International Engineering Ambassadors
Insight into the life & course of international students.

Tuesday 11 November 2014

What does the University offer?

Written by Birju Galaiya

In this blog I will explore into what the university offers in terms of the facilities and support for students. It is really important for all the students to be satisfied with the services provided to them- whether it is directly related to their studies (e.g. library resources) or help them undertake activities outside their course (e.g. sports). I have been impressed by the facilities available to us- it just makes the university experience complete!

As always, with studying being a priority for all students, the University has 3 libraries that students can use for their study time. The biggest of them is the Information Commons that delivers high quality IT-enabled study spaces and 24 hour access to student materials. Having 6 levels, it has study desks where students can read or plug in a laptop, soft-seating areas where students may work informally or relax and specially allocated space for silent study (too silent for my liking!). It also has a 24hour café to cater for those students who are lazy to go back home. Being up to date with technology, the computer system allows you to book computers, group rooms and text books in advance. There are plenty of text books available in all the libraries allowing you to refer to them during revision.

There is a dedicated team of staff that provides computing facilities for students to meet all their learning, research and development needs. It maintains over 1400 computers across the campus together with the printing machines, ensuring they are functioning at all times. With their Laptop Loan Service, students can borrow laptops for free. Also, students are also allowed to borrow creative media equipment such as video cameras which students can use for their society events or even module assignments.



If things are not going right for you, there is always someone you can talk to in the Student Advice Centre. Whether its something personal, course related or accommodation problems, you can always count on their advice. Its all fun and games when youre healthy and keeping well until you hit rock-bottom. I experienced that during my first semester in second year when I fell ill for more than a month. You feel weak, miss home and a lose appetite. Frustrating as it may be, you have to attend lectures so you do not miss out on topics. Thankfully, the Universitys Health Service really assisted me during this rough time. Booking for appointments to see a doctor was not too much of a hassle and you do not have to wait for a long period of time for you to get an appointment. I had a blood test taken at a nearby hospital that gave doctors more information about my condition. The doctors were very understanding and gave me advice and prescriptions on how to get better quickly. Overall, I was pleased by the services they provided.



Being a sport fanatic, I was hoping for great sporting facilities that I could use and yes- Sheffield delivered. The Universitys own centre for sports- Sport Sheffield has a lot to offer including several floodlit football and hockey pitches, a swimming pool, state of the art gym, badminton courts and a bouldering wall for the daredevils. You can join the different intra-mural leagues where teams compete against each other while also getting a chance to have a break from studies. Sheffield, known for its hills, has been a brilliant place for me to explore my running- I enjoy running in the numerous parks, hills and get a chance to see some beautiful scenery Sheffield has to offer. If not Sport Sheffield, Sheffield offers other venues such as the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre which as an Olympic-sized 50m swimming pool. Whatever sport you are interested in, you wont be disappointed.




These are just some of the things the University offers. There are loads more!












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