Which Uni should I go to?

Hi I’m deciding between Sussex/Chester/Plymouth for Geography with international relations.

Anyone with experience please can you share!
In terms of student life, reputation etc!

Thanks!

Reply 1

University of Sussex Official Reps

Original post by Anonymous

Hi I’m deciding between Sussex/Chester/Plymouth for Geography with international relations.

Anyone with experience please can you share!
In terms of student life, reputation etc!

Thanks!

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in applying to the University of Sussex.

Unfortunately, I have not studied Geography and International Relations myself, however, as a current third-year I can tell you a little bit about my experience. I liked that the campus was full of green open spaces, and had easy access to Brighton. Whenever I wanted to relax, I could go to the beach and sunbathe or stroll around the city centre and see what was going on in town. In terms of teaching, the lecturers and staff were very helpful and always willing to provide support. From my experience being a Student Representative and joining School meetings, I could see that the lecturers care about their students and are always looking into ways they could improve teaching. I had a fun time being on campus, joining events and meeting new people through different societies. I liked that the university was diverse, and found people I met through the university were outgoing and friendly.

The University of Sussex is incredibly diverse, with students and staff coming from over 100 different countries. We have more than 200 societies and clubs to choose from (Sports, Societies and Media) and the Student Union is always putting on events where you can find like-minded people and try something new. The campus is surrounded by the South Downs National Park where you can take walks and relax, and the lively city of Brighton is less than 10 mins away from the campus via a train so it's easily accessible to get into town. There's also a number of independent shops and live venues in town to explore. On-campus, we also have a number of shops, bars and cafes run by the Student Union.

It is probably best to consider a few factors when deciding which university to choose from including the location, quality of teaching and your interest in the modules on the course to see which university meets your personal requirements best. Please have a look at the Geography and International Relations BA course page to see the courses in more detail. You can also talk to one of our Student Ambassadors online via the Unibuddy Chat Platform to learn more about their experience studying at Sussex.

I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions!

Kind Regards,
Erica (3rd Year Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Student)

(edited 2 years ago)

University of Sussex

Brighton

Reply 2

University of Sussex Official Reps

Original post by Anonymous

Hi I’m deciding between Sussex/Chester/Plymouth for Geography with international relations.

Anyone with experience please can you share!
In terms of student life, reputation etc!

Thanks!

Hey, thanks for your question!

I unfortunately don't study Geography with IR either but can speak about my experience as a student at Sussex. I really enjoy living in Brighton as I find it has the best of all worlds with a beach, busy city centre and countryside all within one city which is fairly unique. The AMEX Stadium is also right next to the campus which if you're a football fan is really cool and the general atmosphere in Brighton and at the university is really welcoming and friendly. With regards to academia, my lecturers have all been supportive throughout my degree and whenever I've had any issues or queries, they were more than happy for a chat outside of contact hours to go through any concerns I had. I'd also say that the careers team are very helpful and have given me tailored advice on how to improve my CVs and interview skills, which greatly helped when applying for part time jobs and my current placement year.

One of the main reasons I applied to Sussex is that regardless of which course you study, all students have the opportunity to do a placement year / study abroad year. Even if you don't apply for one during the UCAS application stage, you can still decide to pursue one of these options later down the line in your 1st year or even 2nd year. As someone who also studies a Humanities subject, I was a bit nervous at first about applying for roles since it's typically students who study Business or a subject that's more vocational who have access to these opportunities, but thankfully you get good support from the uni regardless of your subject choice. I'd say this has definitely helped improved my student experience also.

As Erica has said, there are several factors to consider when choosing a university. Although one may be deemed more prestigious than another, I'd say it's ultimately the course modules which are the biggest determining factor of where you end up studying and that doesn't always correlate with league table rankings. The location of the place is important too as that'll become your home for a few years and similarly distance from your permanent address is important too as if the uni is close to where you normally live, it makes it easy to visit home on the weekends etc.

I hope that helped to shed some light on what student life is like at Sussex. :smile:

I unfortunately don't have much knowledge on the other universities you've mentioned but regardless of where you end up studying, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself and have a great university experience. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Best wishes,
Isthiak (History with Proficiency in Arabic, with a Professional Placement Year)