All posts by Samantha Jane Logan

Editor of the International Students' Bulletin.
Social activities

Join SHU GoGlobal

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SHU GoGlobal is a Facebook group for all Sheffield Hallam students who want to meet new people and experience other cultures.

Be the first to find out about social events, trips, extracurricular projects and volunteer work. You’ll expand your horizons, make new friends, and potentially gain some life-changing experiences. It’s all about bringing people together.

1.Increase your social network
One of the most unique things about studying at university is meeting people from all around the world. We have students from 120 countries, living, working and playing together. We’ll help you make friendships that will enrich your life – while you’re here, and in the future.

2.Boost your employability
The more people you know from other countries, the better your career chances when you graduate. In today’s globalised world, employers look for people who can demonstrate cultural awareness.

3.Spend time abroad
Want to study, work or volunteer abroad during your time here? We can help you make connections. You get to travel, experience another culture and improve your communication skills. Whether you’re from the UK or an international student, ask us about the opportunities available to you.

Join the Facebook group now.

 

Support

UKBA Scams – Beware!

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We would like to make you aware that the following scam is still continuing in the UK. Students, particularly Indian students, at a number of UK universities have received calls from individuals who claim they work for the UK Border Agency, giving a false name and a return phone number.

These calls are not from the UK Border Agency. The caller may appear to be genuine and convincing and explain that there is a serious problem with your immigration status, and that you need to send a payment as soon as possible to prevent further action including deportation. They may also ask you for details of your visa.

If you believe that you received a suspicious call or e-mail, or come across a suspicious website:

Welcome

This week’s news

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Monday 1 September 2014  
Support
Employability
  • Are you interested in working full-time in the UK after you graduate? Attend Working in the UK after studies sessions to find out about Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 5 visa routes.
  • Are you a current student? Would you like to help a new international student to settle in and gain and volunteering experience to add to your CV? Apply to become a mentor for Culture Connect.
Social
  • Would you like to meet new people and experience other cultures? Join SHU GoGlobal, a Facebook group for Sheffield Hallam students.
  • Are you a new international student? Do you want to learn about other cultures, improve your language skills and settle into UK life? Apply to become a mentee and get support from a Culture Connect mentor.
Immigration
  • Is your visa due to expire soon? We remind you about the importance of attending a group session with an international student adviser.
  • Are you currently studying for a PhD or Professional Doctorate at SHU on a Tier 4 visa? You may be able to apply for the Doctorate Extension Scheme which provides you with an additional 12 months in the UK to gain further experience in your chosen field.
Student voice
Team

Best wishes,

International Student Support Team 
Social activities

Apply to become a mentee

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Are you a new international student?  Would you like to learn about other cultures, improve your language skills and settle into UK life?

Apply to become a mentee for Culture Connect peer mentoring scheme*. There are a wide range of social projects, clubs and support available to you on campus and in Sheffield. This is an opportunity to enhance your social life, improve your English and learn about different cultures.

You could discuss

  • ways to meet British students, other international students and local people
  • British culture and differences from your home country
  • extracurricular activities and community events
  • small talk and making friends
  • other places to get support

As a  mentee (student being mentored/ helped) you will meet your mentor (student doing the mentoring/ helping), regularly at university, a local cafe or other venue of choice. Being a mentee involves sharing your experiences with your mentor, two-way learning and being open to challenge where necessary.

There will be regular training opportunities and networking events to support you.  As a volunteer for the university, you are eligible to apply for the Hallam Award, which is highly regarded by employers.

Read some student case studies about the scheme and apply for the scheme. The deadline to apply is Wednesday 8 October at 5pm

*Please note: places are strictly limited. If you do not get selected, there may be other opportunities later in the year.

Employability

Apply to become a mentor

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Are you a current student? Would you like to help a new international student to settle in and gain volunteering experience to add to your CV? 

Apply to become a volunteer mentor for Culture Connect peer mentoring scheme*. This is an opportunity to improve your communication skills and learn about another student’s culture by sharing your experiences as a student at Sheffield Hallam.

 As a mentor (student doing the mentoring/ helping), you will meet your mentee (student being mentored/ helped) regularly at university, a local cafe or other venue of choice. You will help your mentee talk things through, while demonstrating listening skills and challenging their assumptions where necessary.

