Aida Maksut
Aida graduated from the University of Sheffield with a First in BEng Mechanical Engineering in 2009
There are a lot of reasons why I chose to study in Sheffield.
First of all I chose Sheffield because it has one of the best Mechanical Engineering Departments in the UK, so I can be sure that I´ll get excellent higher education.
Secondly, Sheffield is the safest city in the UK. As a girl this really makes me happy because I can go out without any worries. In addition, Sheffield is the cheapest city in the UK, so I can save money for shopping!
When I applied to Sheffield University, I received a conditional offer. The condition was to improve my IELTS results. So I decided to apply for pre-sessional English courses at Sheffield University. I found it really useful, my English improved a lot and I passed my IELTS. I also met a lot of friends from all over the world - China, Japan, Taiwan, Colombia, Italy,
Iran, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Russia, France and South Korea.
Before I came to Sheffield I was a bit scared, because it was my first time travelling abroad by myself. I think like every student I was worried about how I could adapt to a new place and how to find new friends. But when I came here, I found that people in Sheffield are extremely kind and polite, so you feel at home.
In our university we have one of the best Student Unions in the UK. In the union you can find everything that you want. There are good pubs, cafes and shops with low prices. Also, we have programme called Give It A Go. This programme gives the opportunity to everyone to try different activities from boxing to belly dancing without making a commitment and without any previous experience. It gives a great way to try something new and meet new people. I like this programme because of its flexibility. I can join dance classes that I like, when I have the time. It´s really convenient!!!
In our union we have different societies. However, up until now there was no Kazakh society. This year I´m planning to start a new Kazakh society in Sheffield. So, students from Kazakhstan could meet people from their own country and feel themselves as they are at home. The city of Sheffield by itself is very green and beautiful. There are a lot of parks where you can jog, relax or just have fun.
One of my favourite places in Sheffield is the Botanical Gardens. It is a really beautiful place and it is not far from university.
The only difficulty when I came here was to do with food. The food in the UK is different from my country. However, I am used to it now.
My advice to students is to come to Sheffield and have a great experience while studying here!
Web Diary
Read about the experiences I had during my time at Sheffield in my web diary.