Why you should come to uni in Sheffield, by a Southerner

Growing up Sheffield didn’t stick out as a cool place to be in the North, especially in comparison to Manchester and Leeds which are admittedly bigger and more popular.

However, I am now in my third year at Uni of Sheff, and it looks as though there are more Southerners in Sheffield than ever before, strange ey? It seems as though this apparently un-cooler, smaller city is attracting thousands of students from the South and there are many reasons why…

Culture

Sheffield has a distinctive culture that you’ll be unlikely to find in any other major UK city. In Sheffield you’ll find a weird mix of locals and students intermingling on the same street, in the same shops and throughout the city. So you’ll likely find that you’re making friends with a complete stranger on a Saturday night – so long as you can understand their accent!

That famous Yorkshire accent

That brings me swiftly onto the Sheffield accent. If you thought there were some strange accents in the South just wait until you get to Sheffield. Not only will you still struggle to understand the locals by third year, but you’ll find yourself saying “ta love”, “breadcake” and “that’s reyt bad” to all your friends back home, much to their confusion.

Incredibly cheap

You won’t quite believe how cheap Sheffield is, like seriously cheap. You can get a bus around Sheffield for £1, at any time on any day – and that’s just the beginning. You’ll be hard pressed to find a pint in Sheffield for more than £4, with prices of lager usually no more than £3 a pint. After a night out down West Street you’ll be able to get a taxi back home and still have change from a tenner.

Sport

For me one of the best things about coming to Sheffield is the amount of sport that’s on your doorstep. Not only are there two professional men’s football teams to watch, there’s women’s teams and the two oldest football clubs in history right in the city. If ice hockey is your thing, Sheffield is the place to be with the current league champions, the Sheffield Steelers, based here.

Smaller and friendlier city

I’ve already mentioned how Sheffield is a lot smaller than other northern cities like Manchester and Leeds, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you come to uni in Sheffield, you’ll be able to experience a city lifestyle but without all the hustle and bustle you’ve come to expect. What’s more, you can walk from the student accommodation across the whole city centre in around 40 minutes, or take a 15 minute bus, amazing!

Distinct differences across the city

That brings me onto my next point: Sheffield is like loads of little towns and villages that have been stuck together around a ring road. It’s a bizarre way to organise a city, but it works. It means that each little suburb and area has its own little nuances such as high quality restaurants, great takeaways or just loads of pubs and bars.

Greenest city in the UK

Not only is Sheffield great for its friendly nature and close knit community, it has also been described as both the greenest city in the UK and one of the greenest cities in Europe. There are parks and green spaces everywhere, and they are great places to hang out in the summer with a BBQ and some beers. If you ever grow tired of the cities incredible green spaces, you can get on one of those £1 buses and take a trip into the Peak District which is conveniently right on your doorstep.

Distance from nagging parents

Possibly one of the best benefits of coming to Sheffield is just how far away it is from your parents. You’ll be able to roam around this amazing city or be free to mope around hungover in peace in the knowledge that your mum’s over three hours away.

Just an amazing place to be

Finally, as Sheffield has become more popular the city has grown massively with companies realising just how fantastic this city is. There is world class theatre performances at the Lyceum Theatre in the city centre, the O2 academy showing bands like Slaves, the Fratellis and White lies, and big name chains like The Bierkeller and Red’s True BBQ all realising how great Sheffield really is.