The University of Sheffield
SSiD

Chinese students Briefing Sheet

Making the most of your investment

Students from the People´s Republic of China make a huge investment in their studies at the University of Sheffield. They can come away with their degree certificate and a lot of Chinese friends like many hundreds of others.

BUT most want to experience British culture, learn marketable skills, become independent, speak fluent English. This all helps to make you stand out in the very competitive job market – in China or internationally – and makes you a stronger, deeper individual.

We want to help with this. We have written here about a few issues which have caused worries or difficulties for our Chinese students in recent times. We do not want to criticise or patronise; just to highlight things which can help you. Our greatest wish is for you to succeed and get the most from your time and your money.

1. Live independently

Many of you are used to your supportive families keeping a close eye on all aspects of your life. Maybe they are aware of all your responsibilities and make sure that you keep up to date with them.

In China, students´ relationships with their teachers are very different to those within UK. In general, students must be more independent in UK, making more decisions alone.

Teachers, like most people in UK, separate their time into specific areas quite strictly. So, they may have "office hours" – times when you can come to see them (maybe by appointment). They will ask who has questions at the end of a lecture or seminar; they may not like it if people then wait to ask individual questions at the end.

Maybe in China, your teachers would remind you or maybe someone could help you after a time limit had expired. In UK, you alone must read information and keep to strict times. UK universities expect you to act independently. Information and guidance will be given to you in writing. In many cases, that will be all that you receive. You must retain information and act on it by the dates given. Usually, reminders are not issued. The University provides useful information: Information for New International Students, Registration: the Essential Guide and Welcome to the University of Sheffield-International. You must read these carefully and follow instructions in them before the deadlines.

In UK, you can trust the official information given to you by the University, authorities and so on. Many Chinese students prefer to follow advice given by friends. However, many times this has led to serious mistakes being made. The culture in the UK is to accept that there is probably only one way to do things and that all staff will tell you the same facts

Staff on reception desks, in SSiD, departmental offices etc. are given a lot of training and responsibility to speak for their bosses and the University.

2. Mix...

British students in UK have not chosen to go to a university abroad. It is always easiest to make friends with people more like yourself. So, like everyone else, UK students will usually stay in home country groups. If you want to meet British people, you have to make an effort. They will not come and seek you out.

If you make British friends, you will gain more knowledge and understanding about British culture, attitudes and systems.

You will need to invest time and some money in this exercise. Do not see a social life as a waste of time and money. It will open your eyes to some aspects of UK culture.

Big "party", disco, bar events are not the best places to meet new people. There are many events which provide better opportunities to talk and share new interests.

Join some student societies and attend their events. If they seem over-crowded, try them again a couple of months into the term. Those most interested will still be there.

Look at the "Give it a Go" programme. This gives you a chance to experience many things without a high cost.

You may need to spend some money on taxi fares after a late evening. Please do not see this as a waste of money if it gives you access to events.

3. Language

Learning English is different from learning in English.

The English you have learned is likely to be different to the English you need for discussions in class or for social situations.

Maybe you will find that you need to spend a lot of time on your studies because you find the language difficult.

You can choose to spend all your time battling with these problems OR you can take independent action to improve your studying in the medium – to long-term and develop skills which will be useful throughout your life.

The English Language Teaching Centre provides free language classes for academic and social purposes. They also provide training in academic skills – how things are done in a UK university. Invest some time in this; it will mean less unnecessary time on your studies and more opportunities to learn about UK culture.

Time spent on different extra-curricular/social activities will gradually improve the fluency and colloquialism of your English. It will be hard at first; it takes time. But remember the British saying: "If at first you don´t succeed, try, try, try again."

4. Confidentiality

Doctors and counsellors (therapists) are not allowed to tell anyone (outside their practice) what you tell them. So any health concerns or problems can be discussed in private.

This includes information about contraception. International student statistics show that more have unplanned pregnancies. Because international students are less likely to access family planning services and may be experiencing new freedoms, they are more likely to have pregnancies they did not plan. Contraceptive services are free and confidential from doctors. Also, emergency "morning after" pills can be obtained from pharmacies, doctors, NHS walk-in centres. This is for emergencies when contraception was not used the night before.

If you have a personal problem that has a detrimental effect on your studies, you can talk to your tutor or supervisor in confidence. You will need to trust them or a counsellor with private information so that they can help you.

5. Insurance

Compensation or Insurance – There is not a culture of compensation in UK. If you suffer loss of property (through theft or fire, for example), injury etc, you could claim from an insurance policy. Most British people have property insurance at least. The concept of "ban" or "daishen" supporting a student is alien to UK culture. Independent, contractual arrangements, such as insurance policies are the normal way.

Problems – we do not expect that anything bad will happen to you in the UK but things do occasionally go wrong for a very small number of people. An emergency here or at home could mean expensive air fares for you or your parents. The right insurance policy would provide cover in such emergencies. We give information about this in our publication "Welcome to the University of Sheffield – International".

6. Religion

• If you want to learn about a religion – for example, Christianity – we recommend that you contact the University Chaplaincy Service www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/chaplains . They provide impartial information and advice. We publish a book – "Faith in the City" – which gives details of all places of worship.

www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/chaplains

7. Academic success

There is great emphasis in the UK on;

It is not as important in UK as in China to;