was feeling, if I needed something or if I knew someone here already. So don’t be afraid, even within a context where you don’t have contact with people, it’s possible! My last tip for potential students would be to check all the activities, clubs and more stuff that the University has to offer.

The best parks in Sheffield

By Wenxi Jiang, MSc International Management and Marketing

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

Weston Park and Crookes Valley Park

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

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

Spring

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

Summer

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

Autumn

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

Winter

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

Parkwood Springs

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

Information Systems Management – Programme Experience

By Haijuan Li (Cara), MSc Information Systems Management

Before starting my course in Sheffield, I looked forward to getting some new technical skills from this programme and believed it could enhance my competence in the fierce job market. Moreover, I regarded it as a chance for me to plan my future career while experiencing a new learning environment in the UK. In addition to these advantages, I found that learning in this programme brought me many soft skills. I would like to say the Information Systems Management programme is beyond my imagination after finishing the autumn semester courses. This programme is designed for those students who are interested in how information science adds value for various types of companies.

This programme is jointly delivered by the SUMS and the Information School, so we can enjoy the resources and opportunities provided by these two departments. I think this is one of the most significant features of this programme. For example, we usually receive reminder emails about international companies’ recruitment from the Information School and the Management School, Also, students in MSc Information System Management are allowed to choose their supervisors of the dissertation from a staff list that consists of relevant teachers who come from SUMS or Information School. Furthermore, as a postgraduate student of the Management School, I made friends both from SUMS during the six-week pre-session English learning period and the Information School during the autumn semester, that was fantastic I think, because we had several of the same modules so even could become group members to do some group assignments together.

From the perspective of modules, information systems’ modules and management’s modules count for 60%-70% and 30%-40% respectively, there remains flexibility on optional modules for students to choose. The main assessments of information systems’ modules are individual coursework and group coursework both based on several real case studies. In contrast, the main assessments of management’s modules are examinations, which were real challenges for students whose first-languages are not English, so we have to work hard to prepare for examinations. The practice is very important. In particular, teamwork is the most impressive experience for me, we sometimes were required to cooperate with other students who come from different cultural environments or with different knowledge backgrounds, as a result, communication was a little bit time-consuming but we usually could generate a completed and brilliant result. That was not easy but really interesting. It’s believed that our several significant soft skills have improved, such as the ability of teamwork, communication, and working under pressure, by taking group coursework seriously and cooperating positively.

This is one of my fantastic student experiences in Sheffield, I look forward to sharing more experience in the Management School with you in the future.

How to be productive working from home

By Vicky Xian, MSc Occupational Psychology

Working from home can be seen as a luxury at first. At whatever time of day, when you wake up, you can be drafting emails or writing that assignment almost immediately. But after a few days, or even a few hours, the novelty wears off. Your flatmates play loud music, parents at home forget you still need to revise for 5 exams. You don’t feel like you’re in class or at work, so why work? Your friend wants to video call you and because you’re not in class or in the library, that should be fine right? This is when productivity becomes an issue. So, here are some tips I’ve learnt that keeps me at my desk, and therefore my productivity levels high. 

 

  • Create a routine – and stick to it. 

 

Yes, the bed is right there, beckoning you to come back and snuggle in the warm, duvet covers. However, it’s important you incorporate your class/work life into your home. Got a 9am on a Tuesday? Make sure you set the same alarm as if you were leaving the house. Instead, use that time you would be in class to do some work for that module. Waking up early anyway, will mean you will get the most out of your day. What I like to do is try to be at my desk for 9:30am everyday Monday – Friday, and 11:30am if I need to work weekends. 

This is where to-do lists become very handy, I write everything I need to do in that day on a sticky-note and place it on the cover of my diary. Breaking down longer assignments into daily, more manageable tasks, or even the little, mundane tasks like reading an email helps me visualise how much I can do in one working-day. Then, in a diary or on google calendar, delegate a time for each task.  I’ve learnt to be the most productive when I spend about 3 hours per assignment. Incorporate work tasks with house chores or well-being activities like making lunch or doing an at-home workout.

