Why I'm staying in Sheffield after university, even though I never planned to make it home

Sheffield was never a place I had planned to stay, but three years on, I have joined the 40 per cent of students who have choose to stay here after graduation.

“Enjoy it, it’s very temporary” my dad told me as he dropped me off at Endcliffe Village. I had just arrived at the University of Sheffield accommodation. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to my time in the hallowed halls of Derwent, or the short three years I planned to spend in Sheffield completing my journalism degree. Regardless, I took his words on board because at the time, I thought I would never stay.

Fast forward three years and I have a tenancy agreement for a small flat by Devonshire Green that tells you I fell in love with Sheffield, too much to leave.

A 2018 census from Sheffield Hallam University found that the graduate retention in the Sheffield City Region steadily averaged at 42 per cent, and it's easy to understand why: from the cost of living to the vibrant atmosphere and green spaces, it's no wonder so many ex-students like myself are hesitant to move.

I grew up in the south of England, which now feels stilted in comparison to the atmosphere of the north, and had never visited until the day my dad dropped me off. I didn't know that the people were kinder, the coffee would be cheaper and the grass would quite literally be greener.

Financially, Sheffield boasts some of the best accommodation options for people like myself who are being crushed by student debt.

If the anxiety of that student debt gets a bit too much, I don’t have to hop on three different tubes to have my midlife crisis; I can catch a £2 bus to the Peak District and walk my worries away.

Should the hikes get lonely, I can catch the bus back to Division Street and meet my friends for a well-priced pint at one of the many brilliant social spaces Sheffield offers.

God forbid the friendly social transforms into a West Street bender, then there are multiple cafes to resurrect me in time for work, in whichever city I choose to commute to thanks to the easy and accessible transport.

For me, Sheffield has become many things, but the one that springs most to mind is ‘home’. I am grateful to this City of Steel, for the people it has introduced me to and the spaces it has shown me, which I have grown to love.

Whilst I doubt I will spend the rest of my days running errands from Broomhall to Crookesmoor, I am more than content with spending the foreseeable in this beautiful city.

I am in no rush to make it ‘temporary’.