The best part of my course is that we are a small and close group of friends and we have a great relationship with our professors.

Why did you choose to study Chinese? 
I was always interested in foreign languages and when it was time to choose my degree, I wanted to do Chinese because of good job opportunities I can get after graduating. After that, I started learning more about the culture and history of the country as well.

What attracted you to the University of Sheffield?
I always wanted to study abroad for at least one year, but after finding out that my country does not offer the opportunity to study Chinese full-time, I made a decision to come to the UK for my degree. I worked hard and it was important to me to study at a university that has a high level of teaching and is recognized everywhere in the world.  Our university is part of the Russell Group and language teachers at SEAS are really good, so I applied for it. Moreover, it was important for me to live in a safe and cheap city and Sheffield was a perfect choice for me.

What do you enjoy most about your course?
The best part of my course is that we are a small and close group of friends and we have a great relationship with our professors. There are usually less than 15 Chinese Studies students per year and because of that teachers get to know us all well and can help us with our progress. My progress is even faster than I could ever imagine and the support I get from everyone at university so far is great.

How have you found learning a new language?
Learning a new language is very challenging and it takes a lot of effort and time, but it is very rewarding because there is no other degree where your progress is more noticeable. There are aspects of language that I had to focus more on, but all in all, it was a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun.

What do you enjoy doing outside of your studies?
This year, I became very active at university so right now I am a Student Ambassador, Equality Diversity and Inclusion Representative, a member of a few societies, etc. Apart from that, I love sports- I go to the gym every second day and bouldering every week, but whenever I have some free time, I play badminton or basketball with my friends.

What has been the most difficult thing to get used to whilst living in a different country?
I think that as long as you are open-minded and willing to accept others, the cultural shock is not too big. Maybe the most difficult part for me was having to do everything online, instead of dealing with a lot of paperwork.

Do you have any advice for students from your home country thinking about doing Chinese Studies at Sheffield?
I would encourage people from my country to come here because they would be able to learn Chinese really well, but also learn to be more tolerant and accepting of other people. They would work in healthier working environments and with amazing people who can teach them so much.

Do you know what you want to do at the end of your course?
After the end of my course, I would like to stay in Sheffield for another year and do an internship or get a job. After I save some money, I would like to do a masters in International Relations or similar course, probably in Taiwan.

Questions about the year abroad

How different was the teaching and course structure compared to at Sheffield?
In China, everything was in Chinese so we were more exposed to the language and we also had more classes than we do in Sheffield.

What skills do you feel you gained from doing the study abroad year?
In China I gained a lot of self-confidence and learnt how to cope with pressure. I also became more tolerant and patient and for the first time ever I lived in a very big city, so I also improved my orientation skills and became more punctual.

What did you do outside of studying?
I travelled to Suzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, Shanhaiguan, the Great Wall and Shanghai.  I also did a lot of sports, saw many parts of Nanjing and tried calligraphy.

Can you tell me your favourite memory from your year abroad?
My favourite memory was when I had a full conversation in Chinese with my friends for the first time. I always felt like I'm the worst student in our class, but when I finally managed to have a proper conversation fully in Chinese, I felt so proud of myself and encouraged to keep on my studies