Students' and Parents' Experiences
Below you can read about some of the experiences of students and their parents in their own words as they prepared to make the transition to life at the University.
Students' Experiences |
Parents' Experiences |
North of Watford!I arrived looking forward to exploring the city of Sheffield and getting involved in the many things that university has to offer. My main worry was that I was going north of Watford. |
When Ollie got three offers we, being southerners, thought he would choose London or Cardiff, but, no, he liked, and wanted to go to, Sheffield. |
Transition"Before coming to Sheffield University, I remember feeling a mix of emotions. A sense of excitement and positive anticipation were certainly high on the list..." |
"Our daughters (twins – Vicky and Jo – what a handful, but that's another story!) first started talking about going to University some time ago. We didn't take too much notice..." |
From Hong KongI can still remember vividly the application, preparation and everything relating to my being a visiting student here in Sheffield. It began in late January 2005, when I handed in my application form and relevant documents to my home faculty. |
Last April, when my daughter told me that she would be going to the University of Sheffield for a one-year exchange programme, I was not surprised because, to my family, the UK is just like another home. |
On your way"So, you've received your A-level results, you've found out if you made it into your first choice, insurance choice, or whether you, like me, have been exceptionally fortunate and got a better course at a better university than you deserved through the magic of Clearing!..." |
"After the nightmare of A Levels, UCAS forms, clearing, loan applications,accommodation applications for places never even visited, bank accounts and the all-important overdraft to sort out, we finally set off in our car/removal van to 'sunny' Sheffield..." |
After Boarding SchoolHaving finally packed the car full of luggage and worried that I wasn't taking enough, Mum asked whether I was nervous. I wasn´t. And why would I be? Six years of boarding school had got me used to packing.... |
I could afford to be blasé. Unusual family circumstances meant that he´d been at boarding school since he was twelve. The process of packing up, driving for several hours and parting had become a routine process. Why should this time be any different? |
The Big Day: leaving home for Sheffield"In the week before coming up to Sheffield, I wasn't exactly the easiest person to be around. My mum, concerned about my general lack of preparation, did tell me constantly that packing at the last minute was not the best idea: I decided to see if she was right or not by leaving it to the actual Saturday morning..." |
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End of the Long SummerI turned up for results day this summer regretting that I wouldn´t be able to go to Sheffield. I was sure that I hadn´t performed well enough in my exams, and I was disappointed that my first choice was seemingly out of reach. |
The days leading up to Andrew´s first week at Sheffield were spent, by me, furiously scribbling last-minute lists, packing and re-packing, and by him, sleeping late and watching TV. |
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Thoughts of a Czech Mother"Sheffield is exactly like all the letters on the internet say about it! I never quite believed them.. I always thought the accounts of what it´s like here were way too good to be true. Well, they´re not. |
Parents' worries"Considering the fact that I've had two episodes of anorexia in my teens and am still taking medication for depression, it was understandable that my parents wanted me to attend a university close to home, in Northern Ireland..." |
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Gap year student"For me the transition to university was quite a simple one, or so I thought! Having taken a gap year, I knew that this was what I wanted to do, and it had given me vital confidence to make new friends and not to stress too much..." |
"Well, the day was here at last – the day I had been dreading when our youngest was due to leave home to join the student hordes..." |
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My Singaporean SonIn 2004 when Chad, my second son told me that he had chosen Sheffield University in the UK to further his studies after his national service training, my one and only thought at the time, was.... |
More Students' Experiences |
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The Trials of a Fresher!So, it´s time to go. All my stuff is packed into the two cars and ready for the off! It feels strange. I know a lot of people will be coming from all over the UK and I´m only from.... |
Second Time AroundI did my A Levels in 1998 and applied to read Zoology and Genetics at Sheffield. To be honest, I chose Sheffield because I couldn´t afford to move away from my parents´ home in Chesterfield... |
