Meet our International Engineering Ambassador – Rida Ahmed

Saturday, 17 February 2018

Hi, my name is Rida Ahmed. I am from Pakistan and I am currently a first year BEng Chemical Engineering student.  The common mindset of the people in my country is that engineering is a male-dominated profession. By becoming a successful engineer, I want to change this mindset. Also, being an IEA, I can encourage more and more Pakistani girls to enter this field of study.

My interest in Chemistry and Maths, and the incessant need to understand the dynamics of how things work, urged me to take up Chemical Engineering as my course of study. I also, wanted to play my part in converting the vast amount of raw materials present in the environment into useful and precious resources. Carl Jung once said, “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” When I interacted with chemistry, it transformed me, I became passionate about studying and exploring the subject further. By pursuing this field, I, too, wish to bring into contact the numerous aspects of my personality, have them fuse together in a frenzy – like a chemical reaction – only to emerge as a transformed individual – one that stayed true to her childhood dream and stopped at nothing in the name of passion.

I chose the University of Sheffield, as it is one of the best universities for Chemical Engineering. The blend of teaching and research during the learning process is really fascinating. Besides being a Russell Group University, there are lots of facilities offered at the university campus. The facilities range from career counselling, to Student Advice Centre to Student Unions; all offering friendly advice and guidance to the students. The new facility ‘Diamond’ houses the most advanced equipment available. It is a fantastic study and learning space which is open 24/7. It even houses a cafe’ offering delicious cookies and coffee.

Besides the multicultural setting and the intellectually stimulating environment in Sheffield, it was here that I got an amazing opportunity to unleash my passion for music. I joined the Pakistan Society and took part in the ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition. Playing as a lead guitarist, I won the ‘star performer’ award and our society won the competition for the first time in seven years. It was like a dream come true for me.

Sheffield, itself is a culturally and economically vibrant city, surrounded by lush greenery and friendly, beautiful, and smiling faces always awaiting to welcome newcomers!

Meet our International Engineering Ambassador – Muhammad Mohsin Saleem

Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Muhammad Mohsin Saleem

MEng Materials Science and Engineering

I came to Sheffield and I believe this was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have lived in Pakistan for eighteen years ever before my Sheffield journey began. I completed my schooling at Beaconhouse School System, an institution which I stepped into in September 2000 and graduated completing my A Levels in 2016. I had always dreamed and worked enthusiastically towards being able to secure admission into a world top hundred university. The University of Sheffield helped this dream come true.

As everyone else I also went through the daunting process of university applications and later, choosing the right university. The University of Sheffield was ultimately my final choice as the Faculty of Engineering at Sheffield was one of the top ranked faculties in the UK. The staff at the university were experts in their fields and their work had been driving positive change, empowering people and making communities stronger.

What was more exciting was the powerful blend of teaching and research in the learning process. Applied research is an integral part of the curriculum and right from my first year at university, I’d get the opportunity to work alongside brilliant researchers on live projects as part of my course. The facilities being offered at the university campus such as career counselling, the 24-hour library- Information Commons, the Diamond with the new laboratories and study spaces, the presence of personal tutors for individual help, the SSID, the Student Advice Centre and the Student Job Shop in the SU were quite impressive. Sheffield’s Students’ Union came top for the fifth year running in the latest National Student Survey results, which has much to do with making your Sheffield experience surpass your expectations. Sheffield also achieved the third highest score in the Russell Group, the association of leading UK research-intensive universities, with an overall satisfaction score of 89 per cent. Most importantly the department of Materials Science and Engineering, being one of the founding departments of the university was a great attraction since it holds a great reputation for the world leading academics that teach us and the grounding research that is being carried out within the department. Despite all this, I was fortunate enough to be awarded the extremely competitive Pakistan Undergraduate Merit Scholarship which got me a decent amount off my tuition fees, becoming a driving factor for me in choosing Sheffield as firm choice.

A city like no other, Sheffield is friendly, beautiful, modern, safe and most of all, one of the cheapest to live in the UK. You might not believe but there are more trees than people in the city making it one of the greenest cities in the UK. This city will undoubtedly provide you with the best chance to explore, discover, make new friends, have fun and be creative. The courses here are designed to inspire and challenge. They are based on the latest developments in research and industry, and prepare you for the professional world.

