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University of SurreyTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Surrey
 Surrey began life as Battersea Polytechnic in 1891, where it aimed to give a rounded, vocational training to young people in London. In 1966 it became the University of Surrey, and today it has somehow retained much of its original character, even if it has moved from educating the poor in Battersea to educating the middle classes in leafy Surrey. What makes Surrey different to other universities is its focus on getting you a job. Most students (~80%) go on a placement year between years 2 and 3, which gives them vital experience and employability, and the University maintains lots of industry links for sponsorship, awards and prizes. The careers service is strong and helpful, and many employers come to give careers talks here for final years and placement-seeking second years. Surrey is big on entrepreneurship, with a research park which fosters small companies and two societies dedicated to entrepreneurs. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) was a University of Surrey spin-off company and is still known as the most successful such company in Britain, several years after its sale to EADS-Astrium. The students at Surrey are internationally diverse. You can see the diversity if you turn up on a Thursday, as there is a fruit and veg market held in the union building, right next to Chinese and Korean stalls. For undergrads, life is mostly about spending time with the friends you make - you will, when you share a fridge and a sink, if you dare to venture out of your room. There are various societies on campus which cater to people's interests, but don't come here looking for a hotbed of political debate. Most people are here to get a degree in order to start their career, and to enjoy it while they're here. FacilitiesLibrariesThe George Edwards building, or the Library, is in a fairly central position within the campus. It will be joined by a new building due to open later in spring 2011. The library is open until either 12.30am or 1.30am Sun-Thurs, shutting earlier on Friday and Saturday. In the evenings you will have to use the self- service book lending services, which are straightforward. Following a recent campaign from the Student Union, the library is now open 24 hours a day during exam periods. There are group work and silent- study areas, as well as areas where you can eat or drink and wireless internet zones. The SPLASH area located on level three is often used for group work. The University printshop is situated on the ground floor and offers a range of printing services. Tip= during dissertation times they get very busy so try and submit your project for binding early! IT and ComputingUniS has two separate networks for standard Computer access. There is ResNet for your own machines in Uni Accommodation, and the University network everywhere else on campus. These networks are not interlinked, and are only crossable via intermediary servers Tweek and Butters. ResNet is generally very slow, however it generally speeds up late at night. Internal connections on ResNet can sometimes reach actual 10Mb/s speeds. There are heavy restrictions on the use of P2P technologies (BitTorrent, Limewire etc) for any purpose, which may lead to the suspension of your access. We do have DC++ though which is capable of downloading a 750mb film in about 1 1/2 minutes and will cover any of your downloading needs. This is only available through ResNet though. ResNet automatically bans users which send echo request packets to a large number of peers. Steam is usable and best used during off peak periods for the best download speeds. Connecting directly to a gameserver is not a problem, and no known ban list is in place. It is possible to connect to Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. This is not officially supported yet, and requires you to go against the acceptable use policy, but a system is being tested such that gaming systems can be registered. ResNet requires that all systems which connect to it register their physical location and owner. They also require you to have an up-to-date and genuine operating system, an anti-virus and some form of spyware protection. This is checked upon registration. A remote scan is available to check that you meet the requirements before you arrive. It provides instructions on how to correct any problems and in theory you can just plug in, register and scan when you arrive. ResNet advisors are students employed by accomadation to help out with any issues you might need solving. They are generally available on moving in day, or weekdays between 5pm and 8pm and can be summoned by leaving a form at your court reception. The University Campus computer systems are well placed throughout the University. Many faculties offer their own IT Rooms, however a student only 24/7 building is available with good machines and printing access. The library also offers IT services in the forms of standard campus machines, and anonymous WinCE terminals. The student union has a limited area of computers, which is of use should you be in the vicinity.
