sheffield pros and cons

Hi im an international student from hong kong and i've just recieved offers from sheffield AB to study law LLB. right now i only have 2 offers, the other one is from SOAS UoL AAA to study law. im currently researching on both unis and is struggling atm since most sites only seem to show the "pros" but not "cons". I'm very used to urban life and i understand sheffield is more a rural area is that right? location-wise, in which areas would sheffield be more desirable than say London? study/future-wise am i better off going to soas which is a smaller, better ranked uni? from guides i realised that U of sheffield has 8 times the number of students in soas, but soas is in london and easier to connect/relate with other people in other UoLs, how should i weigh my options and can i have some 1st person opinions and comments on the U of sheffield and the surrounding environment? many thanks!

Reply 1

Pippak

Asking here you're gonna get people telling you to pick Sheffield! I've got mates who are at uni in London and because it's such a big city they can't have a very studenty lifestyle. They all end up living really far apart from each other and although there are lots of organised things with the whole UoL (esp orchestras etc) they usually involve a lot of travelling. Sheffield's big enough to be fairly urban (could never really be called "rural", although might be quiet compared to Hong Kong) yet small enough to mean that it's easy (and cheap) to get around. Most of the students live in the same areas, so it's very easy to make lots of different friends etc.

The surrounding environment? For me a big thing about Sheffield is that it's near the peak district (this might be why you see it as "rural"). I do a lot of walking and being near to the national park makes outdoor activities and sports like climbing/caving easy and popular. It also means the air is noticably fresher. However, it's a big enough city to have all the perks of city life - nightlife, shops etc. You'd probably find that you'd spend most of your time doing things with the uni though, so other factors aren;t as important as where the best student nights/discounts are. In London you're less likely to turn up to a club and randomly meet a lot of good mates.

A major factor for me would be that London is a lot cheaper. Not only is food/housing etc much more expensive, but it's very hard to get anywhere without using public transport. In Sheffield you can walk everywhere, which is healthy but also saves a lot of money in the long run. Whenever I go to stay with friends living in London I'm always shocked by the number of buses they need to get to lectures/supermarkets etc.

Reply 2

toddlers crossword

Pippak

A major factor for me would be that London is a lot cheaper. Not only is food/housing etc much more expensive, but it's very hard to get anywhere without using public transport. In Sheffield you can walk everywhere, which is healthy but also saves a lot of money in the long run. Whenever I go to stay with friends living in London I'm always shocked by the number of buses they need to get to lectures/supermarkets etc.

I agree but dont you mean London is a lot more expensive?? lol

Reply 3

chocmonster

Sheffield has the best of both worlds-its a really busy, vibrant and diverse city but you can get a bus and be in the heart of the peak district in half an hour-which is brilliant..

Sheffield has a lot of students-more people to make friends with :smile:

I'm in my second year studying law-very tough, but i love it. the law school is moving to a swish new building next january too (no more hill of death) :biggrin:

hope this helps, if you have specific questions feel free to PM me

Reply 4

Pippak

singingsally1

I agree but dont you mean London is a lot more expensive?? lol

Yes. Clearly I need to work on actually proof reading my posts - classic case of brain and typing not agreeing.

London is more expensive than Sheffield.