Your mentee may wish to discuss

  • ways to meet British students, other international students and local people
  • British culture and differences from their home country
  • extracurricular activities and community events
  • small talk and making friends
  • other places to get support

 There are a wide range of social projects, clubs and support available to international students on campus and in Sheffield, which you can sign-post your mentee to.

There will be regular training opportunities and networking events to support you. You will develop your coaching and mentoring skills. As a volunteer for the university, you are eligible to apply for the Hallam Award, which is highly regarded by employers.

Read some student case studies about the scheme and apply for the scheme. The deadline to apply is Wednesday 8 October at 5pm

*Please note: places are strictly limited. If you are not selected there may be other opportunities later in the year.

Immigration

Doctorate Extension Scheme

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Are you currently studying for a PhD or Professional Doctorate at SHU on a Tier 4 visa?

If yes read on…

The following information is for the attention of Doctoral students currently studying for a PhD or Professional Doctorate at SHU on a Tier 4 visa

Sheffield Hallam University now offers sponsorship under the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES), a Home Office scheme which grants an additional 12 months of leave in the UK to Tier 4 Doctoral students who successfully complete their doctorates at Sheffield Hallam.

Successful applicants can use the additional 12 months to gain further experience in their chosen field, seek skilled work, or develop plans to set up as an entrepreneur.

Who can apply for the Doctorate Extension Scheme?

Doctoral students attending SHU on a Tier 4 visa, who are nearing the end of their studies and are about to submit their thesis for assessment. It is important to note that applications must be made BEFORE the completion of their award, so students interested in the scheme should start to think about their application before they submit their thesis (see below for details).

However, applicants must gain a straight pass or pass with minor amendments in order to be eligible to apply for the new DES visa.
Please note that students who are required to make major corrections to their thesis, following their viva, may need to extend their current Tier 4 visa and cannot apply for a DES visa at this stage. These students will be eligible to apply for a DES visa closer to their final submission date.

How to apply:

Step 1: As soon as possible after submitting your thesis for assessment and prior to your oral examination (the viva), please make an appointment to attend a visa group workshop with the Sheffield Hallam International Student Support Team (ISST). Here you will receive guidance on the application process and will be issued with a SHU DES Application Form.

Step 2: Complete Part 1 of the SHU DES Application Form.

Step 3: After you have completed your oral examination, you should arrange to meet with your Research Supervisor as soon as possible. You and your Supervisor must complete Part 2 of the form, confirming your final thesis submission date to the examiner(s) when any amendments have been undertaken and your ‘Completion Date’ (see application form for details).

Step 4: Complete Part 3 of the SHU DES Application Form and submit it as a hard-copy via post to the SSR Research Team. If there are any issues with your form – for example if any part is incomplete – you will be notified and asked to resubmit your Application Form.

Step 5: If your form is approved, SHU will issue you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statement and DES CAS number by email. As soon as you receive your CAS statement and number, you must make a further appointment with SHU ISST to complete and submit your Tier 4 DES Visa application to the Home Office. You will need your DES CAS number to do this. Note: applicants must meet the requirements of the visa application, including providing the visa application fee and demonstrating sufficient funds. Please contact ISST for further details.

If you have any queries about the Doctorate Extension Scheme application process, please contact International Student Support Team via email at internationalsupport@shu.ac.uk

Find about more about the Doctorate Extension Scheme.

Employability, Social activities

Join SHU GoGlobal

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SHU GoGlobal is a Facebook group for all Sheffield Hallam students who want to meet new people and experience other cultures.

Be the first to find out about social events, trips, extracurricular projects and volunteer work. You’ll expand your horizons, make new friends, and potentially gain some life-changing experiences. It’s all about bringing people together.

1.Increase your social network
One of the most unique things about studying at university is meeting people from all around the world. We have students from 120 countries, living, working and playing together. We’ll help you make friendships that will enrich your life – while you’re here, and in the future.

2.Boost your employability
The more people you know from other countries, the better your career chances when you graduate. In today’s globalised world, employers look for people who can demonstrate cultural awareness.

3.Spend time abroad
Want to study, work or volunteer abroad during your time here? We can help you make connections. You get to travel, experience another culture and improve your communication skills. Whether you’re from the UK or an international student, ask us about the opportunities available to you.

Join the Facebook group now.