SportsThe University opened its £40m sports park in April 2010. A very large array of sports is offered. For those who are extremely serious about sport, the park offers pretty good value for money - £200 a year. However, if you are more casual, the price is extremely high in comparison to other universities and you may be better off looking elsewhere. If you want to join a university sports club, you must join the sports park (a bit of scam). You can pay £100 a year just for the use of facilities while you practice/play with your club. WelfareThe University of Surrey offers a comparatively high level of extra financial support, in light of the extreme cost of living in Guildford. In the 2010/11 year, students from a cash-strapped home are eligible for up to around £2,000 in bursary. On top of that, high achievers (of which there are many at the University) can get a scholarship of £1,200 for getting AAA at A' Level, or a 1st in their years of study at Surrey. Those that are awarded a scholarship will see any bursary doubled, giving a total sum of £5,200. The University also offers hardship loans and grants. The grants are heavily weighted against the student by the government however. Disabled students, mature students and couples (particularly married ones) will receive slightly different treatment when applying for accommodation on campus. HealthcareThe university has a health centre on site that runs on a "drop in" basis. The centre is open from 8:30am to 5:30pm. Drop in appointments are usually with the nurses at the centre but you can be referred to a doctor for an arranged appointment. Staff are friendly and they offer a wide range of help and advice. The only negative point about the health centre is that prescriptions cannot be collected on site. You have to go to either Boots, or Tescos to pick anything up, both of which are about a 15 minute walk away. ShopsThe campus currently has an Amigo convenience store which is only a temporary solution. The new shop complex will open in 2011 with the update to the library. Amigo is very expensive though so should only be used for emergencies. Alternatives are Tesco (10-15 minute walk) or a Co-op that is off campus (5-10 minutes via the Stag Hill path). There is also a temporary post office. Also available is the USSU shop which sells various foreign foods (mostly oriental) in addition to USSU merchandise and the usual host of snacks. For all your textbook needs there is the imaginatively named Bookshop which also sells some basic snacks and University branded products. RestaurantsBe warned: Surrey is a very expensive university. The University has a number of different places to eat/drink on site. The most popular is the Chancellors bar, affectionately known as 'Channies'. It serves food from breakfast time to about 7pm in the evening but is relatively expensive. At night time it is one of the most popular places to 'start off the night' in and drinks are about £1.90 for a single vodka and mixer. Beer however ranges from £2 if a deal is on, to £3.50. Channies hosts events during the week such as the Chancellor's Challenge (the pub quiz), comedy night and the very popular open mic night: the chance for any budding stars to take up the mic and serenade us with their new songs or covers. The alternatives are: Hillside Cafe: The university cafeteria. Has a large selection of food of average quality. Prices are high compared to other universities, but cheap compared to other places on campus. Wates House: Mainly for postgrads but many undergrads go there. The food is higher quality and the beer available at the bar is nicer than Channies. Good place to watch any football. Harubix Cafe: a Greek-run cafe which in addition to the regular cafe food serves some specialist Greek dishes Young's Kitchen: Korean & Chinese - Not bad, but very expensive. Roots Bar: The University-run bar. Not too expensive and slightly better quality beer than Chancellors. Has a pool table. Sorrento coffee bar: A cafe in the management school. A bit on the expensive side though. Starbucks: The same as any other, but slightly more expensive than at other universities. Good for a free mug. Lakeside Restaurant: A proper full-on restaurant, it is also in the management school but students rarely go there as it's expensive and generally for lecturers. BanksThere is a fully fledged Natwest branch on campus (with internal and external cash machines). There is also a Barclay's cash machine and another Natwest cash machine outside the entrance to the student union (Rubix, the big club). Getting to the cash machines outside Rubix after about 8pm on a big night will be impossible unless you queue and pay to get into the club (usually Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays). Chancellor's, OneStop, and the Bookshop do accept debit/credit cards should you not fancy the 25 second walk around the corner. Foreign Students: The University of Surrey does not issue Letters of Introduction prior to you physically beginning to study at the university. This creates problems for many banks to open you an account before you can provide UK based utility bills etc. HSBC has the option of opening an 8 pound a month 'Passport Account' where you are immediately given a current account, low interest savings account, debit card and netbanking. They even send the original statements and debit card + pin abroad to your current address should you not yet have moved to the UK. On one hand it is not free, but should you be in need of transferring your funds to the UK before you move there, it is perhaps the only easy option. TransportArriva, the