I wanted to become more knowledgeable in my field of ecological consultancy

What made you want to study your course?

As a kid, I was fascinated by all creatures, mainly fish, insects and crustaceans. It has always been my dream to understand and protect them. When I grew up, I worked for an ecological consultancy company, and an non-profit organisation called Taiwan Rivers Network. After working for a year, I found that my colleagues with masters degrees are usually more knowledgeable, demonstrate better critical thinking skills, and exhibit great problem-solving abilities. Moreover, I have a bachelors degree in landscape architecture; therefore, I know how to design a cosy place for humans. But I knew nothing about designs for wildlife or running a habitat restoration project. As a result, I decided to study this course.

What made you decide to study at the University of Sheffield?

The course is interesting to me. In addition, my undergraduate supervisor encouraged me to study at the University of Sheffield as she got her masters degree at Sheffield, and she has good memories of studying in this city.

What have you enjoyed most about your course so far?

The individual research project. My individual research project is field-based (discussing land sharing and land-sparing, which of them would be the best strategy for bird conservation in upland Britain). As conservation biology students, I think we must seize every chance to get close to nature. So I really enjoy my time in the Peak District. During this project, I developed the skills of identifying birds, bird surveys, complicated coding, academic writing, and so on.

What skills have you developed during your course?

For me, the most helpful skill I developed during the course is R coding language. I honestly knew nothing about biostatistics before studying this course due to my landscape architect background. However, this course allowed me to understand the statistical models in a few sessions and made me able to plot persuasive charts for my essays.

What would you say to a student thinking about studying your course at Sheffield?

Sheffield is a lovely place for studying. All professors and staff are friendly and helpful. Please engage with this course without hesitation if you care about conservation and environmental issues, and look forward to having a deeper understanding and trying to find a resolution.

What are you planning to do after your degree?

I am going to study another course at University College London.