University of Sheffield - Ask a current student

Hey everyone!

I'm Jacki (if you didn't guess ) and I've just finished my first year at the University of Sheffield studying Law and Criminology. If you have any questions about accomodation/the uni/ nightlife.... anything really I'll do my best to answer them  Just leave them on here or on my page

xxx

Hi Jacki,

I've just read your post and you seem very nice, so I'd like to ask you one or two questions - although they may seem foolish to you ;).

I'm going to Sheffield this year and of course I'm excited about going to uni - especially since I'm German and so I really have no idea what uni is like in England. What I wonder about the most are the classes. Could you tell me how they are? I want to know more about how many people there are usually in a class (I want to study Psychology), whether you participate during class or just take grades for the exams, whether you get some kind of handout beforehand and just add some things or really take notes during the whole class and whether students normally just use student's blocks or notebooks to take notes in class.

I know these question must sound ridiculous to you, but I've really wondered about these things and I'd be really glad if you could help me.

Julia 

aww no they're not ridiculous!!

ok well firstly the sorts of "classes" you have will depend on the subject although I think psychology is lectures and seminars. Lectures can be hundreds of students, but it is just a lecturer talking at you..... you dont actually contribute, you just listen and take notes (most people just take a notepad rather than a laptop, and they usually put the lecture slides up on the internet before the lecture so you can print them off and take notes on them instead if you like). Seminars are more like traditional classes. You will be given work to do beforehand (usually put up on the internet) and it'll be a few questions for you to think about/ or something to research. Then in the seminar you'll discuss your answers/ what you've found Seminars are much smaller groups.... in law it is about 15 in a set, although the amount of people who actually turn up varies

Hope that helps

xxx

Yeah, your answers helped me really much. It's much better to have an idea of what to expect - and till now I had none . You really made me calmer and not feeling that foolish anymore..   

I hope you don't mind me spamming you if I should have any further questions

Julia 

Hi Jacki,

I've a new question to you already. I was just looking at the modules and so on and also found a some kind of timetable:

http://www-online.shef.ac.uk:3001/live/owa/web_tt.timetable?dept_code=PSY&dept_name=Psychology#PSY101

I actually just have two questions to this. How do tutorials work (I guessed, like a seminar, but I have no idea at all again . And second thing I wanted to ask (donno whether you know, but I thought I just try): Do I need to take every single item listed or do they include the same content and just a different lecturer? And if I have to attend all of them, will I learn still which one is in which week?

Guess, that's pretty confusing... I am confused on my own

Julia 

ignore that timetable. When you start the year they'll put one up on the website (they have a thing called MOLE- my online learning environment which you sign into and your modules are on there) and it's much easier to work it out from the one they give you. You will do maybe 4 modules in each of the 2 semesters, and will have lectures and seminars for each module. Lectures will be a few hours a week and the lecturer can vary. Seminars are usually two hours, with perhaps 3 or 4 in each semester (one every few weeks) for each module. Generally lectures have a set outline and this will be on MOLE too so you will only have to take the stuff they're covering in that lecture. Your lectures times may vary from week to week but again this will all be on the timetable they give you and finally tutorials.... hmm.... well Ive never had them but I'll try and find out what sort of stuff you do in them..... give me a few mins! xxx

can you access this link? :

http://www.shef.ac.uk/content/1/c6/05/94/38/level%201%20Semester%201.pdf

Thank you really much helping me so much - not just regarding my questions, but also just being there. It feels good to know that I'm not going to Sheffield without knowing anyone and anything. So thanks again for your support and your welcoming way of being - and talk to you at last when the next question appears

hehe you're welcome.... I get sent an email whenever someone posts on here and I was already on msn so just came on here

Have you applied for halls? Yeah they are pretty good but can get pricey! xxx