Courtney Ensor

Home University: University of Wollongong
Departments of Study in Sheffield: Mathematics, Law

Where did you live?

While in Sheffield I lived at Halifax Hall of Residence, about a 30 minute walk from the centre of the University. I highly recommend catered halls as it is easy to meet other students and form strong friendships. While the self-catered flats may have greater appeal for students wanting to prepare their own meals, I would still advise all students to investigate the catered halls option as it is honestly far easier to meet people.

Almost half of the students at Halifax were international which allowed me to make friends with many British students as well as those from all over the world. I found this extremely beneficial as on weekends I would travel with other international students to see the sights of England.

How does the workload/classes/teaching styles vary to back at home?

For the Maths subjects I had no tutorials, no assignments and no compulsory homework but a 100% exam for each subject. I found the course material and the lecturing styles quite comparable with those at my home university and had no great difficulty in succeeding in these subjects.

Within the Law faculty lectures and seminars were held for some classes, yet others only featured seminars. The quantity of reading was quite high but not excessively more than at my home university. A lot of preparation was expected for each seminar with students being required to present questions to the rest of the group.

What did you do for fun/ at weekends?

The location of Sheffield is a perfect starting point from which to visit many major cities and tourist sights in England. It is only a short trip to Manchester, Leeds, York or Liverpool as well as being adjacent to the exceptionally beautiful Peak District, a national park area which proved stunning in all seasons. The national rail and bus services are well run and operate smoothly even if reasonably expensive by Australian standards. Rail tickets can conveniently be bought online. The train trip to London takes around two and a half hours and is quite a comfortable journey.

I visited 14 countries by doing two Contiki tours and some solo travelling. The tours were well organised and took away the hassle of having to arrange everything yourself but I also enjoyed the freedom of travelling alone at times. European hostels vary in levels of comfort and hygiene but are generally a good option for the money conscious traveller as they provide a bed and also the opportunity to meet other tourists. Alternatively tourist class hotels, while overpriced for what you get, offer more privacy and much better luggage security.

Could you give any advice or tips to a student preparing to come to Sheffield or tell them anything you wished you knew in advance.

Personal maintenance costs vary according to the individual and I found ways to make my money last longer, i.e. bakeries can be a cheap lunch source. Casual work may be sought if when encountering customs you seek the prohibition on working to be waived. Although I did not work while overseas, since I wished to travel as much as possible, friends who were on exchange did work and had no trouble finding jobs. Living off the pound is obviously cheaper than the converted dollar.

The adjustment I found the most difficult to come to terms with was the weather. Although it doesn´t snow every year in Sheffield while I was there it did snow during February. Every building is heated, requiring you to continually add on and take of layers of clothes as you exit and enter buildings. At first a novelty, I soon found the constant cold unpleasant but I must stress that this was a personal experience as I normally prefer hot weather.

Pack lightly. No, really pack lightly. Sounds obvious but shipping stuff home is exorbitantly expensive and you will want to bring home souvenirs.

Bring postcards or photos of where you are from to give to new friends when you are leaving. You can write a note and your contact details on the back – they make great presents.

Take the opportunity to travel as much as you can within your time and money constraints.

Have a variety of money options, i.e. currency, credit card, debit card, travellers cheques. Consider opening a bank account overseas, particularly if you are going to be working.

You will have the time of your life!