It was a week before my exam, and once again my internet was down.
I had trawled every level of the IC in search of a computer, including the top two where only the truly dedicated venture. I needed past papers, and, for that, I needed MOLE.
Gone are the days when one could pay a visit to the relevant department and hand over 10 pence for a fresh copy of last year’s exam.
At least for students whose home departments have recently relocated to Jessop West.
In other words, anyone studying History, foreign languages or English in any form; be warned.
The long-awaited building comes with one vital missing requirement: storage space.
Past papers, I was cheerfully informed by the Linguistics department, have been thrown out.
Probably to make space for the dozens of unused computers reserved solely for postgraduate students.
As a French and Linguistics student most of my time is spent going between the Arts Tower and Shearwood Road.
The former requires no explanation. The latter is a cul-de-sac of converted houses with an overwhelming musty smell.
So it is an understatement to say that I was looking forward to the Jessop move.
It is disappointing, then, to discover what I am losing in order to spend a few hours a week in a more aesthetically pleasing department.
The lifts even have a helpful little voice who tells the passengers when it is overcrowded and might be in danger of breaking it.
The Arts Tower lifts might still be working if they had had a little voice like this.
Once you get used to being stared at like a goldfish in a bowl, the glass-walled hubs aren’t so bad.
But the issue of space remains. There is a severe lack of teaching rooms.
One member of staff informed me that the Arts Tower refurbishment was never planned to coincide with the Jessop opening, and so Jessop was only ever intended as an office space.
But surely, somewhere along the line, the clash was discovered and classrooms could have been added?
Instead, I have to rush all around the University to reach lectures.
I spend my days dashing between the Hicks Building, the Richard Roberts Building, up to Bartolomé House, and back to Hicks for a day’s worth of classes.
A recent Open Day saw eager visitors stood huddled in the falling snow, hearing about the building’s efficient natural lighting and eco-friendly heating system.
But what were they actually shown that would convince them that a degree from Sheffield would be better than any other?
I am generally proud to be a student of Sheffield. I am prouder still when I see it hitting top spots in league tables. But after paying my fees I feel a bit cheated by functionless eye candy.