 I find this gives my day more variation, and it also means I’m moving around the house or flat, which gives my brain and body little breaks in the day. Here’s an example: 

 

  • Ensure you have a dedicated workspace! 

 

This has benefits to both your physical and mental well-being. Having a dedicated workspace puts you into the mind-set of class/ work environments. First thing I do in the morning, for instance, is make my bed. It’s the little things that can have major impacts on your productivity. If the bed is made, my mind becomes more at ease with a tidier room, and it encourages me to not slip back under the covers – genius! 

Also, I never work from my bed, as this can lead to a sneaky nap which will disrupt my entire day. Instead I have a ‘workstation’, where I have a place for all things work-related: my laptop, a desktop, all my books and pens. I never relax at my desk and I never work in bed, and this separation is important in having high quality periods of production.

In the mornings, I get ‘ready’. I get dressed in a comfortable, yet presentable outfit. Don’t dress in what you wore the night before, I’ve learnt that this will keep my mindset in rest-mode, and therefore my productivity will reduce. I even put on some make-up, while this isn’t for everyone, this helps me feel like I’m in class or the library as it mimics my external work-life. 

Finally, it’s so imperative that not only you ensure a work-like environment, but everyone else does too! Tell your flatmates, family members, or partners that you need the respect of appropriate work-life behaviour. Your mate wouldn’t come to your 10am Well-being at work lecture and ask for a chat, right? If there’s nothing that can be done, put your headphones on and turn some on relaxing music. I personally like to really mimic work-life by going on YouTube and playing an 8-hour café soundtrack to help me visualise studying in a coffee shop. 

 

  • Don’t push yourself.

 

Sometimes working from home is only because you couldn’t find a space in the library. Other times it’s because you just don’t feel like leaving the house for a couple of days, and sometimes it’s for reasons even deeper than that. No matter the reason, make sure you keep regular checks on your mental health. Working from home, especially for long periods of time, can really put a strain on an individual’s well-being – the term cabin fever comes to mind!

When I get into these ruts, I take a 5-10-minute break. I tell myself it’s ok if I can’t finish what I wanted to do today. It’s healthy for the mind and body to rest and not put too much strain for too long. This is especially significant when there’s a more serious reason for why I’m working at home. I also ensure that I give myself the evening to cool off, and most weekends. I’d like to think my brain has a chance to recharge – like a battery – no matter how much you fill a cup with water, at the end of the day, you still only end up with a one cup of water.

My Favourite Things about my Occupational Psychology Course

By Callum Van Dyk, MSc Occupational Psychology

I can guarantee you everyone finds it difficult to decide which postgraduate course is right for them! I was fortunate enough to know I wanted to study Occupational Psychology (OP), but I still found it incredibly difficult to decide where I should study. Therefore, to make things a little easier on you, I thought I’d share my top four favourite things about the OP course at Sheffield, showing you why it is a great place to study.

  • Vast Variety of Opportunities

Throughout my time at Sheffield, I’ve received countless messages from academic staff highlighting the diverse range of opportunities available within the management school. However, being an OP student, you have even greater access to opportunities specific to your course. To date, I’ve been involved in designing an assessment centre, stewarding an international conference, and working part-time for psychological consultancies on a variety of projects. The key message is that you can be as involved as you want and there is something for everyone.

  • Small, Multicultural Cohort of Students

Previous OP Cohorts have typically been made up of around 20 students from Britain, Europe, and Asia. Hence, when studying at Sheffield, you will be interacting with a close group of people varying in age and nationality. I have found this experience to be invaluable as not only have I made friends from multiple countries around the world, I have also gained an immense appreciation of different cultural perspectives that have been shared in classroom discussions. 