Export Day!With all the stress of doing exams and then waiting for the results, I didn't really think much about what it would be like coming to university until it was right on top of me. It was about three weeks until D-day (or export day as my Mum called it), that it finally hit me.... |
Coming to UniversitySaturday 17th September 2005...the morning I left for Sheffield to start my new life as a student. I'd been excited for months but, having said all my goodbyes to close friends and my boyfriend the night before, I suddenly wasn't as enthusiastic. |
New Friends, New StartThere is no stranger experience than starting University. You will not have done anything like it before. |
The Good LifeFeeling nervous and apprehensive, I opened the car door and had my first look at the place that was to become home. Although the size of any halls of residence can feel intimidating this was quickly replaced by a wave of relief.... |
The First Few WeeksIt's an irritating cliché, but how better to describe it? During the week leading up to my start at university my feelings were mixed. I was undeniably excited but also apprehensive. However, on the actual morning, panic suddenly overpowered all other emotions... |
Impressions of a Malaysian StudentEntering university life can be potentially daunting especially when you're so used to being under close supervision and the company of the people you love the most. We all know what a cliché it is: the loneliness of being away from home and the inconsolable homesickness. |
Pizzas and Pens!It was so sad to pack up my room and cram everything into the car ready for the long drive to Sheffield, but I was so excited to be on the edge of experiencing so many new things and meeting loads of new people... |
I never expected...A year ago I never expected that I would have travelled halfway around the world for school. I was a 4th year at my home university gearing up for graduate school when my advisor said to me.... |
Thoughts of a Kenyan StudentMy name is Ketul Shah and I am an international student here at the University of Sheffield. My home country is Kenya but I am of Indian origin hence I am a Hindu. I am here at the University to study Aerospace Engineering. |
A Mature Student's AdviceBeing a mature student with a family my choice of University was limited due to the travelling but I was thrilled to be accepted at Sheffield. Take advantage of the mature student Welcome Days and lunches ... |
The Best UniversityUniversity: probably the biggest decision in life so far. So much to choose from and decide between, compromise with and, overall, stress about. You put so much effort into cramming for your exams to get into University, drinking copious amount of coffee and... |
Life in a Self-Catered FlatWow, it´s September 2005 and I´ve just arrived at university. Sheffield University, to be precise. Time to get keys and get registered. I want to see my flat and meet some people |
Experiences of a French StudentI remember when I first decided to spend a year abroad, in Sheffield, Two different feelings mingled in my head: happiness at living for a year as an English student, and fear of being left alone. In fact, all my fears soon disappeared... |
Thai Chilli Crisps and Philadelphia?At school, we would sit around the dinner table talking about university like it was a daydream, a fantasy; a utopia of bright lights and bright people, alcohol and parties, intellectuals and eccentrics. It turns out that... |
A New EraI still remember the night before results. I couldn´t sleep, I stayed up all night, thinking, what it would be like if I got in - me, at the University of Sheffield. This felt like a dream, didn´t feel real at all. But then when I found out... |
The First WeeksIt is often said that University days are those during which you make the best friends of your life. On my first day In Sheffield I wouldn´t have believed this in a million years, but now I wholly agree. I had never really thought about just... |
The Sheffield "Family"I closed the door of what I only knew as home, and took a deep breath. University was both so far away and yet so excitingly close! I will never forget when we drove into the heart of Sheffield; a city full of vitality and spirit that I knew my life was about to change. |
101 Ways to Make a FriendOne of the biggest fears among students when coming to university is trying to integrate into a completely new atmosphere with no familiar faces to guide you along. Sheffield is such a big city, so this can seem even more intimidating. |
The Big Move"We'll fit it all in the car," my mum was heard crying on the day of The Big Move, "but only if we can programme it to follow a route without a driver." My life was packed away in boxes, and she was concerned about... |
A Family FarewellFriends were so amazed to find that 8 of my family members in 2 cars had to come all the way to Sheffield with me instead of saying their goodbyes from my house doorstep! It felt like one of those family days out except... |