Prepare for Uni

Starting at university can feel quite daunting - new city, new people, new subject, and perhaps living away from home for the first time. We want you to be well prepared when you join the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The University of Sheffield, so we've asked our current students to put together some information that we hope will be useful.

Reading list

You don't need to buy your books before you get to uni as you might be able to pick up second hand copies, and you'll get a copy of Callister when you arrive. However, we're often asked about the books we believe will be useful for you course.

MatSoc - The Materials Society

MatSoc is the Materials Society run by students for students. Find out about events, sports teams and other benefits you can get from being a member.

Do your own research

Explore some classic examples of where materials and design haven't worked well together, and see if you can work out why.

Living in Sheffield

Find your way around campus, Sheffield and the wider area. What parts of the city do our current students consider to be most noteworthy?

Hitchhiker's Guide to Lecture Notes

Taking quality notes in lectures is a skill you will need to develop very quickly, as these will form the basis of your learning and revision. Everyone developes their own methods that suit their own learning sytle, but here some experienced students share their some ot their tips.

Python on the Portal

On your course, you may come across some elements of coding. One of our current students, Sam West, has put together an introductory course on Python to help you get familiar with some of the basics, and beyond.