Top tips for new students

Hi, my name is Eleanor and I’m a first year applied social sciences student.

I’m going to explain what your first couple of months at the Sheffield Methods Institute may look like and what to look forward to. I'll also give you my top three tips for new students.

When you start at the Sheffield Methods Institute there will be an introduction week which will allow you to meet all the staff in the institute as well as your fellow students. I really enjoyed this as it allowed me to meet some of my closest friends.

Don’t be afraid to talk to each other as good friendships can come from introduction week.

Eleanor

Applied Social Sciences BA

After introduction week you will start lectures and seminars, this may seem scary at first but everyone is in the same boat. I really liked going to my lectures, as you gain vital information from lecturers however you also gain great insight from your fellow students.

I really loved my applied social science lectures as they are based around group work and communication where you can widen your knowledge on subjects. These lectures have allowed us to carry out our own research and this has allowed me to realise where my passion lies in terms of research areas.

Moreover, what I enjoyed most about SMI is that it’s a smaller department, which means that everyone knows everyone else. This means that staff know when you’re not there and check up on you to ensure your wellbeing is okay. This also means that you can talk to any of the staff as they know you and care about you. Finally, what I enjoyed most about my first few months of the course was picking my modules and having such a range to choose from.

Here are my 3 top tips for new Applied Social Sciences students:

1. Get a zoom card – this makes travel around Sheffield very cheap, 80p to go anywhere!
2. Talk to your tutor if you need help or are worried about anything. They are there to help with anything so don’t be afraid to talk to them.
3. Pick modules which you are interested in, this will allow you to engage more in lectures as you have a passion for the subject.