Hi, I am going to spend 10 months in Sheffield as an Sokrates-exchange student.

Can anybody tell me how high the monthly living costs for a student (room, food, telephone etc) in Sheffield are?

Is a private room cheaper than a dormitory?
Which self catering dormitories would you recommend?

Are there any private dormitories in Sheffield?

Please :help: !

Thanks Thanks Thanks

I think you could probably get a room in a shared house cheaper than the self-catered halls. Although houses are often let for 12 months and halls would only be 10 (though a lot of houses will do half rent over the summer period as landlords assume students do not stay for these months).

I think the cheapest rents are £42 pounds a week, average nowadays is probably nearer £50 pounds a week, but this depends on the state of the house, area to some extent.

food you can do quite cheaply depending on what you eat!

as for telephone this depends a lot - cheapest line rental on a house phone is 8.50 a month - which is not very much say in a house of 4. mobile prices vary a lot. If you're phoning abroad a lot it's generally best to have a land line then make calls through companies such as one-tel that specialise in cheap international calls.

hope i've helped a little, where are you coming from?

Jayne

Thank you Jayne :),

I`m very glad you wrote me!
I must admit I am a bit worried about coming to Sheffield. I don`t know anybody there and I`m a bit (or, more true->completely) lost in my preparation for these 10 months.
I don`t know how much money I should have.

Is the monthly rent (about 50Pounds) of a private room inclusive electicity etc.?

Are you studying in Sheffield?

Currently, I am studying in Hamburg in Germany but come from Poland. I study English, German and Law.

Thanks a lot once more

Olga

I'm not a student but I did study in Sheffield a few years ago. I also went to France as an Erasmus student so I know what it's like to suddenly be in a different city.

Sheffield is a nice city to be a student with, cheaper than other parts of the UK. The university is very organised when dealing with international students, and if you wish will find you accommodation - there are details about it on the university website. Another option to look at are University owned houses but I'm sure the University will send details on these.

Is it Sheffield University you're coming to, or Sheffield Hallam?

Hello Olga im currently a student at sheffield uni and can give you some good advice on your time at uni.

ALL THIS INFOMATION ASSUMES YOU ARE GOING TO UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD AND NOT SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNVERSITY

Although you can go into private accomidation i would HIGHLY reccomened you go into university accomidation. This will mean you have the university as your landlord, will be in a system designed to prevent anything going wrong for you during your stay and most importantly you will be put in an enviroment where you can meet people.

If you do chose to follow this advice you will have two choices catered halls of residences or self catering flats.

Catered halls of residence mean that you live on a floor with 10 or more other students(floors are sperated by sex but building are not). Although you have access to a small kitchen with BASIC facilities shared by all on that floor. You will also share shower/toilet facilities. Meals are provided in a large hall. You are given breakfast and evening meal during the week breakfast lunch and supper at the weekends. The food is not great but could be a lot worse. Halls also have their own bars and social organisations for events and parties. Most international students are in hallifax hall of residence because the contracts run through the christmas and easter breaks thus you have access to your room throughout thw vacations while most 1st year students go home and dont have access to their rooms. The advantages of the halls is the sociable aspect and the fact so many facilites are provided such as a cleaner. The disadvantages can include the food and the noise factor of other students going out drinking. i was in ranmoor hall of residence (population 800) and it was the best time of my life.

I know less about the selfcatered flats. they are owned by the university and seperated into groups of flats of about 6 people with communal kitchen/dining areas. Obviously you are expected to feed yourself but that means you have more freedom with food (i frequently missed breakfast at halls because I didnt get up!). I think the university normally groups international students together in flats. The advantage of chosing the self catred is that you can live much more independently but miss out on the social aspect of halls. I believe all your bills are included in the rent for selfcatering flats but you are also give more choice on which area you live in as international students on assigned a single place like the are with halls.

University Accomidation info can be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/housing/

Specific infomation on accomidation for international students can be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/housing/additional_info/international.html


I would recomend that you go into some form of universtiy accomodation there are a lot of potential probelms with private housing which would be even worse for you as an international student. Get incontact with the university and get them to help you with accomidation. It will make things much easier for you.

Either way have FUN!

Sorry for the long essay have just got in from work!!!!
Rob

Originally posted by Olga
Is the monthly rent (about 50Pounds) of a private room inclusive electicity etc.?

That should be £50 a week. I think that's a bit cheap unless you don't mind something shabby or a distance from the University.