Yet a few months ago I didn’t expect my life to change that much and in such positive way. What I’d recommend to anyone is just take all your positive energy, enthusiasm and passion, choose the course you are interested in and be the engineer of your life. The University of Sheffield is a place that will certainly support you, and will give you amazing opportunities. You will also meet a number of amazing friends from all over the world and Sheffield will be your new home away from home.

Interview with a Merit Scholarship Winner

Wednesday, 14 December 2016

By Muhammad Shuja

This blog is a transcript of an interview of a postgraduate student (Muhammad Faraz) who won 2016’s Pakistan Postgraduate Merit Scholarship. The aim of the interview is to provide advice for prospective students who would like to apply for this scholarship.

Me: Hi, and thanks for your time. Let’s start by getting to know about you. Tell me about yourself.

Faraz: My name is Muhammad Faraz Imam and I am from Pakistan. I am a student of Electronics and Electrical Engineering and currently studying MSc in Advance Electric Machines, Power Electronics and drives at Sheffield.

Me: What course did you do at undergraduate level and where?

Faraz: I completed my Bachelors of Electrical Engineering from Bahauddin Zakariya University in Pakistan.

Me: What were your reasons of choosing University of Sheffield to do your postgraduate degree?

Faraz: I was quite impressed with Sheffield’s core emphasis on continuous innovation and scientific development in engineering. I wanted to join in researching and developing of projects together with exceptional academics in my area of specialization.

Me: How has your time in University of Sheffield been so far?

Faraz: It’s been excellent so far. Sheffield has one of the loveliest and peaceful atmospheres in Europe. The University has various clubs and societies which everyone is welcome to join. I have joined the Debating Society which has given me a chance to improve my communication and interpersonal skills.

Me: Congratulations on winning your scholarship. How did you find out about this scholarship?

Faraz: The University has a very good administrative system in place. I was generally looking for scholarships and stumbled upon the Pakistan Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.

Me: How was the application process for you?

Faraz: As everyone knows, applying for an International Scholarship at a world-class institute is not an easy job. You have to compete with many deserving and excellent candidate in terms of academics and achievements. I believe that in my case, I remained optimistic throughout the process and listed out all my achievements. I then chose the best ones for my essay. These achievements included work experience, previous scholarships and projects which I did during my undergraduate.

Me: Did you receive support from the university to work on your application?

Faraz: Yes, like I mentioned previously, the university has a remarkable administrative system in place. They were quite prompt in replying back to emails with answers to any queries I had during the application process.

Me: What advice would you give to prospective students planning to apply for these scholarships?

Faraz: I would advise applicants to stay positive, think about your future goals, and what caused you to build an interest in the university. Write sincerely and clearly, make sure your essay shows who you are as a person and a student. Don’t be shy to talk about yourself, cultivate your own tone, and dwell on your relevant strong points.

Me: Do I have your consent of posting a transcript of this conversation online?

Faraz: Yes.

Thanks a lot for your time.

If you would like to view more information regarding scholarships and funding, please visit:https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/enquiry/money/scholarships

Meet our International Ambassador – Muhammad Ali Rashid

Tuesday, 6 December 2016

Name: Muhammad Ali Rashid

Department: Chemical and Biological Engineering

Hi there, my name is Muhammad Ali Rashid, I was born in Pakistan and for the past two years was living in Nairobi, Kenya. I completed my IGCSEs in Pakistan from Lahore college of arts and sciences (LACAS) and did my A levels from Hillcrest International Schools in Kenya. For A level my subject choices were physics, maths, chemistry and biology.

From an early age I was attracted towards the field of engineering. I always questioned everything, how was this made? What’s in this? Tinkering away with everything I could get my hands on. This interest grew with time and by reading and watching all about the cool science stuff. I chose Chemical Engineering as it is one of the most versatile fields, gives you a chance to work in many big industries. It satiates my thirst for knowing how something is made. The course is also quite closely tied to biology which is my favourite subject (Surprisingly not chemistry). I want to be able to help come up with new viable energy solutions and chemical engineering gives me the exact chance to do so.