local bus company charge 70p-£1 for a single fare, and go from the several university bus stops into town. A subsidised yearly bus pass is available from the university for around £120. Guildford train station is a few minutes' walk from campus . London Waterloo station is about 40 minutes away on the fast train and a day return will cost about £7 with a student railcard. It's much cheaper if you get a train to somewhere like Wimbledon, changing at Clapham Junction than if you go straight to Waterloo. It'll take about 20 minutes extra. If you're coming by train, when leaving the station go up the stairs (instead of down into the tunnel) and turn left. This bridge will take you to the back entrance of the station, from which you just turn right, follow the road around for 150m and take the second right (just after Guildford Park Church). This road leads around a car park which you can cut through, and up to one campus entrance. Keep following this road into campus, and after passing the boat-shaped Duke of Kent building, you should arrive at the university's main reception, Senate House. Careers servicePart-time jobsMany people have jobs during evenings and weekends and with a bit of effort you won't find it too difficult to find a job. I would recommend to come to Guildford before the Uni starts and look for a job, as there is always lots of students looking for jobs. Religious facilitiesChristianThe Church of England is served by the gigantic, modern Guildford Cathedral overlooking the whole university. It was completed in 1961. There are several smaller churches of various denominations around Guildford and there are at least two Christian societies, including the Korean Christian society. MuslimThe campus has a prayer space for muslims and the Islamic Society is a large, vocal and popular society. JewishThere is a good sized Jewish community on campus with various social, cultural and religious activities. There is a very active Jewish Chaplain and there is a guide to Kosher facilities and Jewish life - [1]. In the town itself is an orthodox synagogue and near to Guildford are synagogues from other denominations. Surrey Multifaith CentreThe University has planning permission for a £7m Surrey Multifaith centre which will provide extensive religious facilities. Surrey Discussions
SocialBars, Pubs and clubsOn campus there are four places for a night out, namely Chancellor's (alternatively Channies or Trannies), which is a bar; Rubix, the club; and HRB and Roots, which are the smaller bars. HRB does some less mainstream music events (drum'n'bass and dubstep for example) and has coverage of all the major sports events. Roots is a basically a big room with sofas and music and four bars - it's quite bare inside but the emphasis is on making your own fun. Entry to Rubix will cost between £3 and £10 for the themed nights (Citrus (cheesy pop), Flirt, Tease (LGBT), Fetish etc etc). EventsThemed nights this year include: -Beach Party (featuring the Sheila's Wheels girls) -Haloween -School Uniform -Fetish Night (people dress up in fetish gear of various kinds and you will find many weird and wonderful people on this night) -Disney Night -Foam Party -Pyjama Party -Xmas Party -Pirate Night -Gladiators -Cowboys and Indians -Chav Night -Silent Headphone Disco -Neon Night -Stamina & Carnage organised bar crawls -Regular coach trips to Oceana Kingston & tons of places in London (Fabic, ministry of sound etc) and many many more. Clubs and societiesA list of sports clubs can be found here: Sports Clubs A list of societies can be found here: Societies AccommodationResidencesAll the accommodation is split into 5 bands plus on and off campus flats. Band A is the cheapest going up to the most expensive Band E. Band A-2010 price £60.00 p/w Stag Hill shared flats: Flats that are shared with a member of the same sex. It is a "duplex" room with the different sections on 2 levels allowing for some privacy. Very close to the union so prepare yourself for some base on the nights it's open. Hazel Farm: Off campus accommodation with the possibility of parking. These are the smallest rooms available hence the price. Band B- 2010 price £76.00 p/w Hazel Farm: As before but slightly bigger and with a washbasin. Guildford Court: Legend has it that the builders thought instructions were in feet and not metres. The result was very narrow corridors. Picturesque on the outside but cramped inside. Be warned that the walls are paper thin so if your neighbour gets up to any business you'll be the first to know! Band C- 2010 price £86.00 p/w Battersea/Surrey Court: Identical courts in every way. They look like miserable tower blocks on the outside but on the inside you'll find one of the best social experiences available at Surrey. 14 bedrooms share a huge kitchen as well as 3 showers and toilets. Using the facilities is rarely an issue as all the residents have different timetables and are normally quite clean due to the cleaners. Each room has a washbasin although it is heavily advised to scrub them when you arrive especially if a guy had the room last year if you catch my drift! Battersea and Surrey are the most numerous so if you choose band C you'll probably end up here. Downsides include possibly getting a top floor flat which will not have a lift. However you will get a brilliant TV reception even from a box top aerial! You are very close to the lecture theatres. If you run it's possible to get a lecture in about 2 minutes! Cathedral Court: There are 14 blocks (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b...7a, 7b) of 3 storey buildings in 