The Experience Sheffield Scholarship has enabled me to fully immerse myself in student life

Why did you choose to study economics at Sheffield? 

Sheffield really appealed to me as it is a medium sized city close to the Peak District. 

This made it easy to get to know the city quickly, with many nice coffee shops and parks. Also, I really enjoy going out into the Peaks to go swimming or on a long walk. I feel the flexibility of the course between BSc Economics, BA Economics and Economics with Finance really drew me to Sheffield. Before coming, I did not have any particular career path in mind, and so it was reassuring to know I still had a chance to tailor my degree at a later point.

What is your favourite part of your student journey? 

I feel my favourite part of my student journey so far would have to be the build up to Christmas in Sheffield. By the end of semester 1, I really felt like I had settled into life at university, with my flat, course and within the societies I had joined. Towards Christmas, there are Christmas markets in Sheffield and I also enjoyed activities like having Christmas dinner with my flat. Lots of the university sports teams also hold fun events at this time too. I am a part of women’s rugby, and with this we have a formal club Christmas dinner together as-well as lots of Christmas themed activities. As an experience Sheffield scholarship student, the funds have enabled me to fully immerse myself in student life and take every opportunity given, without having to worry about financial barriers.  

What surprised me? 

I think I was most surprised by the number of different societies and activities you can join at the university. During freshers week, there are activities and sports fairs to find something you are interested in. From sports to sewing and pretty much everything in between! Most societies also have ‘give it a go’ sessions which you can attend before deciding to join a society. I went to 3 different ‘give it a go’ sessions before making the decision to join rugby.

Any tips for prospective students? 

My biggest tip would be to definitely throw yourself into everything with 100% when you join. While it can be daunting moving away for the first time, it is also the best time to try new things and meet new people. 

The university also has great systems in place to help support you in your transition to university. From mentoring schemes to residence life students who check in on you in your accommodation, the university are always there to offer guidance and advice when things go wrong. This is also how I came to hear about the Experience Sheffield Scholarship scheme. The selection criteria for this supports students from a variety of different backgrounds to support them to live a university life like their peers. 

There are multiple different scholarship and bursary schemes to apply for at Sheffield, to make sure you get the most out of your university experience.