For all-round development

Studying at the University of Sheffield has increased Saylee Jangam’s confidence, given her an opportunity to travel, and improved her career prospects

I  am a second-year Bioengineering student at the University of Sheffield, England. I hail from Pune, India. I chose to study at this university because of its reputation in engineering, state-of-the-art facilities and the financial support provided through scholarships. I was awarded two scholarships the India Merit Undergraduate Scholarship and the International Engineering Scholarship for my studies here.

When studying engineering at Sheffield, a great focus is laid upon careers and a dedicated careers service team is ready to guide you for writing CVs, cover letters and doing mock interviews. The engineering faculty also offers a great opportunity to gain work experience whilst being a student through the Year in Industry scheme (YINI).

Through this, students can take a year out between their second and final year, and work for a year at a company relevant to their degree. Although securing a placement is competitive and applications begin early, students from Sheffield have managed to obtain this over the years. I am proud to say I am starting my Year in Industry placement this July at a UK-based company.

Summer internships are also encouraged for undergraduates and last year, I worked as an intern at Venture Centre, NCL Innovation Park, Pune. The experience of working in a lab for two months under senior scientists, as part of a start-up company was invaluable. I learned practical techniques relevant to my degree as well as better understood how research works. I was awarded a stipend through the Visvesvaraya Fellowship for Engineering Students and Young Engineers.

There are also research opportunities available at the University over the summer called the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). Through this scheme, undergraduates can work under PhD students and professors to carry out an independent research project.

Real-time experience

At Sheffield, the engineering faculty emphasises on social responsibility and organises a faculty challenge for its students every year. In the first year, this was termed the Global Engineering Challenge and we were divided into teams of students from different engineering backgrounds, given a problem to solve and a week’s time to solve it.

My project was based on designing a water quality testing kit that could be used in a rural village in Nepal. For this, we had to understand the contaminants of water in the area and produce a prototype of an affordable kit.

One thing you will always hear about engineering at Sheffield is the Diamond Building. This multipurpose building is at the heart of the campus and is home to all engineering departments. Personally, I have all my lectures and labs here and often come to study in the library and use the computer spaces. It is often buzzing with students even on the weekends and is open 24x7.

This year, I have been involved heavily with the International Students’ Committee as the events officer. We recently organised an International Cultural Evening at Sheffield City Hall, which saw an attendance of 1,800 people. Running for 44 years at the University of Sheffield, this was one of the biggest events I have ever organised in my life.

A diverse range of cultural performances were showcased, from Indonesian to Irish, and I am proud to say that the Indian Society won ‘Best Performance of the Evening’ for the third year in running! The whole event was also streamed live so that friends and family across the world could watch the performances.

What’s great about studying abroad is the kind of exposure you get through extracurricular activities like these. Even though events are not related to the field of Bioengineering, I am able to pursue my interests in other fields whilst still focusing on my degree.

This allows me to not only enjoy my time at the University more, but  also to broaden my career prospects and enhance my interpersonal skills. The next event I am organising is the World Food Festival in May, which will be conducted over a span of two days at the University and will see dishes from over 12 cuisines, all made by students.

The University offers a wide range of clubs and societies like sport, dance, music and poetry. There’s even a Quidditch Society! The Indian Society here is an active community and celebrates festivals such as Deepavali and Holi.

Apart from studies and being on the International Students’ Committee, I work for the International Office as an ambassador. This allows me to help incoming students and offer advice about the University and life here as a student.

Sheffield has given me the opportunity to excel in a multitude of areas. Studying here has increased my confidence, given me the opportunity to travel and improved my career prospects.