After my A Levels, I wanted a change

Velicia B. Hartono wearing a navy blue sweatshirt displaying the Management School's logo.
Velicia B. Hartono
Undergraduate student
Accounting and Financial Management BA
2022
When Velicia arrived in Sheffield, she found community through the Indonesian Society, giving her a little flavour of home whilst being in another part of the world.
Velicia B. Hartono wearing a navy blue sweatshirt displaying the Management School's logo.

From science to Accounting and Financial Management

It was hard for me at first to choose a course that I wanted to study as all my A-Levels were science-focused (Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics) and I knew that I didn’t want to continue studying a STEM-related subject at university. However, I still wanted to study something that was calculation based. After looking at different courses, I came to the conclusion that Accounting and Financial Management is a course that is not STEM-based but is still calculation based with a great career prospect.

Sheffield is one of the greenest cities in the UK

I wanted to make sure that I can get an education that is worth moving across the world for. The environment that Sheffield has, due to being one of the greenest cities in the UK, one of the safest student cities and being a cost friendly city, solidified my choice for my firm choice.

An international university

What further solidified my choice for the University of Sheffield was the small but growing Indonesian community. Through the Indonesian Society, I was able to find Indonesian friends who shared similar backgrounds and could remind me of home when I got homesick. They are currently still a major part of my support system in Sheffield, of which the members have become my closest friends.

My advice for choosing a university

I would say to take your time in making your decision. Make sure that it is what you really want so that you can be confident in your choice. Weigh up the differences, understand how they differ in pros and cons and also what kind of support you will be able to receive later on.

However if you end up changing your mind, it doesn’t have to be a big deal. For example, I initially chose to take a dual course: Accounting and Financial Management and Economics. However, as I started the course, I found that I wanted to focus more on the Accounting and Financial Management part of my course and decided to move to a single honours degree. The Management School, including my personal tutor and the programme director, provided me with a lot of support that allowed me to easily make that transition.

Four students laughing while sat at a bench, outside the Students' Union

International Merit Scholarships

We offer a generous package of financial support for international students including 75 undergraduate scholarships worth £10,000 towards the annual tuition fee and 125 postgraduate taught scholarships worth £5,000 towards the tuition fee. Applications are now open for existing offer holders.