Steel city swap keeps writer on her mettle

CHARLOTTE Carrick says the experience of spending part of her degree studying in another country has been “priceless”

The 20-year-old is currently in her final year at Sheffield Hallam University studying creative writing.

Last year she spent six months studying abroad as she swapped one steel city for another, joining Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh as part of an exchange programme.

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She told the Yorkshire Post that she enjoyed it so much that she is now planning to return to the United States for her postgraduate study once she finishes her degree at Sheffield Hallam.

The student, from Leeds, said: “One thing it gives you is an experience which is priceless.

“You learn about yourself and it broadens your world view.”

The chance of studying abroad was one of the things which attracted her to Sheffield Hallam.

She said: “Before I went over I thought that England and the US were similar but once you live there you realise how different they are.

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“Studying abroad gives you the chance to experience and learn about a new culture.

“The most difficult thing was probably making friends all over again but after six months there I really felt part of the university so it has been a strange experience to come back to Sheffield Hallam.”

Now she says she would definitely recommend studying abroad to school pupils who are currently considering their options.

She added: “It is something that you can put on your CV. It is good to be taken outside of your comfort zone and it gives you the confidence in other areas because you know you have been able to cope with bigger challenges in the past.”

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The exchange programme for creative writing students at Sheffield Hallam at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, is one of 166 partnerships the university has with higher education institutions across 30 different countries in a variety of different degree areas.