Repeating first year elsewhere or staying?
I’m currently a first year at the University of Surrey who commutes to uni. I became increasingly unhappy with the situation as commuting is not the ideal experience I want to have from university. I decided to send out a UCAS application and have received an offer to study Law at the University of Sheffield. My question is , is it worth it to move to the University of Sheffield and repeat first year in order to have the experience of going out, having freedom and making friends? Or should I stay so I don’t waste a year and see the course through?
Original post by Anonymous
I’m currently a first year at the University of Surrey who commutes to uni. I became increasingly unhappy with the situation as commuting is not the ideal experience I want to have from university. I decided to send out a UCAS application and have received an offer to study Law at the University of Sheffield. My question is , is it worth it to move to the University of Sheffield and repeat first year in order to have the experience of going out, having freedom and making friends? Or should I stay so I don’t waste a year and see the course through?
Yes it is worth it if you are not happy with your current situation. Many students start again at a different uni. Is there any reason why you've not looked for accommodation at Surrey for next year?
Original post by Anonymous #1
I’m currently a first year at the University of Surrey who commutes to uni. I became increasingly unhappy with the situation as commuting is not the ideal experience I want to have from university. I decided to send out a UCAS application and have received an offer to study Law at the University of Sheffield. My question is , is it worth it to move to the University of Sheffield and repeat first year in order to have the experience of going out, having freedom and making friends? Or should I stay so I don’t waste a year and see the course through?
Anon,
If you are happy with everything else at Surrey aside from the commute, then it might be an idea to see how you can reduce your commute or maximise it so you don't feel like you are missing out! You might need to find other commuters who you can spend time with. Perhaps you could start a commuting society to help students meet other commuters?
You could start again, but you would have to consider different challenges you might have e.g. if you are originally from the South, you might find it difficult to adapt to the North. You might find it difficult to be further away from home. You will have experienced one way of law being taught and might not like how they teach it at a different university. You might feel bored and restless if the first year modules or assignments are too similar to what you have already done.
In short, you might need to make some changes at your current uni to make things work better for you. If you do want to move, then do your research before moving.
All the best,
Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield
Original post by Anonymous #1
I’m currently a first year at the University of Surrey who commutes to uni. I became increasingly unhappy with the situation as commuting is not the ideal experience I want to have from university. I decided to send out a UCAS application and have received an offer to study Law at the University of Sheffield. My question is , is it worth it to move to the University of Sheffield and repeat first year in order to have the experience of going out, having freedom and making friends? Or should I stay so I don’t waste a year and see the course through?
Hi Anon,
These questions are always hard as the right decision for you may be the wrong decision for someone else. My advice would be to make a list of pros and cons of both universities and see which you prefer. With Surrey is there an option to stop commuting and move into accommodation. If in Sheffield you'd be paying for accommodation then surely you could do the same for Surrey. It might feel a little silly cost wise but it'd reduce a whole year of university so maybe that's something to look at and then you can have all those experiences you want without re-starting.
Overall I'd say look at the two courses, look at the universities career services and societies and cities and see what feels best. If you like Surrey but just dislike the commute then not having to redo first year is obviously ideal but university is a big experience and if moving will make you enjoy it more then go for it 🙂
Sorry, not a clear answer here but I hope it might help a little!
- Jessica
2nd year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)
Original post by University of Huddersfield
Anon,
If you are happy with everything else at Surrey aside from the commute, then it might be an idea to see how you can reduce your commute or maximise it so you don't feel like you are missing out! You might need to find other commuters who you can spend time with. Perhaps you could start a commuting society to help students meet other commuters?
You could start again, but you would have to consider different challenges you might have e.g. if you are originally from the South, you might find it difficult to adapt to the North. You might find it difficult to be further away from home. You will have experienced one way of law being taught and might not like how they teach it at a different university. You might feel bored and restless if the first year modules or assignments are too similar to what you have already done.
In short, you might need to make some changes at your current uni to make things work better for you. If you do want to move, then do your research before moving.
All the best,
Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield
If you are happy with everything else at Surrey aside from the commute, then it might be an idea to see how you can reduce your commute or maximise it so you don't feel like you are missing out! You might need to find other commuters who you can spend time with. Perhaps you could start a commuting society to help students meet other commuters?
You could start again, but you would have to consider different challenges you might have e.g. if you are originally from the South, you might find it difficult to adapt to the North. You might find it difficult to be further away from home. You will have experienced one way of law being taught and might not like how they teach it at a different university. You might feel bored and restless if the first year modules or assignments are too similar to what you have already done.
In short, you might need to make some changes at your current uni to make things work better for you. If you do want to move, then do your research before moving.
All the best,
Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield
Thank you very much that’s great advice. I think another factor I should have mentioned is how I really dislike the area. It’s so near to where I live and it’s just in a small quiet town. But I fully agree putting efforts into staying is a good thing to try
Original post by Heriot-Watt Uni
Hi Anon,
These questions are always hard as the right decision for you may be the wrong decision for someone else. My advice would be to make a list of pros and cons of both universities and see which you prefer. With Surrey is there an option to stop commuting and move into accommodation. If in Sheffield you'd be paying for accommodation then surely you could do the same for Surrey. It might feel a little silly cost wise but it'd reduce a whole year of university so maybe that's something to look at and then you can have all those experiences you want without re-starting.
