The #1 Students’ Union in the UK

Written By: Haseeb Iqbal

Run for the students, by the students! One of the best highlights at the University of Sheffield is the Sheffield Students’ Union which has made its students proud by being ranked as the best SU in the country for NINE YEARS consecutively! So, what is the Students’ Union? And what makes ours better than the rest? Well, you’re about to find out.

Aim
The aim of the Students’ Union is to represent all the students at a local and national level, making sure all students are catered for in order to provide them with the best possible student experience throughout their time at Sheffield.

SU Officers
The SU is run by a fantastic team of SU officers which are elected every year by the 26,000 student population of the University of Sheffield. Their job is to make sure that the SU runs smoothly, and to represent the student voice!

Services and Facilities
The SU makes every possible effort that every single student has a wonderful time as a student in Sheffield. Hence, students are provided with a wide range of services in the SU and a few of them are as follows:
SSID: The Student Services Information Desk is your student guide at Sheffield, where the staff is always there to guide you if you are unsure about anything, literally anything!
Student Advice Centre: The SAC aims to provide support to students who are facing any difficulties during their time at Sheffield. Whether it’s mental stress, homesickness, or social anxiety, the SAC always offers a helping hand.
JobShop: This the place where students can go if they’re looking from employment during or after their studies. They are more than happy to assist you in job applications, interviews and even advertise vacancies for students to avail.
Activities and Sports Zone: This is the perfect place for students to get involved within the University, the SU and even the local community. You can choose from a list of activities to go for, all the way for volunteering for a local charity or learning a new language through our ‘Give it a Go’ service.
Box Office: The box office if our one-stop-shop to get tickets for all the events happening around the SU, whether it’s a day trip to Cambridge or a Give it a Go Salsa class.
Film Unit: The Film Unit organizes cheap screenings of both the latest movies and the old classics for a truly catered experience.
Foundry: The Foundry organizes the SU’s very own night outs, hosts competitions like the annual Battle of the Bands and has welcomed quite a few well-renowned DJs over the years. It has also been nominated for the ‘Best Night Outs in Sheffield’ award.

Societies and clubs
The SU also has a list of more than 200 societies ranging from cultural and sports so that all students, regardless of their interests and hobbies, can find a variety of extra-curricular activities and socials to be a part of. However, if you can’t find anything of interest, you can start your very own student society!

With a wonderful range of facilities provided by a friendly group of staff and students, the SU is the pride of all Sheffield students during and even after their time at Sheffield. With a diverse student population and an exposure which is second to none, the SU has provided the perfect platform for all students to gain a variety of skills while having an extraordinary time at Sheffield.

More information about the Sheffield SU: http://su.sheffield.ac.uk/

Working as an International Engineering Ambassador - By Haseeb Iqbal

With the year coming to an end, I felt like it was only fair to let the world know about one of the best experiences I’ve had as a student in Sheffield, which was working as an International Engineering Ambassador. Being a person who is always on the lookout for opportunities to get involved, I was quite excited when I applied for the role and then got short-listed for an interview which finally ended up with me successfully landing the role. Ever since then, I’ve had amazing opportunities to develop a wide range of skills, meet amazing people and most importantly, get loads of free food!

Our team of International Engineering Ambassadors is a large group of current engineering students. Our aim is to work together to use various means to reach out to prospective students, and giving them a taste of Sheffield’s life as an international engineering student. As an IEA, I got involved with the film team who are responsible for making short films which are then used for marketing and promotional purposes. I got to be in charge of the video editing, and even though I was a newbie, I was offered lots and lots of support from my team, which motivated me to work harder and also gave me an opportunity to polish my teamwork skills. The IEAs are in charge of the blogs you are reading right now, we also get to help out and organize University Open Days and course presentations for prospective students. Events like these enable you to engage in conversation with new people which is an excellent way of increasing your communication skills. Apart from that, I got to experience the sense of satisfaction with every prospective student I was able to help out while working at these events. To me, it feels like I’m giving back to the University for the support I received as a prospective and a current student.

Before you get bored of all the work I’ve had to do, let me tell you the fun bits. We do quite a few socials over the year where our awesome supervisor makes sure we are treated to delicious desserts and fun games! We get the chance to meet all the ambassadors from various departments of Engineering, talk about our personal experiences and also share insights about our courses and departments. Working as an IEA has been a wonderful and gifting experience for me. It is something I proudly highlight on my CV and continue to look forward to more opportunities as I go forward in my journey as an IEA at Sheffield University.