If you want a good standard of accommodation that you don't need to check out before you arrive I would try any of the following. Be quick though - they are very popular

Devonshire Courtyard (http://www.unite-students.com/a.asp?city=Sheffield&pg=3)

Exchange Works (http://www.unite-students.com/a.asp?city=Sheffield&pg=2)

Victoria Hall (http://www.victoriahall.com/index2.htm)

If you live in a cheap house away from the University you will also have bus / taxi costs and these can be more expensive than the extra cost of living in a nice room close to the Uni.

Hello,

I'm in the same situation like Olga. I'm going to study for a 'socrates' year in the University of Sheffield and have to chose whether I would like to live in a hall or a flat. Probably I will take the hall.
So are there halls which you could recommend?
Are the times for breakfast and evening meals very early? I am afraid that I will miss too much of these meals.
Oh ... and is it true that it is raining every day in Sheffield?

Thanks a lot !

It doesnt rain that much, i really didnt notice any "extra" rain in sheffield. You will probably end up in halifax because its the only hall you can stay in druing the easter and christmas halls. You can leave your stuff in the others but i dont think you can stay over. I was in Ranmoor Hall which was amzing, 800 people, definatley the most sociable hall although i hear earnshaw is very good. Breakfast ends at 9.15 (well it did in ranmoor) and yeas i rarely made it but it is later on the weekends.
The best thing had to be the people who got dressed up for breakfast! How ridiculous

Thanks for your reply Lucky...

Good to hear that it doesn't rain that often in Sheffield, since this summer was rainy enough ...

In the catalogue they've sent me, there stands that most halls have a "flexible room only arrangement during x-mas and easter vacations" (whilst only Halifax has full service). Maybe this means one can sleep there without getting food?!

So if most of the hall residents are 1st year students I assume that the average age there is rather young?

They will all be 18/19 maybe a few older plus the residential tutors who are there are normally postgrads. They get cheap accomidation and pay i think in return for making sure we dont cause to much trouble. they rarely succeed. Where you should live depends on what type of person you are. Halifax hall which does accomidate a lot of international students was quiet in my year. the bar was alwayts dead. ranmoor on the other hand was much more"alive"

Some of your replies were soooo helpful. I'm coming over for one semester only and want, or rather need, to find work.
After reading your replies, I think I'm going for uni accomodation, but unlike others wanting to stay during holidays, I will only be there for one semester ( Feb-June). I'm not sure which halls I'll be offered because of that and I definitely want self-catered (I'd always miss breakfast).
I was looking at Crewe flats! I will be 30 when I arrive, and although a young thirty, do you have any recommendations for me????????
Coming from Australia, although really a kiwi.
Thanks,
Debs

It´s good to read there are more of you in the similar situation.
I find all the replies very helpfull!!!
Thanks a lot!!!!

I think, you are right, LuckyR - I will apply for the university owned accommodation.

Similarly to deb13 I definitely prefer the self-catered one.

I am only wondering, which is the best one for me...
- I need internet access (not all of them have it, I read), I will have to look for a job, so the central location or in the pub/restaurant/potential employer area is very important as well. Ach, and I will stay in Sheffield during holidays.
What would you recommend?

thanks!!!

Im not as sure about flats. Ive been to a few parties and spent some nights here and there but i can say avoid tapton flats like the plague. Rents vary from place to place but endcliff vale flats were great but also the most expensive. Deb 13, see if the uni has anything where you can be with some 21+ students. Im sure you 30 going on 18 but living with 18 year old students who are are away from parents for the first time is quite an "experience".
Me and my friends went out to clubs on average three times a week plus stupid amount of hours spent in pubs. All i can say is for any international student use the University as much as possible. They are your best point of contact but keep nagging them.
Anyone wanting to find me will probably spot me either in the gym, the politics dept, playing american football or going out far to much. hehe

Originally posted by deb13
I was looking at Crewe flats! I will be 30 when I arrive, and although a young thirty, do you have any recommendations for me????????

I have friends who used to live in Crewe Flats - it's mostly first year undergraduates (18-19yo). Broad Lane Court and St George's Flats are more targeted at postgrads, as well as being much closer to the university, so they'd be a better bet if you can get in, otherwise I'd recommend renting privately over living with first years. Victoria Halls and the other similar blocks around the Devonshire Quarter are reasonable.

Ian

I´ve just read there are also shared rooms in the university-owned accommodation.

Do you pay less when you share your room?