  • Guest Speakers

An appealing aspect of the OP course at Sheffield is its wide network of alumni and notable academics. Over the past two months, we’ve had multiple guest speakers visit us to discuss contemporary issues in OP, their career paths, and the work they perform daily. These sessions have been crucial in gaining insight into the life of an occupational psychologist and have helped me to frame my career path. After each session, the guest speakers have been more than willing to individually advise us and have always provided us with a means of contacting them later. It is this type of friendly, supportive and informal atmosphere that draws people into the field. 

  • Applied Nature of the Course

By far the best thing about the OP course at Sheffield is its applied nature. Most OP courses primarily focus on the academic side of OP, whereas our course has multiple elements designed to develop your ability to use research and knowledge to solve real world issues. Numerous assignments have focused on hypothetical scenarios where we have to design solutions and support them with evidence, mapping what would be expected of a psychological consultant. The support I’ve received helping me to complete these assignments has really taken away my fear of applied work and has built my confidence in my consulting ability. Overall, preparing me to enter the world of work!

Productivity: Capitalising on your motivation or lack of it!

By Callum Van Dyk, MSc Occupational Psychology

During my first semester at University, I came across an approach to productivity that has enabled me to exponentially increase the amount of work I can complete in a day. Finding this approach has been of great benefit to me, so here are a few of the techniques I use on a daily basis to stay productive.

Breaking Down Projects

A key process in productivity is knowing exactly what to do next. It’s easy to treat an assignment as if it’s just one big task, however thinking like this depletes your motivation. By doing this you picture an assignment as a huge task that cannot be completed in one go. Fortunately, a little change can make you massively more productive!

Breakdown your projects into as many mini tasks as possible.

An assignment is not a task, it is a project made up of multiple tasks. That’s why this technique is highly effective because you’ve taken a single ambiguous project, and broken it down into smaller, less ambiguous tasks. Through doing this you’ll begin to discover that assignments contain fewer tasks than first thought. Also, this approach reduces the total time taken to complete a project because you aren’t spending time trying to figure out what to do next. 

Organising Tasks

A large element of productivity is capitalising on demotivation. By this I mean it is important to schedule doing certain tasks at times when you’re more motivated and doing other tasks for when you’re less motivated. This takes a little while to get to grips with, but it is crucial in becoming more productive. 

Categorise the difficulty of your tasks and know your energy levels.

By knowing these two things, you can schedule completing difficult tasks to when you are feeling motivated and have a lot of energy to tackle them. For example, I know that I am most productive between 11am and 3pm. Therefore, I attempt my most difficult tasks during that period (e.g. assignments) and complete any other tasks (e.g. correspondence) outside that period. 

Reviewing Tasks

I have about 10 reminders a day on my phone. This may seem like a lot but compared to how many other notifications I get, it is nothing. The reason that I have multiple reminders is because I am forgetful! I cannot remember everything I need to do and why I need to do those things. This is why I suggest…

Do a weekly review of your tasks and a daily review of your reminders. 

Every Monday I schedule my whole week by creating reminders for each day. These reminders are based on the tasks I need to complete. Every morning I review these reminders and ensure I complete them all by the end of the day. It does take a bit of practice to know the difficulty of your tasks and how many you can complete in a day, but I’ve found it to be well worthwhile. 

By following these few tips, you can find and capitalise on your motivation. If you want to go even further, I suggest you read the book Getting Things Done by David Allen (this is where I developed my approach).

Sheffield, one of the masterpieces of England

By Zipeng Zhou, MSc Marketing Management Practice

As an international student from China, I believe many international students like me are impressed by the charm of Sheffield. Sheffield is one of the masterpieces of England and there are many amazing sights in Sheffield whenever and wherever.

  1. Everyday beauty of Sheffield

As a student of the Management School, I think the charm of Sheffield starts from the first ray of sunshine at the school gate in the morning. The old school badge shines brightly in the sun, which makes me feel that the pioneers’ spirit of explored the truth is still well inherited since 1828 when the University of Sheffield was founded. 

