All posts by Samantha Jane Logan

Editor of the International Students' Bulletin.

Apply for one of our mentoring schemes

Temporary process

Our interactive application form is still being developed, in the meantime you can apply for one of our schemes using the following links:

Student Connect (online summer scheme)

 Summer Connect (on campus summer scheme)

Culture Connect (term-time scheme)

Starting university in September? Become a mentee and chat to one of our students!

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Sheffield Hallam in September.

Do you have any questions about living and studying in Sheffield?

We offer a wide range of support services to help you prepare for travelling to Sheffield and settling  into life in the UK. With the start of term a few months away, we would like to offer you the opportunity to sign up to our Student Connect scheme.

The scheme provides you with the opportunity to be matched with a student currently studying at Sheffield Hallam who can answer any questions you have about living and studying in Sheffield.

Discussion topics include

  • what you should bring with you from home
  • accommodation options and how far they are from campus
  • travelling to the campus and around the city
  • buying food and eating out
  • what can you see and do in Sheffield
  • how easy is it to make friends from around the world
  • any other questions you have

How to apply for Student Connect?

To apply for the scheme, please complete the online form. The application deadline is Sunday 23 July 2017.

When you are matched with a student mentor you will both receive an email with each other’s contact details. You will both agree the best form of communication such as Skype, Facebook messenger or WhatsApp, and the best date and time to talk.

The scheme runs until September so you will have the opportunity to speak with your student mentor on several occasions before you arrive. On arrival, you will progress onto our Culture Connect scheme.

Please note places are limited. If you do not get a place on the Student Connect scheme, you are still eligible to sign up to our Culture Connect scheme when you arrive in September.

 

Available online over the summer? Become a mentor to new incoming students online!

Join our summer online mentoring scheme (July – September) as a mentor!

Student Connect provides any incoming student with the opportunity to be matched with a student currently studying at Sheffield Hallam or a recent graduate, who can answer any questions they have about living and studying in Sheffield before they arrive at the University.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor for Student Connect, you do not need to be available on campus. You can provide individual mentoring support from your home town or country to up to five mentees (depending on the demand).

As a mentor, you must be positive, helpful and professional, as you are a representative for the University.

When you are matched, you will receive an email with their contact details. You’ll agree the best form of communication such as, Skype, Facebook messenger or WhatsApp, and the best date and time to talk with each mentee.

The scheme runs from July until September so you will have the opportunity to speak with your student mentees on several occasions before they arrive.

Discussion topics may include
• What they should bring with then from home
• accommodation options and how far they are from campus
• travelling to the campus and around the city
• buying food and eating out
• what they can see and do in Sheffield
• how easy it is to make friends from around the world
• and any other questions they have

At the end of the scheme certificates will be available for those who fill in a short evaluation form.

The deadline to apply is Sunday 23 July  at https://sumac.ac.uk/account/sheffield-hallam-university/scheme/151 (for new members only) or https://shusls.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3knUztz73iytBs1 (for previous Culture Connect members only).

Available on campus over the summer? Become a mentor to Pre-sessional English students!

Join our on campus mentoring scheme as a mentor and get a certificate!

Summer Connect banner MENTORSummer Connect provides face-to-face group mentoring support for our Pre-sessional English students (PS15 and PS10), to help them to settle into life in Sheffield whilst they are on campus over the summer. The scheme runs from July to the end of August.

About the Pre-sessional English students

These students are here to improve their English before starting their degree course. As the University is quieter over the summer, these students may have limited opportunities to meet the wider student body and feel a sense of belonging. These students are often shy and reluctant to use university support services. We’ve developed a mentoring scheme to provide them with extra support.

Recruitment and selection

Mentees are automatically signed up as part of their Pre-sessional English course. We are hoping to recruit about 72 mentors (including 19 Super Mentors) to support them. Mentors must be available on campus at set dates and times, as scheme activities are scheduled as part of their course.

Induction and training

As part of the selection process, you must attend a face-to-face induction. We will tell you more about your specific role and responsibilities at these events.

Group matching

There are 19 Pre-sessional English class groups in total, with around 15 students per class. Staff will allocate 1 Super Mentor and 3 mentors to each class. To make mentoring groups, Super Mentors will randomly allocate 3-4 students to themselves, and to each mentor.

Mentoring sessions

Each mentee will receive 3 mentoring sessions in their mentoring groups. These will take place in university classrooms on a Friday afternoon, as part of the Pre-sessional English course. One of the sessions will include playing SHUoply, a fun team game which involves exploring the University and support services with a chance to win a prize.

At the end of the scheme, there will be a debrief where mentors and Super Mentors support mentees to apply for Culture Connect in a computer room.

The role of Super Mentors

Super Mentors are students who have been part of one of our mentoring schemes before and have extra responsibilities. As staff cannot be present at each mentoring session, Super Mentors will be responsible for providing you with supervision and guidance. After meeting with your mentoring groups, you will meet with your Super Mentor and reflect on how things went. Super Mentors will then feedback to staff later on.

Super Mentors will also be responsible for delivering a 30 minute presentation about a specific topic to their class group as instructed by the International Experience Team.

Overview of schedule

Once the scheme starts, you must be available at these dates/times. More details about the scheme will be announced at your induction:

  • Friday 14 July, 1.45-4pm – Mentoring session
  • Friday 21 July, 1.45-4pm – Mentoring session
  • Friday 28 July, 1.45-4pm – Mentoring session
  • Friday 4 August, 1.45-4pm – Mentoring session
  • Friday 11 August, 1.45-4pm – Conversation Club (optional to attend)
  • Friday 18 August, 1.45-4pm – Mentoring session
  • Friday 25 August, 1.45-4pm – Debrief

Feedback and celebration
Upon completion, you will fill out an evaluation form and get a certificate. You can add the experience to your CV and we are happy to provide job references upon request. By taking part in this scheme, you will also become eligible to apply for Hallam Award.

How to apply

Monday 19 June – 1-3pm – Induction. Book at https://unihub.shu.ac.uk/students/events/detail/450916/summer-connect-induction

Or

Wednesday 28 June – 2-4pm – Induction. Book at https://unihub.shu.ac.uk/students/events/detail/452759/summer-connect-induction

Welcome to the SHU GoGlobal blog!

We’d like to warmly welcome all of our students to the SHU GoGlobal blog, whether you’re studying in Sheffield, or at one of our fantastic partnership institutions!

The International Experience Team will be on hand to update you with anything happening across our two campuses, as well as events and achievements from our friends in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Botswana and Malaysia! If you have anything that you’d like to see posted by us for our readers to see, then please do get in touch.

You can like our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or email us and we’ll see what we can do.

Thanks everyone!