1st Year at The University of Sheffield by Ioan-Alexandru Herdea

My First Year as an Engineer Student at The University of Sheffield

In my country, Romania, we have a word when something is super mega extraordinary. Concrete. Yes you read it correctly. My first year at Uni was “concrete”.

When I returned to my home country, I had to answer a stream of endless questions, one of the most common being: “What is your life like there?” All my family and friends were eager to find out about my journey and to be honest I didn’t expect it to be so hard to answer them. There were so many things to say, and I soon realised that this would be useful to tell others who were also thinking about studying in the UK. I’d like to share this with you now.

I still remember that my first week in Sheffield baffled me, especially my assumptions about British weather. Just to clarify, I had never been to the UK before and I arrived to a surprisingly sunny week with an average of 16 degrees. It was so perfect, I couldn’t ask for a better start to my 5 Years at University. Then came all the formal activities. Registration, where I had to queue up in Goodwin Hall to and show documentation including my A Levels Diploma, English Exam Proof, my Student Loan confirmation letter and so on. I soon found out that this very same hall was where some exams were held later in the semester too.

After the formalities of registration the fun can begin. During Intro Week you can attend different types of Fairs in the Octagon Centre. Firstly, there is a fair which is run by all the societies that exist here. You can even find your country’s society. I found mine, RoSoc (Romanian Society), but there are many many others such as PakSociety, Arab Society, German Society, the list goes on! There are so many things to choose from such as the International Students Committee, The Women in Engineering Society and not to forget International Engineering Ambassadors (IEAs). There is also a Sports Fair organised by the University Sport Clubs. There are a lot of clubs to choose from including Squash, Swimming and Water Polo, Cycling and last but not least our highly regarded Ice Hockey Club. The ice hockey club is so crucial because every Varsity ends with an Ice Hockey Team game.  To find out about this thrilling game read one of our previous blogs here.

Most of your time will be spent in The Diamond if you are studying engineering. It is a huge cubic, diamond shaped building situated next to a church. Apparently, it cost (please keep calm) 81 Million Pounds. Quoting “the University of Sheffield’s largest ever investment in teaching and learning“. Honestly, it is an amazing place, moreover it is open 24/7, which is very useful when you suddenly remember that you have an assignment due the following day. The lectures mainly take place in the same building and every lecture theatre is equipped with 3 projector panels, 3 brand new projectors and Bose sound systems. Lecture Theatre One is the biggest room in The Diamond with 400+ places, 3 huge 3D video projectors and the same Bose speakers. The Diamond also has cheese-wheel shaped Computer Rooms which are supposed to look like the moon. Personally, I always see them as a Tom & Jerry cheese wheel.

Now, what more can I tell you? Before exams, we are given time to study and during revision week, you really have to be ambitious if you want to study in one of the University’s buildings. Sometimes it can be hard to find a space to study as it gets very busy. I did some revision at home and occasionally got together with my classmates to study together in a lecture theatre. It is very important to order any books from the library well in advance so you are not disappointed. Otherwise you will end up using hundreds of Gigabytes on the internet looking at Youtube, Wiki-How, WolframAlpha, KhanAcademy and other websites for studying. There is no point in buying the books if you can borrow them for free.

I play squash for the University team. This means that every Wednesday I travel across the country to play in the University BUCS League against other Universities and finish the day with a well-deserved Squash Social in ROAR. It is really good fun to be part of a sports club. Going to other cities to try and beat other teams and finally coming back to Sheffield victorious, is a great feeling. Let me explain about ROAR, every Sheffield student knows that on Wednesdays, the Foundry club in the Students’ Union hosts a sports party called ROAR (see photo of Roary the Lion our mascot)  It’s a great party and I have many fantastic memories of some wonderful times.

Finally, as a Fresher, you will hear things like “You are a Fresher, you are allowed to skip lectures!” or “The first year doesn’t count towards the final grade!” or “Come on…there’s plenty of time before the exams!” Yes, all of this may be true, but you should bear in mind that modules are designed in a 30:70 split. This means 30% of your module is taught  in class and 70% is independent learning. As you may know, the minimum passing grade is 40% but everyone wants to do better than that. Sometimes you will have to take a break from the parties and focus on studying. Otherwise you will get behind and could end up having too much to learn in a very short period of time. But this doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and make new friends and socialise,  you should  just need to manage your time carefully to make the most of what student life has to offer.