Choosing your University is a very important decision that plays an integral part in shaping your future. There were many things that factored into my decision to choose Sheffield. Firstly, the fact that it is part of the prestigious Russell group of universities, comes as a top 100 university in the world and is highly ranked for engineering. It is renowned for its research power which is something that interested me greatly. The fact that I would be studying in a Nobel Prize winning department excited me. The thing that got me the most was the diamond building. An 81 million pounds multidisciplinary engineering building. It has state of the art labs and facilities. Now that I have come to Sheffield I can say they were not exaggerating! The labs are like those out of sci-fi movies and there are so many great facilities.

Another reason to choose Sheffield was the city and the university’s international outlook. The city is one of the safest in the country and full of friendly people, greenery and students. The university offers a humungous amount of societies to join and every week a plethora of give it a go events are held where u can go and try out new things. The university life is made easier by the fact that there is excellent support for international students, there are so many international students and societies that you quickly make friends from back home. Furthermore, the students’ union is the best in the UK, voted as number one for 6 years in a row. It’s a modern building which has everything for you in one place.

My Experience so far has been great, I have already met so many top companies and employers, started doing actual lab work and become part of something much bigger than myself. I feel I made the right choice coming to Sheffield and enjoy it so far.

My advice to prospective students would be to be bold, experiment and be adventurous while you have the opportunity to be so. Never be shy of asking what’s on your mind and when searching for universities make sure to talk to current students, read university blogs or watch videos about the university don’t always follow the website/ rankings there is always more to a book than what’s on its cover.

Interview with a Postgraduate Student

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

By Muhammad Shuja

This blog is a transcript of an interview I took with a Postgraduate Engineering student to give you an insight about postgraduate study at Sheffield.

 

Question: Tell me about yourself.

Answer: My name is Fahad Zulfiqar and I am from Pakistan. Currently I am enrolled in Masters in Advanced Computer Science at University of Sheffield.

Question: What did you study at undergraduate level and where?

Answer: I completed my Bachelors of Engineering Sciences from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology in Pakistan.

Question: Why did you choose to pursue a postgraduate degree?

Answer: I was greatly intrigued by the Engineering Sciences stream and felt a need for Master’s Degree to further hone my skills. With computer science stream on the boom and the paucity of computer scientists, I strongly felt a need to differentiate myself from the masses with a postgraduate degree from the reputed institute.

 

Question: What were you reasons of choosing Sheffield to do your postgraduate course?

Answer: With a top-notch faculty and state-of-the-art labs, University of Sheffield is a Premium institute with a top rank in Computer Sciences stream. The breadth and depth on Computer Science curriculum further helped me in my decision. Moreover, an eclectic mix of people would enable me to improve my communication skills and groom myself.

Question: How has your time in Sheffield been so far?

Answer: Considering both academics and extracurricular activities, my time in Sheffield University has been great so far. I got a chance to groom myself together with mastering the concepts in the field I absolutely love.

 

Question: How would you compare your current course to your undergraduate degree?

Answer: The difficulty level of Masters in Computer Science is immense as compared to my Bachelor’s degree. This was partly due to the fact that the Computer Science program at Sheffield is directed toward the market trends and requirements. Facilities such as 24/7 library access and a serene environment made it possible for me to achieve my goals. Support from my faculty and friends is always available, making it a fun learning experience.

 

Question: What do you plan on doing upon completion of your course?

Answer: My goal is to work in a reputed software corporate and further hone my skills as a software developer.

 

Question: What advice would you give to prospective students or perhaps students thinking about going into postgraduate study?

Answer: The most important thing in life is to proceed in a field for which you develop a strong aptitude. With competitive job market and more computer scientists pouring out, postgraduate study is definitely a safe bet at the least. Postgraduate qualification from a Russell Group institute will definitely improve one’s chance of landing in a well reputed corporate.

 

Question: Do I have your consent of posting a transcript of this conversation online?

Answer: Yes

Thanks a lot for your time.