Sheffield University?

[Suffolker]

It doesn’t seem to crop up very often on here, so I thought I’d see what people’s experiences/opinions of it are.

We went to an offer holder’s day today. Dd has been offered a place for geography and seemed pretty impressed with the course/department. I’ve always thought of Sheffield as a great city, friendly and accessible. Cheap and plentiful accommodation, lively (but not too lively) and easy access to the beautiful Peak District.

Just curious as to why it doesn’t seem to get mentioned on here very often? Manchester/Leeds/Newcastle seem to be more popular. Interested to hear any views!

@IdaGlossop Agreed. I blame the parents! DH went to Sheffield for engineering and, from what he says, it wasn’t like that then but Sheffield is a socialist republic now!

DS1 is a privately educated “twat” studying biology very happily at Sheffield having found his tribe. Not sure that he cares at all as to whether he drinks, plays sport or does whatever with friends who came from the state or private sectors 🤷‍♀️ He does know however that you background doesn’t define you which maybe some posters need to reflect upon. Other than that the Uni is great, SU fabulous and living costs reasonable 🙂

One of mine is there now and absolutely loves it. Great uni which deserves more attention than it gets.

No of contact hours aren't everything - dc is studying a social science and the hours are what you'd expect. But that's normal - you are reading for a degree after all. The seminars sound excellent and lecturers are responsive by email and helpful during office hours.

There is tons going on, dc definitely works hard and plays hard. The1st year accommodation is lovely and the setup very sociable.

There were some strikes last term but the uni put on catch up sessions this term.

DC is at Sheffield doing physics - and really enjoying it.

My daughter did chemical engineering there. Got a first in her integrated bachelors/ masters degree and got loads of job offers. She loved her first year in Endcliffe Village and the facilities/ engineering department are outstanding. She had one of the best university experiences ever and was sad when it came to an end.

DS is at Sheffield currently doing mechanical engineering. He seems to be enjoying it and the course is very highly rated nationally and well organized. He's pleased he chose Sheffield.
Accommodation is reasonable compared to some unis and students like the city. If you want formal dinners and a tight campus it probably isn't the uni for you. Think more 'down to earth'.
I also loved it when I was an undergraduate there. But I graduated in 95 so it's changed a bit!

@TheOnlyAletheia There are very many posts on MN where dc will not go to a university with a higher % of privately educated dc. At no university are they the majority. It’s utterly senseless to not go to a fantastic university because you think a minority won’t be like you. What sensible people do is look beyond that because the money parents have doesn’t define their dc. Beyond university, no one chooses their work colleagues. Are these dc going to pick over the backgrounds of colleagues too? Where does it end?

There’s a helpful Facebook group for Sheffield Uni parents

Sheffield is a great city. Please tell me what city has no graffiti and vagrants because I’m yet to discover one

I looked around with my DS and was very impressed. It’s clear they can’t do enough for the students - seemed like a much better student experience than the RG uni where I work. Lovely city too and very affordable.

Absolutely agree - what a load of crap some people spout and pass on to their kids.

Indeed. I said similar on another thread and somebody replied, in full, with “Tiny violin!”

The initial 'private school twats' comment upthread was crass and unnecessary, but ds1 is somewhere where the majority are from fee-paying schools and it can impact the experience someone has, regardless of how nice such students are. Being surrounded by people who have a lot more money than you can be tricky in certain situations, for example. Moreover, despite what some parents may be reluctant to admit, some students from those settings can be pretty snobby and exclusionary, especially when there are a lot of them together who already know each other from pre-uni. You never read posts on here from people saying, 'yes, dd went to a private school and is a bit of a snob and really can't hide her shock when someone says they've never been abroad or can't afford to eat out 3 nights per week,' but these types of students do exist. Ds has made a lot of friends from all kinds of backgrounds though and he says students from London state schools can be some of the most difficult to get on with, but that might be because there are a lot of them together from the same couple of schools, and most are fine if on their own.

I do think it's worth considering the kind of intake that tends to predominate in a setting though because it can have a major impact on the student experience - it's naive to believe otherwise.

Is he at Leeds Nottingham or Birmingham?

I think that's a good post @coffeerevelsrule tho I am not sure how you assess the intake to a uni.

And I think that with the CoL and ever-higher student rents, coupled with the low threshold for anything more than the minimum loan, university (certainly going away to uni) is sadly becoming more and more something that only or mostly richer families can afford – and those families are often the people who were able to educate their DC privately.

Yes there are bursaries and other support, but a lot of frankly lower-income families (two parents on about £35k a year is hardly super wealthy) are getting very little support. This is not a moan, but I think it is more and more true. DS is at Lboro, which hardly screams posh, but many of the people he knows were privately educated (he wasn't). He's still made loads of friends tho. DD in Leicester did not find this FWIW. Very much anecdata as I realise.

Btw although I am not defending the PP who made the comment, they actually referenced public-school twats – so people who went to Eton or Harrow or Winchester, who behave in a tosser-ish way. They didn't even say everyone who attended those schools was a twat, never mind everyone who went to private schools. But I agree it was not perhaps well-expressed.