Career Fairs

A key part of coming to university is the future job prospects that it offers and its employer
reputation. A student coming in has to eventually graduate and look out for graduate jobs in
the real world. This requires extensive amounts of time commitment to job applications,
tailoring your application to the job requirements of the company. After sending in
applications, a series of online tests may be used by employers in order to assess general
numerical, verbal, and technical skills. Thereafter, the employers may use a telephone/video
interview before proceeding onto assessment centres. Over here at The University of Sheffield,
the Careers Service places important emphasis on future job prospects by arranging regular
departmental career fairs to aid students in finding companies of interest where they may wish
to apply for graduate jobs.

Such career fairs are basically an opportunity to meet with employers in an informal setting and
learn about job and internship opportunities offered by companies, government agencies, and
non-profit organizations where you might like to work. I have personally gone to the
Engineering Graduate Recruitment & Placement Fair, which was a truly rewarding experience.
At the fair, I had a chance to meet with prospective companies to get an insight into what sort
of industries they cover, and what sort of work they do. Current employees of companies are
also present who provide a better insight into the company from a personal point of view, and
explain the sort of work you as an intern or a graduate would be doing in the company
according to your chosen field of work.
In turn, this two-way communication leads to networking with employees in the company, and
if all goes well you may ask for their email address or their LinkedIn profile so that you may
connect with them after the fair by dropping them a message and reminding them of who you
are. Via this networking, you may also be able to get your application checked from them
before submitting, along with putting their name down as an employee reference whilst making
your application. This would allow for the employee to put in a good word for you when asked
by the HR department of the company regarding how they know you.

Therefore, such career fairs also provide you with a great opportunity to network and
potentially get a reference for your applications. In addition, when giving
interviews/assessment centres for the company, such in-depth knowledge about the company
given by current employers gives you a chance to talk about your understanding of the
company and how you could fit in well within the company and benefit them.
Thus, career fairs provide an invaluable opportunity for students to gain from companies and
get a better insight into their operations. Career fairs are certainly not an opportunity to miss!

The Ghost of Western Bank Library

Photo credits

On the night of 2^nd March 2016 at precisely 11:47 p.m. a terrifying warning surrounded the silent dark room on the 4^th floor of the Western Bank Library. ‘Leave because if you don’t the WBL ghost will haunt you for the rest of the night,’ resonated throughout the space.

Sometime in mid-November 2015, I came across a job opportunity – little did I know that this would turn out to be a chapter of my university life that I would never dare to forget. ‘Naïve’ as I was, I applied for the post and then successfully went through an hour long interview to land my first job as the facilities assistant at the Western Bank Library. The timings worked well with my university schedule as I had to work later in the evenings rather than to compromise my study time.

On a Friday afternoon, I met with my supervisor who first asked me if I would like some tea. I politely declined because I had never tasted tea in my life – yes shocker of the year! He then explained to me the role and suggested I come for some observation sessions before I can undertake the role by myself. Part of the job included locking up the facility after ensuring that all library users had vacated the premises. That meant I was going to be the only person lingering around the empty library in darkness once I switched off the main lights.

I had never used the facilities at the WBL – after all who would want to leave The Diamond anyway? On my first day, like any other good new employee would, I showed up almost 30 minutes earlier. I met up with another senior from whom I was to take over the shift when time came. Again, the first thing he asked me was if I would like some tea. We chatted for a while until Chris, the senior I was supposed to ‘shadow’ for the evening, showed up. The first question he too asked me was – yes, you guessed it right – ‘Would you like some tea.’ Clearly, the British love for tea is as real as it can get.

Once he had emptied his hot cup of tea we got to business. He took me around for a quick tour of the facilities. For those who say the Mapping building is the mother of maze buildings, I’d like to say I just met her favourite son. The WBL is filled with 5 floors of endless racks and shelves of books. While walking through the second floor I momentarily recalled the scene from the famous Harry Potter series where the trio walked through the Hall of Prophecy. The library has everything – from Japanese newspapers from the 1980s to books on modern technology. It is like a catalogue of knowledge that simply awaits being read.

Photo credits

One of the best parts about the University of Sheffield is that here the students and locals integrate into each other’s lives so effortlessly and the WBL is it best example to give. The library is open to both the university students and the locals. In fact, many a times, you can find the students having a nice chat with the locals in the lounge area.

Anyway getting back to my story…

Before I knew it, all the ‘chilling’ was over and it was time to start the hour long routine that ensured the safety of the premises and more importantly, the precious books it has beheld for all these years. We jumped floor to floor in a rather complex mechanism; the details of which I will spare you. After ringing the last alarm at 11:45, we made way to the fourth floor; the most popular floor amongst students. Surprisingly though, it was as empty as my wallet before pay day. We had just finished closing the curtains and switching off the lights and were making way towards the central door when my eyes caught a glimpse of something strange.