'Cath' court, so called because Guildford cathedral is about a 2 minute walk away from it. The reception has a lounge with a pool table and TV. There are 7 people per level, with 2 showers and 2 toilets, which is ample (unless there is a sudden bout of diarrhea !) The kitchens are quite 'cosy' because Cath Court used to be catered accommodation, when the court stopped being catered for, they converted the 8th bedroom into a kitchen! Saying this, it is definitely still adequate, and are still very sociable in comparison to courts with larger kitchens. Handy for the academic facilities. Stag Hill Single Room: Similar to the duplex rooms but you're on your own. As mentioned before you are close to the union so it could get quite loud. Twyford and University Courts: Very similar accommodation but on opposite ends of campus. You share with about 4 or 5 people so slightly more peaceful than the bigger accommodations. The rooms at Twyford are very high quality for a university, but are generally very, very small. If you have instruments, or a lot of books, leave some at home. There are larger rooms however for couples, mature students and disabled students. The Twyford Court rooms have washbasins but the University Court rooms don't. Twyford Court is further from the lecture theatres than the other blocks but is still reasonably close and handy for the off campus facilities including the new sports centre and tesco's. If you're very lucky you could end up with one of the rooms at University Court which are slightly larger for some reason but this is by no means guaranteed. Band D- 2011 price £111.50 p/w Twyford/University Court: As before but slightly bigger and with en-suite facilities. Cleaning is up to you though. You share the kitchen with more people as a trade-off for having your own bathroom. Millennium House: The building that looks like a train in the photos. On the east side of campus so very good access for town and the train station. You share with less people than University Court but otherwise very similar. International House: As the name suggests mainly for international students however it is possible for you to be put in here. One of the more modern accommodations on campus. Manor Park: The brand new accommodation about a 20 minute walk to campus. Very modern with electronic key access as well as lifts. The rooms are slightly bigger than the other en-suite rooms and you also get more desk space. There's a TV in the kitchen. You can get the discounted bus pass if you really don't want to walk. Be warned the university are building more accommodation at Manor Park so you may hear noise from the builders. Bellerby Court: Next door to Manor Park. Some parking is available but is limited. Band E- 2010 price £130.00 p/w Rooms that are 50% bigger than the other en-suite rooms. There is also a mini fridge in the room as well as more storage space. This is obviously reflected in the price. Available at Manor Park, University Court or International House For more information on accommodation you can go here: [2] For locations of on campus accommodation there is a map here: [3] Private sectorThe University has some services dedicated to helping students find private housing and the student union may well run a Housing Week during your first year. It cannot be emphasised enough how important it is to get it right with private housing. Prices in Guildford are notoriously expensive - the most expensive outside London. You may be able to get a small double room for £90 a week, but probably somewhat more. Student unionPricesThe University of Surrey Students' Union is extremely expensive - comparable with a normal pub or bar: considerably more so than Wetherspoon's down the road. Pint of Guiness: £3.50 4 Pint Jug of Snakebite: £8.40 Pint of Carlsberg: £2.25 Double Vodka Redbull: £3 Basic Shots: £1.60 Also regular deals usually involving bottles of Budweiser: 3 for £5 Mixers: £1.95 for a single e.g. Malibu and Coke or £3.20 for a double EnvironmentArchitectureWhile the University buildings are all extremely functional, the cathedral atop Stag Hill is interesting for its functional design. It was completed in 1961 and is therefore out-of-keeping with most cathedrals in Britain. Local areaGulidford is a nice town to live in, there is a cathedral very close to campus, and Tescos, the town centre and the railway station are within 15 minutes walking distance from campus. It is a very rich area: there is a House of Fraser and a Jack Wills (this place is rah city at lunchtime thanks to the nearby grammar school), and unfortunately, no Poundland. If you stray out a bit from the centre you are in the countryside more or less, or so I've heard. There is a big sports centre with a swimming pool and an ice skating rink 10 minutes away by bus from the town centre, the Guildford Flames ice hockey team play here most Sundays. Teaching qualitySurrey is a specialist in engineering and physical sciences. If you are studying in these areas, you can expect teaching to be of a generally high quality. It is important to note that while some staff embrace undergraduates wholeheartedly, there are others for whom teaching is just something they have to do. You can still get a lot out of these lecturers if you attend all your lectures and actually do your reading before you moan to them about not understanding. Applying to SurreyThinking of applying to the University of Surrey? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here? Other Surrey ArticlesWhy not read these other University of Surrey Articles? Links |
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