 

Support

Fraudulent email with the subject line “Account update required”

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Important security update  – please read

A number of staff and students have received an email during the bank holiday weekend with a subject ‘Account update required’ and a ShuSpace logo. Following the link it contains takes you to a fake SHU logon page. This email is a forgery aimed at collecting usernames and passwords from those who fill in the form.

If you have received it please do not fill in your username and password in the logon form. However, if you have already entered these details please change your password as soon as possible as your account is at risk of misuse.

You can change your password by following the ‘Forgotten your Password?’ link from the University logon page reached via ShuSpace.

Please remember you should not follow links in any email unless you are absolutely certain they are genuine. If you have any questions or concerns about this or other suspicious emails please contact IT Help on 0114 225 3333 or ithelp@shu.ac.uk

Support

A new peer mentoring scheme

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For over a year I have been developing a volunteer peer mentoring scheme for International Student Support to help new international students settle into life in the UK, meet new people and improve their language skills.

I am alsSam Logano a part-time Master’s student in Coaching and Mentoring and I had the idea while doing some volunteer work with international students. I recently achieved Platinum Hallam Award for my volunteer work.

In my spare time I have been mentoring four mentees from different countries – Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong and India, with the aim of helping them to socially integrate into the university community. I have really enjoyed the experience, learning more about different cultures, widening my understanding of issues faced by international students and facilitating their positive transition.

We launched a small pilot in September 2013 to April 2014 for 44 students, which involved matching each mentee with a mentor from a different country.

Being mentored by someone from a different country can enhance your understanding of your own culture by helping you to notice and question things you might normally overlook. I believe cross-cultural mentoring is a fantastic way for you to develop your cultural intelligence, which will not only help you settle into university life, it will also help you to build positive working relationships in the future.

Culture ConnectThe scheme will be launched officially in the new academic year and we will start recruiting mentors and mentees from September. All current students can apply to become mentors, including home students. We encourage students who have taken part in extracurricular activities to get involved.

Mentoring is a two-way learning relationship, described by participants on the pilot as ‘learning through sharing’. Both mentees and mentors reported improving their cultural awareness, time management and communication skills. As well as gaining valuable experience for their CV.

‘Culture Connect is one of the best schemes being offered by Sheffield Hallam University for new students in Sheffield. I advise all new students to join this scheme.’ Sohaib Hassan, Mentee from Pakistan, MSc Applying Physiotherapy

View a selection of student case studies from the pilot project.

More information about the scheme will be added to the Facebook page soon.

Culture Connect, Student voice

Culture Connect – case studies

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Culture Connect is a new volunteer peer mentoring scheme starting in September to help new international students settle into life in the UK, meet new people and develop their language skills.

A selection of student case studies about the scheme

Guinevere Chan

‘I would love to work in a culturally diverse environment where I can work closely with people. To achieve this it is essential to have strong interpersonal skills. Being part of Culture Connect has been a great way to socialise with people from different countries and this has improved my cultural awareness. I definitely recommend all students to join the scheme because the experience is so valuable. I recently achieved Gold Hallam Award for my volunteer work.’

Download Guinevere Chan’s Culture Connect Case Study

Noufal Kunhu

‘I had a great time with my mentee, helping him with his queries and learNoufal Kunhuning through sharing our experiences. We still keep in touch with each other even though the scheme has come to an end. I encourage students to get involved in order to boost your social life and have fun! You will improve your language skills, as well as having the incredible experience of getting to know different people and creating lifelong friendships.’

Download Noufal Kunhu’s Culture Connect Case Study

Olive Nyaga

‘Volunteering just a few hours can make a huge difference to another student’s life. As a mentor, you can develop your communication, time management and problem solving skills, which will be transferable to the job industry and make you more employable. I will never forget my Culture Connect experience. I would like to thank International Student Support for the chance to be a mentor.’

Download Olive Nyaga’s Culture Connect Case Study

Sohaib HassanSohaib Hassan

‘Culture Connect is one of the best schemes being offered by Sheffield Hallam University for new students in Sheffield. I advise all new students to join this scheme because it will help you to improve your problem solving skills, self-confidence and adjust to a new culture. Mentors offer a supportive relationship, giving you impartial advice, encouragement and space to reflect on your practices. I found it useful to learn from the experience another and it has increased my social and academic confidence.’

Download Sohaib Hassan’s Culture Connect Case Study

More information and details of how to get involved will be added soon to the Culture Connect Facebook page. Visit www.facebook.com/CultureConnectSHU