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/

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 it’s something personal, course related or accommodation problems, you can always count on their advice. It’s all fun and games when you’re 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 University’s 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 University’s 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 won’t be disappointed.

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