Meet our IEA - Sanchari

Hi, my name is Sanchari and I am from India. I come from a city named Kolkata and I’ve lived there my whole life until I came to Sheffield; which is possibly the best decision I ever made. I am currently studying Materials Science and Engineering. I have always wanted to study in a highly respected  global institution, especially one which is in the top 100. Coming from a middle-class family, the thought of studying overseas was just a dream to me, until it became a reality last year.

I chose to study Materials Science and Engineering because I basically wanted to know more about how the universe works. However, I didn’t want to just study Physics because I love Chemistry as well and I wanted to study something that is application based. This course provided me with everything I have been looking for. Materials Science has Physics, Chemistry and Engineering too, which was the perfect combination for me.

I have a myriad of reasons, why I chose to study at The University of Sheffield. Firstly, my department is closely integrated with leading industries and I thought that would really be helpful for me. It would give me an insight into real world applications and how everything actually works in industry. Secondly, the staff student ratio is 1:2 which meant there would be more interaction with professors and I would be able to get more help. Thirdly, when I checked the statistics I saw that there was 100% employment of the graduates from my department last year which was a great incentive for me. Lastly, the city itself. Sheffield is such a friendly, green, safe and cheap city. Being an international student, the cost really mattered to me and the fact that Sheffield was cheaper than any other cities in UK motivated me more to choose this University.

After I came here, I did not regret my decision at all, it was everything I had hoped it would be, even exceeding my expectations. The Diamond building needs a special mention here because it is truly a most fascinating building. Most of my labs take place in the Diamond which is pretty exciting because I have access to use all the latest equipment that is used in the real world. We have such interesting labs too. My favourite has to be the one where I made a minion through sand casting of aluminium. In addition to this there are numerous facilities provided by the University such as a great Student Advice centre, SSiD, the Student JobShop and the Students’ Union which is like a one-stop solution to all your problems. There are also huge libraries (Western Bank, Information Commons and the Diamond) which are a great help to any student here.

What I like most about my department is that I have a personal tutor. We meet weekly and for someone who can’t voice their problems loudly in the lecture theatres, it is really helpful to have an opportunity for a one to one, with an opportunity to ask questions. We also had a Skills Week where I got the chance to visit Guardian Glass which is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of some glass products. I was awestruck seeing all the procedures and the magnitude of the processing. I learnt a lot from it and it inspired me to do further research on glass.

If you think coming here would only restrict you to a life of studying, then you would be wrong. The University of Sheffield not only provides you with great academic facilities but it also provides students with lots of opportunities to develop a variety of skills, even to pursue your passions. There are so many varied extracurricular activities available with over 300 societies to choose from. All in all, Sheffield actually helps your personal growth and development on so many levels, academically, culturally and socially.

Meet our IEA - Anton

My name is Anton and I am currently a second-year student, studying MEng Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Sheffield. Originally, I am from Russia, but I have lived and studied in Cyprus from 2010 until 2016. My parents had an opportunity to send me to Cyprus to get British education with a future aim of obtaining a degree in UK.  I successfully completed my IGCSEs in American Academy Limassol and my A-Levels in the Institute of Maths and Sciences.

When I was choosing universities via UCAS, I decided to make the University of Sheffield my firm choice because the Department of Materials Science and Engineering was ranked in the Top 10 universities of UK. My decision was affected by comments of students that this course before, level of research and level of employability after graduation. This year our department has been ranked second in the UK in the Times Good University Guide 2018 and this proves that it is one of the top providers of the course.

My course provides the opportunity to work in groups and individually. The quality of teaching is great, and lecturers are keen to provide feedback on your work in order to facilitate your personal development. In the first year, you will be assigned to a tutor who will organise either group or one-to-one sessions that can make a crucial difference in understanding of a certain topic. In addition, one of the most important aspects of my course is lab work. Almost every week I had a hands-on practical related to materials science and to be honest they were very useful in consolidating knowledge from lectures. Also, the department organises visits to different companies so that students can see how their knowledge can be applied in practice and why it is important in industry.

Starting from the first year, you can get involved in various student-led projects that will stand out in your CV once you will apply for internships or graduate placements.  Sheffield bears a long history in materials science due to large-scale production of steel and invention of stainless steel. Besides that, it is one of the greenest cities in the UK and it is a neighbour to a beautiful national park called “Peak District”. The city has many cultural places and attractions such as theatres, museums and parks. Moreover, the university offers a variety of indoors and outdoors sports that can satisfy anyone’s choice.

The Student Union has been ranked 1st in the UK for the eighth consecutive year for a good reason. This is the place where you can get support in your social life, education and even personal issues. The Diamond building provides superb facilities for doing any project work, laboratory work, organising activities for student societies and much more. In case you encounter any difficulties in your studies, you will be able to get support from a 301 Workshop that operates opposite to the Student’s Union.

After my degree at Sheffield, I plan to be involved in research of materials for either nuclear fusion reactors or advanced manufacturing technologies as a PhD student. I aim to climb a career ladder to the position of a R&D Director or start my own business venture with my friends. To all prospective students, I would recommend having ambitious goals and work hard to achieve them because the university is a place where your dreams can really come true! Enjoy every moment at the University and make it count!