The people of Sheffield are the kindest, most pleasant and helpful set of people

The UK offers one of the best educational systems and some of the best study opportunities in the world

I chose the UK as my place of study, mainly because of first-hand testimonials from family members who live and previously did their University courses in the UK. I also did my research and saw that the UK was ranked highly for the best educational system and opportunities. It was also a chance to experience university life in another country, as I have only previously studied in Jamaica.

My course seemed suitable for the broad career path that I want to embark on

In the latter years of my bachelors degree, my interest shifted from the technical side of IT to more of a managerial role, so in searching for a masters course, I wanted a course that reflected that. While applying, I read the details of each module and some of them were familiar as I touched on a few while completing my bachelors degree. The entire course seemed like it would be more suitable for the broad career path that I want to embark on.

A masters degree will place me one step ahead of the competition

Before starting my masters, I was in between temporary jobs. I graduated from my bachelors degree in 2020 and it was challenging to land a permanent job over the three year period due to the competitive nature of the job market in Jamaica. I believe that having a masters degree will place me one step ahead of the competition and I am also able to advance my knowledge and motivate myself academically to do things that I thought I could not do (such as reading over 20 articles to write a 3000 word essay!).

I quickly made new friends and realised I didn't need to be as worried as I was

Before starting my studies, I thought I was not mature enough as I always associated masters degrees with students who were older and far more advanced in their lives (silly me!). I was 23 when I started in September 2023 and, when I got here, I realised my thoughts were the complete opposite.

I also thought I would stand out too much as a black person because I was told that Sheffield was a majority white city. When I got here though, I was not treated as an outcast and I attended a few socials held specifically for black students and met some new friends.

Orientation Week was a great way to make friends

At the start of the academic year, we had a week or two of welcome activities and orientation and I believe that was a great way to make friends and possibly remove any feeling of anxiety or nervousness due to being in a new country and school. I stayed in contact with a few of the individuals I met within those first weeks and we get together sometimes to eat or visit cafes. Recently I visited a cat cafe with one of the people I met during that week and it was a really great experience as we both share a love for animals. I also attend church - some of the people there attend University as well and we have frequent social activities as a means to get to know each other.

The people of Sheffield are the kindest, most pleasant and helpful set of people

My favourite thing about the city of Sheffield is the people. They are the absolute kindest, most pleasant and helpful set of people. I am not one to willingly ask strangers for help if I may be lost but so far, I have done it a lot (especially when I got lost while on a bus going in the complete opposite direction from my destination!). The passengers on the bus were so helpful and one in particular ensured that when I came off, I went to the correct bus stop. The academic staff at the University are also always willing to help, and I really enjoy being in groups with people from different countries and experiencing their way of thinking and approach to work.

Through my degree, I have developed my communication skills

I have developed a soft skill which is communication. It may sound simple but being in a class with people who have English as their second or third language, you have to know how to structure a sentence in multiple different ways to aid the flow of the conversation so they can understand. This has also improved my use of the English language.

My advice for future students

Be prepared to do lots of reading. Be prepared to do math because I wasn’t! I figured there would be some, but not to the extent to which I learned in one of my modules. But don’t be frightened, it's not as bad as I probably made it sound, you will do great. If you think something looks hard, just try it first and then leave your review. Step out of your comfort zone and try new things. You wont know the difficulty level until you try it.