Overall I'd say look at the two courses, look at the universities career services and societies and cities and see what feels best. If you like Surrey but just dislike the commute then not having to redo first year is obviously ideal but university is a big experience and if moving will make you enjoy it more then go for it 🙂
Sorry, not a clear answer here but I hope it might help a little!
- Jessica
2nd year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)
These questions are always hard as the right decision for you may be the wrong decision for someone else. My advice would be to make a list of pros and cons of both universities and see which you prefer. With Surrey is there an option to stop commuting and move into accommodation. If in Sheffield you'd be paying for accommodation then surely you could do the same for Surrey. It might feel a little silly cost wise but it'd reduce a whole year of university so maybe that's something to look at and then you can have all those experiences you want without re-starting.
Overall I'd say look at the two courses, look at the universities career services and societies and cities and see what feels best. If you like Surrey but just dislike the commute then not having to redo first year is obviously ideal but university is a big experience and if moving will make you enjoy it more then go for it 🙂
Sorry, not a clear answer here but I hope it might help a little!
- Jessica
2nd year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)
Thank you very much, those are important things I should look at. I’ll definitely try start doing a pro con list and weigh things up.
Original post by Bbrraadd
Thank you very much that’s great advice. I think another factor I should have mentioned is how I really dislike the area. It’s so near to where I live and it’s just in a small quiet town. But I fully agree putting efforts into staying is a good thing to try
@Bbrraadd
It's difficult when you know the area well or have grown up nearby. It can feel less interesting and exciting, but there must have been a reason/s you wanted to stay local. Perhaps remembering what you made you want to stay close to home will help you feel better about the decision you made last year.
Remember post university you don't have to stay in the same area. So perhaps it's just enjoying being to close to home for now, before living hundreds of miles away.
Whatever you decide – all the best!
Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield
Original post by Anonymous
I’m currently a first year at the University of Surrey who commutes to uni. I became increasingly unhappy with the situation as commuting is not the ideal experience I want to have from university. I decided to send out a UCAS application and have received an offer to study Law at the University of Sheffield. My question is , is it worth it to move to the University of Sheffield and repeat first year in order to have the experience of going out, having freedom and making friends? Or should I stay so I don’t waste a year and see the course through?
Hi there!
I'm also a commuter 🙂 I know it's not ideal, but for me it makes financial sense. I have moved some of my lectures around to reduce the amount of days I need to commute, and I'm taking measures to reduce the overall commute time per day. I can say that I'm happy with where I'm at right now. Also, having experienced both worlds - living on campus and at home, I really have no issue with commuting.
For how close Guildford is to London, I think some of Surrey's accommodations are incredibly good value for money (I paid just north of £400 a month to live on campus), so that's something you can look into. There's no problem with moving onto campus even if your family is nearby; you might enjoy your time alone and so close to uni facilities such as the 24h library.
If you become dead set on transferring unis, it's definitely worth checking if you can join at second year rather than repeating your first year. You can still go out and make friends no matter what year you're in. Make sure to ground yourself and keep in mind why you're at uni, which probably isn't just to go out and make friends.
Hope this helps!
Marko
Accounting and Finance BSc
Original post by Anonymous
I’m currently a first year at the University of Surrey who commutes to uni. I became increasingly unhappy with the situation as commuting is not the ideal experience I want to have from university. I decided to send out a UCAS application and have received an offer to study Law at the University of Sheffield. My question is , is it worth it to move to the University of Sheffield and repeat first year in order to have the experience of going out, having freedom and making friends? Or should I stay so I don’t waste a year and see the course through?
Hi there,
Firstly, I would say that your happiness comes first and it is not worth studying somewhere where you are unhappy and if you aren't happy and doing well mentally this will reflect in your grades! If you don't like the city and the university then it is definitely worth thinking about changing universities.
If you are happy with the university but you just don't like commuting, it might be worth as others have said to look into accommodation in Surrey as this may solve your problem of commuting without having to start again in Sheffield. It might seem strange as you are with commuter distance but as you would be paying for accommodation in Sheffield anyway, it might be worth it.
As for Sheffield itself, it is a great city! I can't comment on the uni itself, but I thought I could give you my experience of the city as I have been living here for two years!
I have found the nightlife to be great, there are lots of bars, clubs and pubs which always have lots of students in and student deals. There are always students out and lots of the bars are in the same places which mean there are always people around.
If you don't like going out, I have found the shopping to be great here too and I love going to Meadowhall which is only 5 minutes on the train! There are also lots of nice cafes and restaurants here too which are very central and popular with students too! They are also well priced which is great.
The accommodation itself is well priced, of course some are more expensive but in general Sheffield is quite a cheap city to live.
I also like the fact that there are nice quiet spots in the city too. There is a botanical gardens which is really nice and close to the University of Sheffield campus! It's a great place to chill out with your friends and it's just a nice spot to go to when you are stressed or just want a nice day out!
In general, I have really enjoyed being in Sheffield and I have found it a great city to be in and the people have been very friendly too. However, if you feel like being in Surrey will work out better for you then I am sure it will be great! Especially if you solve your commuting problem, you may enjoy it a lot more.
I hope some of this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador
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