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Lancaster or Sheffield for a Politics and International Relations degree?

This is worrying me so much. I desperately need to make a decision as I have my first exam next week. I just don’t know though. They’re so similar. Has anyone else experienced the course at either and can offer some insight? I’d be incredibly grateful.

Also, Sheffield is a lovely city and I’d love to live there, and it has protests and things I’d be excited about, but Lancaster seemed much smaller and quieter. Does anyone know if it’s really lovely and I’ve just not seen it yet? I’d be sad to give up the course and college system on that basis but I will if I have to.

Thanks so much for reading!

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

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Original post

by MissElliot27

This is worrying me so much. I desperately need to make a decision as I have my first exam next week. I just don’t know though. They’re so similar. Has anyone else experienced the course at either and can offer some insight? I’d be incredibly grateful.
Also, Sheffield is a lovely city and I’d love to live there, and it has protests and things I’d be excited about, but Lancaster seemed much smaller and quieter. Does anyone know if it’s really lovely and I’ve just not seen it yet? I’d be sad to give up the course and college system on that basis but I will if I have to.
Thanks so much for reading!

Hello,

Lancaster is definitely smaller than Sheffield, you are right. That said, both the Lancaster campus and Lancaster city are bustling and lively places.
The campus is like a self-contained city in itself, and whenever we have visitors for open days, they are often impressed by the campus structure and system. College bars, on-campus cinema and theatre, fantastic Sports Centre, our library, multiple diverse stores and dining places, a mini-farm, free bookable barbeques, and so much more..

Thanks to the frequent events organised by the colleges, societies, the Students' Union and the careers team, there is something happening almost every day. Just today, there was an artistic demonstration and protest in support of Palestine on campus, a free lunch event organised by Furness College, Cartmel's weekly pub quiz, an employability event, and probably many other things I was unaware of. And because of how diverse the student body is, there are so many celebrations all year round. Being a campus university is fantastic because it gives you a ton of opportunities to learn about new things: you usually will end up passing by Alexandra Square at least once a day, so whether it's the weekly market, Christmas skating rink, a magic and circus demonstration, a visiting employer stand, a sustainable crafts masterclass or some Lunar New year stalls - you are likely to know about things when they happen and are more likely to get involved.

I think the college system really makes the university stand out. Each college organises several events every week, including socials, competitions, wellbeing events, and affordable weekend trips to different places around the Lake District and the UK.

The town is also quite busy, with the street market running twice a week (lots of diverse street food options and local vendors), and various events happening throughout the year. Personally, the highlights for me this year have been the Illuminate Lancaster event (the whole town is illuminated, and there are various awesome installations around), The Lancaster Mustic Festival, where there are so many music and dance performances happening every hour of the weekend in pubs, clubs, on the streets, etc...and definitely the time where my friends and I just cycled to Morecambe after our lecture and went swimming in the sea.
I am not much of a night-out person, but I think the nightlife in Lancaster is quite good as well, especially if you find your people. There isn't much choice in terms of nightclubs (only 3 of them, if you don't count any of the bars), but they organise various themed events and parties, and it seems like the best way to have fun is to go out on society socials. Those can be very fun and creative, and some of them are...very creative.

Anyway, it is a difficult decision, so consider what is most important to you at a university and make your selection based on that. Have you visited both universities for an Open Day? That is often very helpful. I think both are great universities, and I also struggled to choose between them a few years ago, so I understand how tough this situation is. Best of luck!

Warm regards,
Polina,
Lancaster University Student Ambassador.

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