"I really love it here": Students share first thoughts on life in Sheffield as Freshers' Week begins
Sheffield will return to being a student city this week as Hallam’s “freshers” begins.
It’s the time of year when thousands of young new arrivals flock to the city to begin the next chapter of their lives.
Sheffield Hallam University welcomes their new students to campus as Freshers’ Week officially gets underway.
From 14 to 20 September, thousands of students will begin finding their feet in our fair city, as they settle in to their new homes in Sheffield.
Welcome week, more commonly known as “Freshers’ Week”, will see society fairs, campus tours and lots of freebies available for students to get involved with.
The Star spoke to students to see what made them choose Sheffield as a place to live and study.
Farseena Azies, 22, has come all the way from Ghana to study neuroscience. She said: “Being one of the top five universities was a really good catch.”
Farseena refers to when Sheffield Hallam was named as a top five university in England at the national Whatuni Student Choice Awards, voted for by students.
She added: “It’s a beautiful place, people here are really kind, and I really love it here.”
Some people haven’t travelled as far as Farseena. Ryan Waugh, 18, will be commuting to university from Doncaster.
His decision to study here was “very last minute”, as he originally planned to take a gap year. But due to his circumstances changing, he is now beginning his degree in politics and international relations with a foundation year.
He said: “I wanted somewhere local and be able to commute, but also I want somewhere a bit removed from home.”
Ryan admitted he “doesn’t like the hills” but enjoys the “diversity”, referring to different activities the city has to offer.
Similar to Ryan, one student shared how originally they didn’t plan to come to university, but changed their mind at the last minute.
Aly Smith, 19, from Nottingham, was convinced by her teacher to come study in Sheffield. She said: “My teacher said I think this would be the perfect thing for you, so I kind of just had a look round and thought Sheffield looks really fun.
“There’s so many shops and stuff near our accommodation, we thought the nearest to us would be Meadowhall.”
The city is expected to become busier in the coming weeks, as more students start their new lives in Sheffield.
The University of Sheffield is set to welcome its next cohort ahead of the welcome week, which starts on 21 September.