uni choice

i’m stuck between uni of sheffield and uni of manchester, they both offer the digital media and society degree that i want to do and i have offers for both although manchester is asking for slightly higher grades. anyways, my main issue is not knowing if i’ll enjoy a bigger place or smaller place. i’m somewhat of an introvert but i do like having a circle of friends and going out but since i live in a village right now 😭 i dont know if i should go to a big city or not. i’m nervous that it’ll be too intense but i’m also nervous that i’ll be in sheffield wishing it was bigger and wishing there was more of an lgbtq+ scene which i know manchester has. any advice from uni students or people who have lived in these cities? thank you!

Reply 1

The :3

Hiya,

I haven't personally lived in either yet, but I do know a decent amount about the University of Manchester, since I'm looking at firming them for chemistry (and also information osmosis from searching about it and talking to people), but do take everything I say with a pinch of salt anyways.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say realistically, you won't notice much difference in the size of the cities, both are very large cities (especially if you're coming from a village, having suffered through living in my tiny little village long enough, even a small city like Cambridge felt big), and so it's better to consider other factors for it, I personally chose to apply to Manchester over Sheffield (although that's because Manchester has very very good chemistry), consider having a look at how they perform for specific subjects, also bear in mind that entry requirements are only really a vague indicator on how good a course is. A lot of the polytechnics (e.g. MMU, ARU, etc.) still have very good courses, although they have much lower entry requirements.

Another thing to consider is if you want to do a year abroad, Manchester has a frankly dizzying number of destinations, so you'll probably have more luck there than with Sheffield.

In terms of nightlife, I definitely think Manchester will have more (although you don't necessarily need to engage with it), I don't know as much about Sheffield, but in Manchester, there are 3 places for student accommodation: Fallowfield, Victoria Park, and City, where Fallowfield is the 'party campus' and Victoria park and city are quieter, so that's another thing to consider

I'd reckon go to the open days and offer holders' days (especially offer holders' days, the open day at Manchester was honestly a bit pants, but the offer holders' day was amazing) and see the cities for yourself, also bear in mind that if you do feel overwhelmed in Manchester, you can find accommodation slightly out of the way, either in a suburb or a nearby town, the transport in Manchester is very good compared to most other places, so living in a suburb especially you won't have much trouble commuting in.

I'm also personally going to recommend to go to Manchester, but that's just my own personal opinion, and isn't really substantiated by any hard facts, since which one you prefer is just personal opinion

If you're looking for LGBTQ+ friendly places, Manchester is definitely better known for them, but there are plenty in Sheffield too, I'd recommend looking online, as there are a lot of guides and directories, here's one for Sheffield, and one for Manchester (I'm sure residents of them will be able to give better ones), personally, I really liked Manchester, because when I went to the chemistry building, they had all-gender toilets, so I could actually use the bog in piece, I can't say for Sheffield, because in the end, I didn't apply (I switched them out for York, so I wouldn't be applying to 2 places with ABB), but that's something that was nice.

hope this helps and good luck :smile:

Reply 2

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

Hi there,

Whilst Sheffield is smaller, since studying here, I have always found lots to do at weekends/evenings in the city. There are plenty of bars, clubs, music venues etc. - whilst it is geographically smaller than others, it is still very much a student city that doesn’t feel small in my opinion.

The areas you will end up going to frequently as a student are also really lovely, and the safeness of Sheffield over all was a big pull factor for me personally, also coming from a small town. The number of parks and green spaces around the student accommodation in particular is one of my favourite things about living in Sheffield, and it really makes a difference to how the city feels to walk around.

There are also some lovely streets like Ecclesalll road and Division Street, which are awesome for vintage/charity shopping. The live music scene also drew me in, as there are a lot of grassroots venues which are fairly affordable.

However, as has already been suggested, visiting the cities would definitely help you get a better idea of size, and help make your decision easier.

In terms of the LGBTQ+ scene, I will signpost you to our website section on this for you to take a look at - LGBTQ+ student life

Good luck with your decision!

Phillippa - University of Sheffield Politics and languages student

Reply 3

idkmorgan

Original post

by The :3

Hiya,
I haven't personally lived in either yet, but I do know a decent amount about the University of Manchester, since I'm looking at firming them for chemistry (and also information osmosis from searching about it and talking to people), but do take everything I say with a pinch of salt anyways.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say realistically, you won't notice much difference in the size of the cities, both are very large cities (especially if you're coming from a village, having suffered through living in my tiny little village long enough, even a small city like Cambridge felt big), and so it's better to consider other factors for it, I personally chose to apply to Manchester over Sheffield (although that's because Manchester has very very good chemistry), consider having a look at how they perform for specific subjects, also bear in mind that entry requirements are only really a vague indicator on how good a course is. A lot of the polytechnics (e.g. MMU, ARU, etc.) still have very good courses, although they have much lower entry requirements.
Another thing to consider is if you want to do a year abroad, Manchester has a frankly dizzying number of destinations, so you'll probably have more luck there than with Sheffield.
In terms of nightlife, I definitely think Manchester will have more (although you don't necessarily need to engage with it), I don't know as much about Sheffield, but in Manchester, there are 3 places for student accommodation: Fallowfield, Victoria Park, and City, where Fallowfield is the 'party campus' and Victoria park and city are quieter, so that's another thing to consider
I'd reckon go to the open days and offer holders' days (especially offer holders' days, the open day at Manchester was honestly a bit pants, but the offer holders' day was amazing) and see the cities for yourself, also bear in mind that if you do feel overwhelmed in Manchester, you can find accommodation slightly out of the way, either in a suburb or a nearby town, the transport in Manchester is very good compared to most other places, so living in a suburb especially you won't have much trouble commuting in.
I'm also personally going to recommend to go to Manchester, but that's just my own personal opinion, and isn't really substantiated by any hard facts, since which one you prefer is just personal opinion
If you're looking for LGBTQ+ friendly places, Manchester is definitely better known for them, but there are plenty in Sheffield too, I'd recommend looking online, as there are a lot of guides and directories, here's one for Sheffield, and one for Manchester (I'm sure residents of them will be able to give better ones), personally, I really liked Manchester, because when I went to the chemistry building, they had all-gender toilets, so I could actually use the bog in piece, I can't say for Sheffield, because in the end, I didn't apply (I switched them out for York, so I wouldn't be applying to 2 places with ABB), but that's something that was nice.
hope this helps and good luck :smile:

thank you so much for the detailed reply! i’ve booked the offer holder day so both unis so i’m hoping those will help form my opinion even further. it’s so difficult because there seems to be pros and cons to both cities. from what you mentioned, the number of year abroad destinations would definitely be a pro for me, along with the all gender toilets.
anyways, i wish you the best of luck with chemistry at manchester! perhaps i will end up joining you there 🙂