Sheffield definitely has a lot to offer

Something that I wish I was told before coming here is that regardless of what your passions are, or what you are interested in or what you are looking for during your University experience, Sheffield can definitely offer you that and so much more to choose from! Before coming here, all I wanted to do was focus on my degree and join the debating society. Now, during my second year, I found myself being in two committees, going to the Peak District with my friends – an amazing place which I unfortunately knew nothing about before coming here – and casually going to a Stitch Society meeting to learn how to sew my own cushion. Sheffield definitely has a lot to offer and if you want to learn more about your interests and your passions, gain new experiences, join some of our many student societies, try out amazing coffee, go on amazing nights out and make great friends with people like you, this is the place to be!

I was surprised initially to see that Sheffield felt almost like a town – which isn’t what I expected after a lifetime in a very loud and constantly busy city. But immediately after I got to the campus area and saw everyone moving in, I was so excited to start living in a place so new and different. I quickly made friends with my flatmates, whom I had known before moving in, because we spoke a lot on social media and meeting all of them was so exciting, it almost felt like a reunion.

I feel like the city itself has a unique vibe, which gave me the freedom to do whatever I pleased, whilst still keeping in mind the friendly reminder that my studies are the most important aspect of my experience. This is perhaps because I know that almost everyone around me is a student and it makes me feel like we all share a collective experience, we all go to lectures and seminars together, but also see each other during social activities. Because I come from the capital of Romania, which is a very big city, I was surprised to see how much I got to enjoy the not-so-fast-paced vibe of Sheffield. I also love that it is such a friendly city which encourages local businesses. There are so many incredible local coffee places and I made it a goal to visit all of them before l I finish my degree! 

I think my favourite aspect of the course is the freedom of personalising your degree based on your interests. Before coming to university, I had friends who were studying Politics back home and sometimes they had to take modules that they had no interest in and it became one of my fears. For me, going to university is an opportunity to explore the particular topics I was most interested in and I was glad to see that Sheffield saw things the same way. Apart from the few core modules I had to take in Politics – which I honestly really enjoyed and they have helped me create a set of fundamental knowledge that I couldn’t have done without – I had complete freedom when it came to my modules.