At noon in Sheffield, the sky is blue, the clouds are white, and occasionally there is a rainbow after rain. What changes is the weather, and what does not change is the beauty of nature. As long as it’s sunny, you can see it everywhere in Sheffield. Imagine that you are sitting in a coffee shop, ordering a cappuccino or latte and looking out the window. Maybe that’s how life feels.

At sunset, students from the Diamond, the University of Sheffield’s library, are greeted by a fuchsia sunset. The setting sun and the lamplight of the steps echo each other, sketching an aesthetic picture of the fusion of nature and humanity. I believe that all students who study hard and seek the truth deserve to enjoy the beautiful sunset.

Throughout the day, you will find that the sun is the most competent decoration workers in Sheffield and it not only dotted the city day as well as night, but also living in this land to bring comfort to the people.

2. A trip to Sheffield

Sheffield is located in the heart of the whole of the UK, and it is very convenient for travellers to travel to other parts of the UK. Public transport in Sheffield is very convenient. In the morning before dawn, you can take the first trains to different cities.

Chatsworth House, not far from Sheffield, is a must-see attraction. On a rainy winter day, the staff of Chatsworth House, displaying the gentlemanly attitude of the English people, invited me to use the fireplace in Chatsworth House. This brings me back to the Dukes of Devonshire era. 

Walking into the magnificent and reserved hall of Chatsworth House, I was deeply impressed by the numerous precious paintings and furniture. I have also been to royal gardens or houses in France, Austria and other countries, but Chatsworth House is obviously different from those in these countries. Everywhere is a kind of astringent nobility, a kind of gentleman’s taste. It’s also a great place to take silhouette photos. Don’t forget, Chatsworth House is just one of Sheffield’s many attractions. I hope to share more of Sheffield with you.

My favourite places in Sheffield

By Vicky Xian, MSc Occupational Psychology

Sheffield is full of amazing places, from lush green parks to hidden little gems down every crevice. Here are some of my favourite places in Sheffield for anyone who has some spare time, wants some inspiration or would like to get to know the city on a more personal level. 

Crookes Valley Park 

This park is a stone’s throw away from most students’ front door. I walk past it most days, and I’m constantly awed by the colours, which changes depending on the season. My favourite season is summer, the vibrant colours of the sky, fields, and cherry blossoms are the perfect backdrop for a barbecue! This lovely photo and more like it can be found on the Instagram account: cmm__photo.

Made by Jonty Café 

This little café is found on Sharrowvale road, and was discovered one rough morning after a night out. This serves the best English fry up in town (in my opinion). What’s even more amazing is the breakfast is served all day, so even when dragging yourself out of bed well after noon you can still get your well-deserved fry up!

Botanical Gardens

These 19 acre gardens contain 18 different garden areas, including a beautiful large botanical greenhouse. This is free entry on most days, and in the summer it’s a great place to meet up with friends, and chill with food and music. Here’s a picture of the fountain and behind it the greenhouse: 

Steamyard Café. 

Although very popular, this café is still a gem in my eyes. The café is tucked in a little courtyard on Division Street. The coffee is excellent, but the atmosphere is even better. The coffee shop has an outdoor seating area and is great when there is good weather, but my personal favourite time is when it’s pouring it down with rain outside. Also, they provide a lot of options for vegans or vegetarians, which is great. There is one thing to consider though, it can get very very busy, but I’m not surprised as other people must agree with me! 

The Peaks

Do you have a day aside and a car? The peaks is a short drive away, and the drive itself can be jaw dropping. The green rolling hills can really take you away from city life, and maybe even distract you with its never ending grass peaks. Take a group of friends, some food and snacks, a flask of Yorkshire tea, and you can spend a good part of the afternoon hiking up the hills. In the summer the surroundings can drown you in stunning green. However, my personal best time is in the autumn, covered in vibrant purple ferns and with a setting sun it can really feel like a different world. The picture below includes a gorgeous view of Bamford Edge.