“Dear Class of 2018”: Everything I feel now I’m leaving Sheffield

Dear Class of 2018,

With the final stresses of third year drawing to a close, I invite you to take a moment to look back on the past three years and your time at the University of Sheffield.

A mix of emotions comes over me as I do this, I am relieved at the prospect of no more Turnitin submissions, no more midnight word count culls and no more referencing.

I am excited to leave behind the Himalayan hills, the mouldy digs and the constant lack of funds. But as the days draw closer to the expiry date on my faded U-Card, I feel a longing for those carefree fresher days, to go back to that sunny September Saturday three years ago and do it all over again.

Freedom!

As we arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed to our halls with our worldly possessions protruding from our parents’ car we were filled with prospectus-fuelled expectations of smiling students and thrilling lectures in the highly elusive Firth Court building, which I still maintain is a myth.

The reality however is so much better. What the prospectus should say is that you don’t make friends sitting on the steps of the Union concourse on a sunny day, you make friends out of a mutual lack of seminar preparation five minutes before it starts, or when you’re lost outside St George’s Church looking for the Broad Lane building – which is what they decided to rename the Mappin Building without telling anyone!

ft. Firth Court

With the Varsity chants still ringing in our ears, we reminisce about the good times, about our first Corp Wednesday, our first Corp hangover, our first Notty House pie, our first impromptu West Street night, our first trip to Sainsbury’s in our PJs, our first lecture – maybe not so much.

As I do this I can’t help but think about the last time I did these, and the prospect of not doing them again as the end comes into sight.

Third years 🙁

An exciting time lies ahead for the class of 2018, whether it be travelling, further education or finally taking a stab at adulting and entering the 9 to 5 world, which, for those of us whose timetables weren't plagued with 9am lectures, will come as a bit of a shock. There’s no telling where any of us will be in 30 years time, other than to say we will still be in debt, but we will always have one thing in common: Sheff.

Social-ising

For those of us choosing to take the plunge into employment we have, ahead of us, a search much harder than finding a seat in the IC. Our very own Varsity is afoot as we attempt to find a graduate job, although it's perhaps best not to shout ‘At least I've got a Dad and a degree’ in an interview.

We are set to discover that navigating real life is much like navigating the paternoster lift in the Arts Tower – you just jump in and hope for the best.

Standard 35mm pic

Along with many other things, The Octagon is symbolic of my time at Sheffield and of the University's ability to get full use out of a building! So in July as I sit in there waiting in my £10 an hour cap and gown – hopefully – to receive my degree I will look fondly back on the times spent in there.

Queuing up an unmentionable amount of times for a slice of Domino's pizza at the freshers fair, turning up there drunk to the AcheiveMore presentation, begrudgingly watching Hallam win the Varsity boxing, and even sitting an exam in there!

The struggle

So as we get ready to return the library books we’ve had renewing since first year, take down the bits of tinsel still hanging on the wall and turn off our Sunday morning ‘buy Pop Tarts tickets’ alarms, we remember to hold a special place in our hearts for the Steel City that we’ve called home, and ignore the fact there will be a day when we log out of MOLE and never log back in again.

The final farewell

We will all have fond and slightly sticky memories in future meetings when the word ‘Corporation’ comes up, we will always sing Arctic Monkeys that little bit louder than everyone else, and we will forever be Black and Gold.

Yours Sincerely,

A Fellow Third Year