Am reading this and am bemused. Sheffield is a top 20 UK uni, a Russell group, very highly rated for multiple research areas. So, it’s not Oxbridge? My DH went to Cambridge and when my kids were looking at unis he actually counselled against applying there as it can be problematic getting past the misperceptions of what ‘Oxbridge’ means. Most graduate employers now use blind recruiting so do not know which universities candidates have graduated from anyway. We should be promoting all our universities and encouraging young people to explore northern and midland cities, not leaning into north/south divisive prejudices.

Sheffield is a fab city with its proximity to the Peak district, low cost of living, the Lyceum and music scene.

I live in the south but went to uni in York and wish I’d been able to stay there. Am a Midlander by marriage and excited to see one of my kids is heading northwards for uni.

I would agree with this comment. Clearly offensive terms about particular groups are wrong should be avoided, and difficult people come from all financial backgrounds.
However, it's naive for the wealthy to say that all students can settle in and become friends easily with their own DC without barriers to this. Particularly in the current climate where there is reducing financial support due to thresholds not being increased for so many years and the increasing cost of rental property. Students bond over nights out and socializing which usually have some kind of financial cost. Many students will be excluded from things their peers are engaging with for this reason or experience anxiety about them, impacting friendships. Their holiday activities will be very different which may lead to awkward conversations where someone talks about their trips around Europe and someone else has worked in a warehouse throughout the summer. Choosing accommodation in later years may lead to conflict if some have more money than others and cannot see why a cheaper accommodation is required.
Of course there are also some people in the world who 'look down on' those who haven't been abroad or experienced certain things hopefully they are in the minority but they do exist and DC are more likely to come across them in certain universities which are facoured by certain groups. However conversations about skiing trips etc may make tap into some people's sense of shame and frustration that they can't always participate in the activities of others, even though this is no fault of their own. This isn't the fault of their wealthier peers directly but is a factor. At a time where identities are forming and fitting in with others can feel so crucial these things can be challenging. Whether we like it or not, money does make a difference . I see this as a wealth issue rather than an education issue as there are plenty of state educated DC with money in the family.

Happy to give input as a parent of a dc who is currently there.

We all were very impressed with Sheffield when we first went to an open day with ds1 (who put it as his insurance). it is a lovely city. Ds2 also put it as his insurance and ended up going there. Dh and I love visiting him there and have probably stayed over in Sheffield more than the places our older two went to.

However, I do feel that ds2 is not enjoying uni as much as his siblings. This of course may be nothing to do with the city or the university. He was definitely disappointed not to get into his first choice and possibly has never got over that. Lots of his friends went to his first choice uni and it is a bigger city with more going on. He was also doing A Levels during Covid when there were no Open Days running so never got a chance to revisit it.

He doesn't spend much time at the university other than going to lectures and to the uni gym. Maybe this is the same everywhere now. In my day we went in for the first lecture and stayed all day, hanging out in cafes or studying in the library.

I don't think he has been too impacted by the strikes so far. Or at least not enough to be complaining about it!

I think Sheffield is a great choice if your dc are the outdoors type, with the Peaks so close. We noticed lots of kids moving in who had brought mountain bikes etc. Of course that might be just to cope with the hills in the city!

Graduated from.Sheffield in late 80s. A lot of my uni friends still live there. I would if work hadn't moved me away.
Fabulous ciry

Hi decor! Hope you are well.

Funny, my DS is the opposite - very much more uni centred at Sheffield than Brum. Been out tot he Peaks (not outdoorsy! Never travelled to any sights in undergrad) , goes out to a range of pubs more than he did, same clubs (brass band, very bad football team, does Parkrun) and seems more part of 'Sheffield' than the Birmingham Selly Bubble. He also says the students are nicer.

I think you are right about how different it was in our day. We also went for drinks with the lecturers. Bet that's v rare now. Certainly nothing is like what York was like back in the day. Even that has changed in terms of how the colleges operate.

I asked DS which he would recommend to an 18 year old of Sheffield or Birmingham. He said definitely Sheffield, although he seems to believe a Birmingham undergrad degree is more prestigious (he would, wouldn't he!?)

I do also think the area he lives in is genuinely nice. Selly was grimy.

ETA - he goes to the (famous) Students' Union a lot just for drinks etc. Not an events type. He never went to the Guild in Birmingham.

Me, I'm narked that their graduation venue is a climb down after one in Lincoln Cathedral and one in the Birmingham Great Hall.

Hi @Piggywaspushed Maybe they make more of their time once they are more mature?! I think it doesn't help that this year's accommodation is a bit grim. He didn't see it as he was doing his placement year and trusted his friend to find somewhere ok...

Where are the Sheffield graduations held? I had assume done of the nice old buildings but perhaps not!

Dd2 is going to Sheffield Hallam in September all being well, from what we've seen it's brilliant and she's super excited (despite always having said she didn't want to go too far from home - we're in Devon!) but I know the uni of Sheffield has an excellent reputation too. Certainly seems like a great place to be a student to me.

In the Octagon apparently.

@Piggywaspushed Sheffield is definitely better than Birmingham for engineering. Depends on subject.

I know lots of people who went to Sheffield - ages ago and recently, and some who have taught there. All of them loved it. It is a great town too, with the best countryside on the doorstep. If I had the choice, I'd rather be a student there than Manchester or Birmingham. They are great unis but not such lovely cities imo.