• Tweet

• University of Sheffield

TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Sheffield

Sheffield is a city located in the county of South Yorkshire northern England. The University of Sheffield campus is located to the west of the city centre. The university is a large institution with a diverse student population. Because there are now two universities (the other being Sheffield Hallam), Sheffield has a relatively large student presence.

The University of Sheffield is approximately 105 years old, and it is one of the original so called 'red-brick' universities, and it is a member of the Russell Group of research intensive universities. The university as an educational institution can trace its history back almost 175 years to the Sheffield School of Medicine.

Facilities

Libraries

There are currently two main libraries: The Information Commons and Western Bank Library.

Free desks can be hard to find during peak periods, and especially during the time of examinations (which should be expected).

Since free desks are hard to find in the Information Commons then there is always the much less busy Western Bank Library, which is situated to the left of the Arts Tower. As this library is much quieter, it means that work can be completed more effectively. This is helped by the way the desks are laid out and so there is less distraction from other bored looking students. Another quieter library is St George's library on Mappin Street, which is closer to the city centre than the other two.

So apart from the difficulty of finding a free desk, the IC is fantastic. Its open 24 hours a day, has a cafe on the ground floor and the interior is modern with a comfortable ambience. There are also group study rooms in both the Information Commons and in the Western Bank Library which are bookable online.

IT and computing

There are lots of IT facilities available to all students at Sheffield University at both halls and on campus. The Information Commons (otherwise known as the 'IC') has computers on each floor and welcomes students with their own laptops. There are also two floors dedicated to computers in the IC, located on Levels 5 and 6, which are accessible by stairs found by the computers on the left on Level 4 (yellow floor). The other most likely place to find a computer is on Level 1 (blue floor) by turning right when you come up the stairs and walking past the sofas, there are computers on your right and straight on. Western Bank Library also has two computer suites available.

There are also a substantial number of computers located in The Edge in Endcliffe Village where you are always likely to find a computer even when its busy.

Laptops can be used anywhere on campus and be connected to the University network provided they have been registered before hand. [Registration can be done at St. George's IT center (or the IC) located on Mappin Street (just off of West Street) or at the IC by visiting a helpdesk and asking for the relevant leaflet.]

CICS (Corporate Information and Computing Services) is the University computer services department available to all members of the university. Their main office is located near the University (across the tram 'sheffield university' interchange). They have other branches near halls that dual as walk-in services as well.

There is a university wireless network which can be accessed anywhere on the campus.

Sports

Sport is a serious matter. Read all about it.

Welfare

Sheffield University cares a lot about its students and will always be there to help if possible. There is the Student Support and Welfare services along with SSID in the Union. Here you can do everything from get a print out of relevant documents, to ask for financial and personal advice.

The Uni also has a free counselling service and is very welcoming to those who need to use it.

Healthcare

The university has its own, fully operational, medical centre and medical team who provide a healthcare service entirely for students. Has very good accessibility with online bookings, and guaranteed next day appointments.

There are about 30 doctors employed by the health service, and all trained to deal with student issues. and provide sexual health advice. People are helpful and friendly, and there is next-day blood test service.

For things like vaccines, the health service will provide you with a treatment plan. There are also regular contraception clinics for things like the Pill. The doctors are very understanding towards students, as they realise its your first time away from home etc.

Shops

Sheffield city centre is very popular. There are a huge variety of shops - ranging from Division Street to Castle Market. There is also a huge shopping mall - Meadowhall - which is one of the biggest in the country. Ecclesall road also offers a newly developed area of shops. All of these places are easy to reach by bus or tram, from any area of Sheffield.

When walking down West Street, by turning right down the street by Aslans then turning left, the Devonshire Quarter can be found, which has an array of interesting shops down it and before you turn left on your right is a centre with more shops and various restuarants and bars. Walking down this way to the city centre is also quicker and means you will pass the water fountains on your way to the city centre.

There are two sections to the main city centre shops: Fargate and The Moor. Fargate is the main section near the City Hall and The Moor is found by walking the other way (by following the road at the top which the buses run along...this is where the 80 bus will drop you when it takes you into the city centre.)

Restaurants

West Street is full of restaurants ranging from student fast food to casual dining and formal dining-popular places include: Nandos, 'Aslans' - open till 3am and Khan's. There is a range of food available as well - e.g. during lunch hours you are guaranteed a sandwich from one of the many lunch bars down the street. In the evenings the casual dining restaurants open - Italian, Mexian e.t.c. The fast food restaurants range from regular burger + chips or fish + chips. A little further down West street and you have pizza hut, Mcdonalds and just off you can enjoy some KFC. Regular student 'lunch' places would be Subway, Greggs, Tesco Metro (For on the go food!). Also outside the Hicks Building, 'John's Van' does some fantastic hot and cold sandwiches for a reasonable price and is a hit with students.

The University itself has many food outlets - The Union offers all types of food, ranging from your everyday sandwiches, flapjacks to some oriental food like instant noodles and even samosas . If you venture further into the union you'll find some hot foods on offer like cornish pasties and sausage rolls as well as some healthier food options from 'New Leaf'. Here you can make you own custom salads, smoothies and jacket spuds. There's also a new shop called 'Fancie' which sells gorgeous cupcakes for those with a sweet tooth. There are cafes open in the basement level of the Arts tower as well as at the union (2 branches, one on each floor) and IC which offers baguettes, muffins, hot drinks and even some wraps. The Jessop West Cafe also offers hot food and drinks in a slightly more upmarket atmosphere. Its worth noting that Bar One, Fusion Grill and Interval are great places to grab hot food between lectures in a sit down environment. Both have great Union prices too.

