Rachel Blazucki

Home University: University of Maryland
Home University Degree Title: English Literature and Linguistics

Why did you choose Sheffield?

I chose Sheffield because it was offered as part of an exchange program through my home university.

Where did you live?

Endcliffe Vale Flats

Did you join any societies or clubs at Sheffield?

Yes, I joined the cheerleading squad. I´d never done cheerleading before and I thought I´d give it a go. It turned out to be a really good decision because even though in the end I was a substitute, I made lots of friends and had a lot of fun. I highly recommend joining a sports team. You don´t have to be an expert at a sport, and you can try anything! Practices are usually only twice a week or so, and you really meet a lot of people and it´s a lot of fun.

What did you do for fun/ at weekends?

I went travelling a lot. Flights are so much cheaper and you can go basically anywhere! With cheerleading, we had games to go to and that was always fun. Mostly I just went out with my friends to clubs or parties. There was almost always something going on.

Which department(s) did you study in?

English Language and Linguistics and English Literature

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

The workload does vary quite a bit to what I had at UMD. During the term, you don´t have much work, so it´s a lot easier to slack off. But when it comes to exam time, your exams count for a lot more. Usually there would be one piece of coursework worth about 30 - 50% and then the exam is worth 70-50% of your grade. There usually weren´t intermediate tests or midterms, so it all landed on the final. So while you might not have work during term time, don´t slack off, because it´s much easier to do well on the final if you´ve been to all the lectures and are doing all the reading. In my literature classes, there were only two papers to do, one shorter worth 40% and one longer worth 60%. Again, if you only have two papers, you´d think it´s less work, but the papers are graded very diligently, so it´s just as much work as if you´d had 4 papers during the term. Other than having less coursework and more pressure at exam time, the teaching styles themselves didn´t vary. There was still a lecture or two and a seminar every week for each class, and the professors lecture in very much the same way.

Describe Sheffield in a short paragraph

Sheffield is a really nice city, there´s everything you would need within walking distance. The students are friendly and I´ve made really good friends. It´s about a half hour walk from Endcliffe Village to the University, so just keep that in mind when choosing accommodation. I personally love the walk; it´s really pleasant. There´s lots of shops and plenty of places to eat. There are loads of clubs, and I usually go to the ones at the Union which are good and pretty inexpensive. Sheffield is pretty green as well; there are a lot of parks to walk through on a nice day. However, it does rain a lot, so make sure you bring an umbrella and some rain boots. Once it gets to spring time, though, it rains less and is, for the most part, bright and sunny, so that was nice.

If you could give advice to a prospective student thinking of choosing Sheffield, what would you say?

Definitely do International Week. I made a lot of friends and got to know Sheffield before all the freshmen came. Studying at Sheffield was a really great experience for me. You find out about what people in other countries think and how their views might be different from yours, especially since you meet people from all over the world in International Week. I´ve learned so much studying abroad at the University of Sheffield, both in and out of the classroom. I´ve gained a lot of independence and it really opened my eyes to the rest of the world. Make the most of your time. Travel as much as you can. Don´t stick with people from your own country. It might be easier to start off with, but the English students and international students from other parts of the world are so friendly and you can learn so much about other people´s cultures. In fact, you learn a lot about your own country through listening to other´s views about your culture, customs, and politics.

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.

I wish I had known the exchange rate would come down so much. I paid for my accommodation when the exchange rate was at it´s highest, about $1.90 to the pound. So, just don´t pay for everything at once. Also, I came over with a cashier´s check that would be spending money for food and everything for the first term and that was also exchanged at the least desirable time. I would have also joined the gym first term and done a year membership. They usually have specials if you join within the first 2 weeks or something and it´s a lot cheaper.