uni of or hallam sheffield

ive applied for both uni of and sheffield hallam for this year but i am wondering which is better in a social life point of view, the people and everything else. i suppose there is not a massive difference considering it is in the same city but i have seen a lot of people saying different things or to avoid one or the other.

Reply 1

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by hristiyana04

Hi @hristiyana04 ,

I can only speak on my experience at Hallam but I thought I'd give you my experience of how I have found it so far!

In terms of the uni itself, it's very central which I have found great and really handy. City campus is right in the middle of town and collegiate is just outside town on a road called Ecclesall road which is a great, sociable road. It's also really close to the train station which is handy too! The buildings themselves are also really modern and well equipped and a new building is just being built which looks great too!

I have found all of the tutors so far to be great and really helpful. You can tell that they really want to help you and they are good at answering emails too which is good when you need help with an assignment! My course leader is good too and they check in with you to check you are doing okay. You also have three different tutors assigned to you which is really handy - an academic advisor, an employability advisor and a student support advisor. These have been great help to me when I have needed it and I've found it really easy to set up meetings with them and discuss different things- from struggling with uni work to personal things affecting uni work they are very helpful. The employability advisors are also really good for if you need help looking for a placement!

The students are also really nice in my opinion and I've had great experiences with other students on my course and just in general around uni! Most seminar classes are a nice size so you get to know the other people in your classes well and there is a lot of group discussions in class which is great to get to know people. You also get to know your tutors well in seminar classes too as there are a lot of discussions and activities rather than just being talked at all the time. I've also met lots of people just around uni and they have also been so nice which is good to have a friendly community like this.

It's also a very social uni from my experience- there are loads of societies which are so much fun and there is something for everyone! There are loads of things so I would really recommend joining one of these as it is a great experience! Everyone here is really nice too which is good and again it's a nice community experience. The socials are really fun and most sports societies dress up on a Wednesday for sports night which is always a fun night.

The uni also puts on fun activities throughout the year at the student union which are fun and you can do different trips- they have done a trip to London, Alton Towers and a Sheffield Steelers ice hockey game. These are good ways to experience different fun things with other students!

Going out is really fun too in Sheffield in general! There is a street called west street which has loads of bars on which is always a good night and it is always full of students which is fun as you know there will always be people there no matter what day you go on and there are loads of students there to meet and everyone I have met has always been really sociable and friendly! Ecclesall Road is also great and there are loads of pubs and restaurants here which makes for a fun night as there are lots of things close together! There are also a lot of student houses round here which is a good location to live if you are planning on getting a house in second or third year!

In terms of accommodation in first year, they are all nice and modern and most of them have ensuite bathrooms too which I liked having! They are all in a great location and I would recommend looking at what campus you would be studying at and then picking an accommodation based on this as it is good to be quite close by! You can also find out which ones are more sociable and then pick one based on whether you want it to be more or less sociable, whether you want a mixed flat and how many people you would want in your flat!

If you want to speak to a student who is currently studying at Hallam, we have a platform where you can speak to any current student. You can access this here: https://www.shu.ac.uk/study-here/student-chat
It's a great way to ask someone any questions you have about your course, Hallam in general or just any questions about uni life!

Sheffield is a great city so whichever uni you choose you will have a great time!

Good luck with your decision making,

Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

Original post by hristiyana04

If you don't mind me asking, what are you going to be studying ? :smile:

Reply 3

hristiyana04

Original post by Anonymous

If you don't mind me asking, what are you going to be studying ? :smile:

law & criminology

Reply 4

emilybursell

Original post by hristiyana04

law & criminology

ooo, I'm going to study business at Sheffield Hallam

Reply 5

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by hristiyana04

In my experience, in terms of social and clubbing opportunities they will be the same.

What is a difference on a student body level there are likely to be some differences in attitude between the universities, ex-polytechnic unis tend to (imo) have students who are more balanced on the enjoying university life, slightly less focused on academics & internships (although it’s important to note this is a population level generalisation so at both unis you get a huge mix).

If you’re in the same city I wouldn’t worry- you can always have friendship groups that span across both universities. And you’ll probably find people in your university who want the same academic-social balance as you. The great thing about somewhere like Sheffield is you have two unis each with probably 30,000 students so you’ll have a lot of opportunities to meet people you can “vibe with”.

Reply 6

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

Original post by hristiyana04

Hi,

Have you been to any open days? If not, there is one coming up on the 22nd of June or there's one on the 6th of July, you can find more information here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/visit/open-days

I have really enjoyed studying in Sheffield and have found the University of Sheffield to be a lovely university. I study mathematics and philosophy and so have experienced two different departments, all my lecturers have been really willing to help you and they want you to do well. They have 'office hours' each week which is a set time for you to go an ask them questions about the course or assignments, but I have also found them all to be flexible and able to arrange a different time if you are busy during their office hours.

The university has 4 libraries with lots of space for studying. Weston Bank library is especially nice in the summer as it looks out towards Weston Park and in the summer there are often ducks and sometimes ducklings (although they can be a little distracting if you are trying to revise). There are also two 24 hour libraries - the Information Commons and the Diamond - which you just need your uni ID to get into, but they are open all day, every day which is great for when you have a deadline approaching and need to study somewhere other than your room.

There is also over 300 societies to take part in so I am sure you will be able to find one you like. Societies are a great way to meet people and make friends as well as continuing a hobby or trying a new one.

With that said, the most important part of university, is the degree. It's why you go to university. Make sure you look into the courses at both unis. Are they taught the same way? How are they assessed? What content do they cover? You may find that you prefer one over the other.

Hope this is helpful, if you want to find out more you can talk to more current students using our chat to us function - https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/study/chat - or you can ask here.

Lizzie (BSc Mathematics and Philosophy - 3rd year - University of Sheffield)