The standard of support services is outstanding

Why did you choose a postgraduate taught programme?

I was eager to stay focused on academia, but still retain a good level of support and guidance from my tutors. The syllabus and modules available on the LLM in International Law at Sheffield also really appealed to me; I felt like choosing from already existing modules helped me create my own research path.

Why did you decide to stay at the University of Sheffield?

I’m originally from Birmingham, but I’ve created a life for myself in Sheffield and really wanted to stay here; I love the community and feel of the city itself and the way that the student community doesn’t feel segregated from the city on the whole.

Sheffield is a beautiful city with so much going on, and is small enough that it feels like you can really get to know the city as a whole, rather than just certain familiar parts of it.

Also, our Student’s Union has been voted the best in the country for 9 years running and it isn’t difficult to see why. The standard of support services is outstanding and there is a dedicated team to deal with whatever issue you may have, be it welfare, housing or problems with your studies.

What do you think are the benefits of studying at Sheffield for students studying your course?

A number of leading academics teach on the international law LLM, so you have the opportunity to engage with the most contemporary arguments in the field. The law school is also partnered with a number of related research centres and free law clinics, such as the Sheffield Centre for International and European Law.

Postgraduates at Sheffield have so many opportunities to engage with their fields of interest outside of the actual course which really helps in building up extracurricular experience which will be really valuable in the future.

The standard of support services is outstanding and there is a dedicated team to deal with whatever issue you may have, be it welfare, housing or problems with your studies.

Sarah Pugh

LLM International Law and Global Justice

Have there been any course specific opportunities?

The law school puts on a number of research seminars and guest speakers throughout the year, many of which centre around the exact areas which many of us will be studying. It has been really valuable to see leading academics in the field of, for example, refugee and asylum law, speak on the exact issues which I have myself been researching.

How are you funding your study and living costs?

I work two part time jobs alongside my studies which helps me to fund my living costs and I have paid tuition costs through a combination of my own savings and help from family. This is helped by the fact that the cost of living in Sheffield is much lower than elsewhere in the country.

What do you do in your spare time?

Much of my spare time is taken up by part time work at the Student’s Union shop, as well as being a student ambassador with the university’s outreach and recruitment teams. I also volunteer at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau where I advise members of the public on a huge range of legal and social issues.

In terms of social activities, there are so many fun things to do in and around Sheffield, myself and friends regularly go out to the theatre, gigs and to the many great restaurants and bars in the city. Sheffield also has so much green space and is a really short journey from the peak district, when the weather is good it’s fantastic to be able to spend time in the country side or one of the many gorgeous parks in the city.

Are you involved with any societies or sports clubs?

During my undergraduate degree I was a committee member of the Women’s Committee, which campaigns on women’s rights issues on campus, throughout the city and nationally.

I still attend Women’s Committee events which means I am always meeting new people and taking part in new and exciting activities.

I have very few contact hours on my course, so generally it is quite easy for me to work my extra curriculars around my timetable.

What are your ambitions for after you complete your postgraduate study?

I hope to work for a local charity, specifically either a refugee charity such as Assist or women’s charity such as Women’s Aid. My ultimate goal would be to work for an NGO or even an international organisation such as the UN.

What do you like about Sheffield?

Sheffield is a really cheap place to live, but there are also so many things to do. There are activities to suit all interests. For example I love the number of grassroots projects across the city, such as food waste initiatives like Regather and Foodhall.

The city also has a really vibrant music scene, with venues hosting small artists all the time, and the yearly inner city music festival, Tramlines, is a must for anyone in or around the city.

Sheffield has a real sense of social history and development (“the steel city”) and it’s really great to always be learning about the roots of the city and to feel that you have become a part of its growth. Student communities in cities such as Birmingham can feel quite disconnected from the city itself and the general population there, this isn’t true at all for Sheffield in my experience.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone thinking of studying at postgraduate level?

Don’t pick a course based on its content alone, make sure that you choose a city and community where you feel you can be happy enough to get on with your studies without issue too. I looked at studying a similar LLM at the University of Birmingham, which is a more prestigious institution in many areas. However, I knew that I would feel more isolated being a student in such a big city and I felt that a feeling of belonging was just as important a factor as the quality of the course or institution I was considering.

Is there anything else you think prospective Sheffield postgraduates should know?

There’s a vibrant postgraduate community at Sheffield, and many of my peers who haven’t previously lived in Sheffield have also found so many ways to meet new people. Despite the needs of postgraduate students sometimes being very different to undergraduates, I have always felt supported by the university and I certainly never feel isolated from the student community as a whole.