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Close to the Peak District and boasting excellent study facilities, Sheffield University is an ideal place to be a student, says Georgine Waller, who has just finished her third-year of an English degree.

Being a student in Sheffield

You really cannot go wrong choosing to spend your university years (if not more) in Sheffield. It provides everything you could want from a big city while still retaining the warm and familiar feel of a place to call home. The city centre is just a 10-minute walk from the main hub of the university and is a pretty pedestrianised area with all the usual high street clothes and music shops. For a serious shopping day, you can head to Meadowhall, Sheffield’s huge indoor mall that also has a cinema and places to eat. Connecting the city centre to the university is Division Street, which is where you find the more quirky shops selling vintage clothes and jewellery, indoor markets, second-hand stores and fancy dress shops. Parallel to this is West Street, which by the end of your university life you will know back to front and inside out. This is where the majority of pubs and bars are and where most students swarm to take advantage of the many drinks offers every night.

Most places that you want to get to in Sheffield can be reached using the city’s bus and tram systems, although if you want to save your pennies you can generally get around by walking. The city is built up on seven hills, so getting fit will definitely be an added bonus if you choose the latter option.

Although there have been some incidents in the last couple of years, Sheffield is generally considered to be a safe city. To be on the safe side though, it is probably advisable - as in many cities - not to be out alone at night. The university offers a women's minibus service, which takes you to your door from the union after nights out. Hearing about vehicles being broken in to is not uncommon, so you may want to bear this in mind if you are planning on having a car in Sheffield.

Study time

Last year, the ICC (Information Commons Centre) opened and it has already become legendary. It is open 24/7 and is stacked high with books, computers and silent work areas, not to mention a cafe and a shower, all of which are made full use of by students at all hours (particularly around exam periods). Sheffield also has a library, providing loads more study space and computer access. Generally, the library is well-stocked with books, articles and journals, but there are inevitably those times when you curse its existence for not having enough copies of that one book you desperately need.

Contact hours vary considerably across the subjects at Sheffield. Some courses only schedule a few hours a week while others have their students in class 9-5 every day. The emphasis on exam or coursework also varies greatly, so it is best to check out the specifics for your own subject in the university prospectus.

One thing I have noted in my time at Sheffield is the considerable amount of choice available to arts students compared to my contemporaries at other universities. Module choices are always diverse and engaging, and there generally seems to be something for everyone to enjoy studying.

Play time

The student union has a huge presence in university life, in both a social and political sense. Bar One and Interval are packed out all during the day with students eating and drinking, and club nights are put on five times a week downstairs in Fusion and Foundry.

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