For Muslim/Jewish students halal/kosher food would be of concern, hence here is a list of where you can get some. 1. The Union offers some halal sandwiches 2. The Union has a restaurant: 'Shere Khan' that offers halal food only 3. Aslans and Jumeirah (opposite Aslans) 4. West st. Shop - offers frozen chicken as well as all salami, sandwiches and other snacks 5. A butchers is located just near Opal 2

Banks

Santander is in the union building itself and there is HSBC which is just behind the union. Further up on West street you'll find the main Natwest University branch. A bigger Natwest can be found towards the end of West street, where you'll also find a Lloyds Branch and even an Alliance and Leicester branch. A Nationwide can also be found on Division Street.

In Broomhill, you can find a Natwest, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, RBS, Nationwide and Yorkshire Bank all a Stone Throw from each other. Also A Post Office too, if you have a PO savings account or something.

Transport

For more information, please check this discussion page [1] for lots of information from current students. You can also ask questions.

• Rail
  • Sheffield is very accessible, with links to most major UK rail stations. London (St Pancras Intl) is just more than a 2 1/2 hours journey away, with direct services south towards Birmingham, Reading, Bristol and Plymouth and plentiful services towards the North (particularly Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds).

• Buses
  • Student single fares are available for 60p (gone up from 50p at Easter 2012) on all Stagecoach buses (excludes trams) and most First bus services that travel through Broomhill and/or along Ecclesall Road (specifically services 52, 81, 82, 84 and 85, 95, 120) upon producing a valid UCard.
  • The Ranmoor and Endcliffe villages are served by services 120 and 123.
  • Crookes (and Hillsborough for those requiring access to the Hillsborough College and the less central examination venues) are served by the 52 services with First and Stagecoach.
  • Medicine only: The H1 service operates between the Hallamshire and Northern General hospitals and is available free of charge to medicine students.
  • The nearby Peak District is easily accessible by bus, with regular services catchable from the Interchange or Hunter's Bar.

• Coaches
  • Often an inexpensive way to travel (especially when booked well in advance). National Express coaches can be accessed from the Sheffield Interchange (next to the train station) where as Megabuses leave from the Meadowhall Interchange (Yellow tram from the university).

• Taxis
  • Companies including City, Mercury and Network operate taxis 24 hours a day available by advance booking, and black cabs (always ensure any taxi you flag down is a licensed Hackney carriage) are a common sight at most times.
  • Taxis can be an inexpensive method of transport when split between a group, with a typical black cab fare between the City Centre and the student villages coming in at ~£6-7.

• Trams
  • Stagecoach operate three tram routes within Sheffield, however most students will only require the use of the Middlewood (near Hillsborough)-Meadowhall (YELLOW) line which passes through the City Centre. Student fares are NOT available on the trams; with a Bus and Tram Dayrider (typically cheaper than two standard fares) costing ~£3.70 or singles ranging from £1.50-£2.70. Unirider term & annual tickets are also available, which costs about 1/2 the price of an adult annual Megarider ticket for Stagecoach.

Read our guide on Public Transport in Sheffield for Sheffield University Students.

Careers service

Generally good. Frequent updates. CV services. Only really good at giving advice on careers which are very closely linked to the courses at the Uni. If you are interested in something like public relations for example, forget it. The Careers service send out regular invitations via email to many helpful sessions eg. Looking for Part-Time Work and improving your CV.

Part-time jobs

There is a student job shop in the Union which offers help and advice about getting part time work. It displays a number of job vacancies in the window and online. There are opportunities to pop in and talk to a careers advisor who can often help with any job related issues. It can be quite difficult to find work in Sheffield, as the city has a large student population all searching for Part-Time work, but Sheffield makes the best of this as in contact with lots of employers. The online service updates daily, and around 5-10 new vacancies are advertised each day.

Both the University and the Union try and employ as many Student Staff as they can, and there are always opportunities here. If you are intrested in working for the Uni then most of the Jobs will be advertised on the Union website or on the online jobshop!

Religious facilities

Prayer room in the information commons. There is also a Chaplaincy service on Glossop Road. There are a number of active religious societies at the University too, so its easy to meet like minded people.

Sheffield Discussions

Latest relevant discussions	Last post/replies
Sheffield University 2013 freshers by chris_j123	Chris2183 18 Hours Ago Replies: 39
University of Sheffield Accommodation? by Turty	Chris2183 18 Hours Ago Replies: 28
Anything you regret not doing? by JohnJohnP	You!Me!Dancing! 21 Hours Ago Replies: 4
Pros and cons of Sheffield Uni? by JodieW	the_vogster 21 Hours Ago Replies: 17
Endcliffe Avenue 2013/14 by Kikiri	Kikiri 1 Day Ago Replies: 2
Family Accomodation by Marling	chelecee 1 Day Ago Replies: 1
Go to University of Sheffield forum Post new thread

Student Union

A Student Union is the centre of the social scene at university. Read the TSRwiki guide about Sheffield University Student Union.

Accommodation

Choosing Accommodation can be tough, but there guides are an essential help

Catered Accommodation

Self Catered Accommodation

For more information, check this discussion page [[2]] where you can see photos of real students' rooms and their stories about the accommodation. You can also ask questions.

Private sector

Sheffield Nightlife

The Nightlife in Sheffield is amazing and its covered in this guide.

Teaching quality

Sheffield has a decent teaching quality and has an excellent reputation in some subjects.

Applying to Sheffield

Thinking of applying to Sheffield? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?

Other Sheffield Articles

Why not read these other Sheffield Articles?

• Sheffield Personal Statements
• Sheffield Nightlife
• Sheffield University Accommodation
• Sheffield University Sport
• Sheffield University Student Union
• Sheffield University Transport

Links

• Our Sheffield Discussion Forum
• A week in the life of a Sheffield University student
• University of Sheffield Homepage
• University of Sheffield Union of Students
• A-Z of Universities