Within a split second, everything we had done in the past hour quickly flashed through my mind and I also did a quick mental check to ensure that no one was missed out while vacating. Then a sudden alarming sentence rang in my mind as my eyes moved left to right reading every word that I saw in front of me in the dim light coming from the hallway.

‘Before you leave, shout into the room to ensure that no one is left back,’ were the instructions my eye had just caught onto from the lock up procedure written on the paper I was handed earlier that night. I immediately turned back rolling my eyes.

‘Leave because if you don’t the WBL ghost will haunt you for the rest of the night,’ I shouted sarcastically into the pitch black void. Chris who was quietly observing me since I had made a sudden stop while exiting the room burst into laughter and commented on how hysterical I was.

I know this is such an anticlimax for all you thriller lovers. However, the point of this story was not to waste your time but to rather share yet another amazing chapter of my university life. Here at Sheffield, all that I could ask for, except for the cold weather to disappear, is being served right into my plate. I wanted a job that fitted around my university schedule and to work with some fun loving individuals. All my needs were matched exactly thanks to the array of services offered by the university. Further, my supervisors and the people I work with are warm – just like their tea – and welcoming. I didn’t need to worry a single bit about how I would manage the role because I received first hand on-the-job training from experienced peers. Lastly, the job is within the campus which makes it more credible and my safety is kept at the top of the priorities with the women night safety bus that drops me right at my door step at 0030 when my shift gets over.

Now, if you ever happen to come to Sheffield or to come across this ‘big fat’ rumor about the ghost that haunts the WBL you know how it started – then again, who knows?

International Students' Committee AGM!

Standing for the position of Events Officer 

At the end of every academic year, AGM season approaches; societies hold their annual general meetings to elect new members into their committee for the next year. Competition can be fierce and last Thursday 23^rd April was the much anticipated day of the International Students’ Committee AGM where fifteen new executive committee members were elected for the forthcoming year. Each of these new members had to prove themselves through a minute long speech and a question-answer round in front of an audience of approximately 150 people. Each committee member holds a title and will carry out certain tasks during the next year to aid in the ISC’s events and activities. Roles include the Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Events Officer, Campaign and Inclusions Officer, Publicity Officer, Media and PR Officer and so on. Each year, the ISC aims to promote the diversity of students at the University of Sheffield through their events.

Most of the highlights of my “fresher’s experience” have been at ISC events (as you can tell from my previous blog posts of World Week and ICE) which is why I stood for the position of Events Officer at the AGM on Thursday. I’m happy to say I am elected as the one of the two Events Officers for the year 2015-16 for the ISC. I can’t wait to start working in the committee and create events that may be the highlights of someone else’s first year here (maybe some of you reading this)!

ISC’s next big event is the World Food Festival happening over two days in May. Over 12 national societies will take part in this festival, showcasing their traditional cuisines all under one roof! The festival is happening from 9^th to 10^th May at the Octagon Centre so make sure you don’t miss out :)

Meet your newly elected International Students' Committee for the year 2015-16!

International Cultural Evening – ICE 2015!

By: Saylee Jangam

On March 7^th2015, the International Students’ Committee organised by far the best night of the year – the International Cultural Evening. It was an evening of dance and music performances by students from all years ranging from different countries all coming together to celebrate the cultural diversity here at the University of Sheffield. Ten national societies performed and the Indian Society for which I was performing, won first place! Sri Lankan Society came in second followed by PakSoc, which placed third. All the performances had been rehearsed for weeks prior to the event so the excitement was built up amongst the participants and this definitely came across on stage as the audience too joined in by cheering them on.

The event was hosted by University graduates/Youtubers Munya and Laura (Subscribe to them if you haven’t already!) at the Sheffield City Hall and was this year, open to the general public to come watch. After weeks of preparation and dance rehearsals, it was finally time to get on stage and just dance. My experience of working in a team as part of the IndianSoc was amazing, there were nights where we would stay back and discuss costumes for hours and have impromptu dinners. Over just a month, I got to know so many more people from the IndianSoc as well as the ISC and Sri Lankan Soc. The vibe that evening was all worth the time spent rehearsing after lectures. And what’s even better is the company I’ve met along the way.

As we celebrated our victory that evening, we were randomly stopped by two people on the street who recognised us from our performance and congratulated us – hands down the best feeling ever!

ICE was a massive success this year and I eagerly look forward to the next time I can get involved! Here’s to ICE 2016 and to everyone that performed this year!

Youtube Links for the performances:

Indian Society
Sri Lankan Society
Pakistan Society