The Student Room Group

Exeter, UEA or Surrey?

Hello! I’m an international student that will be studying in the UK this September. I have been offered a place in Psychology from University of Exeter, University of East Anglia and University of Surrey, but I have never been to any of them and I really wish you guys can give me some advice on which to choose! Thanks!
Original post by hayley1211_
Hello! I’m an international student that will be studying in the UK this September. I have been offered a place in Psychology from University of Exeter, University of East Anglia and University of Surrey, but I have never been to any of them and I really wish you guys can give me some advice on which to choose! Thanks!

What sort of environment/campus/town do you think you will so well in? Are you used to living in a big city?
Reply 2
Avatar for hayley1211_
hayley1211_
OP
2
Original post by PQ
What sort of environment/campus/town do you think you will so well in? Are you used to living in a big city?


I’ve been living in a big city my whole life, but I can pretty much fit in with most environments. Really appreciate it if you could give me some information about these unis!
Not sure about UEA, but the city of Exeter is slightly bigger than Guildford, which is where University of Surrey is located. Both are beautiful areas though. In terms of prestige, I would say Exeter comes on top.
As someone who lives in Surrey and regularly visits Guildford, the local town near the University of Surrey, I know these things about it:

- Uni of Surrey is very good for science and engineering research
- they have a good standard, reasonably good accommodation and student support so I hear
- Guildford is a sweet cobbled town with a high street, I see lots of students there all the time, but not gonna lie as guildford is the nearest town nightlife will be fairly limited as I don't see many clubs there when I go
- campus is a good size, modern

But not much else about the course content / student satisfaction I'm afraid!

For UEA:

-I've heard students love the nightlife and societies
- overall a good reputable uni
- might be difficult train journey to get to depending on where you live
- outside city of Norwich is beautiful
- they have bunnies on campus!!
- however (I haven't visited so I can't say for sure) some people say the accommodation is prison-like and the campus too industrial. But please see for yoursel!
- offer a good range of placements (as do surrey and Exeter I'd imagine)

Exeter

-visiting in September so I'll see for myself but:
- beautiful cathedral city
- Russel Group, so considered prestigious (if you're looking for that)
- probably very good job prospects
-reputable uni
- can't comment much other than outward appearance and what my friends said who visited this month

Maybe that helps idk lol but really it's up to you.
Also just gonna add that although Guilford maintains some of its older buildings it's by no means a touristy area with nicey nicey photo ops.
It's very commercialised , all the usual shops you'd find in a mall.

When I visited surrey I don't understand why everyone says it's in a 'beautiful' area - there are many days out in Surrey countryside you could have which would be excellent but the uni itself is situated more or less near a huge sports complex, and if I remember rightly,; a big tesco and a busy main road

Just a heads up! Although when I went on campus I agreed I loved the atmosphere and the layout - there were lots of green areas on campus (not outside of it) which made it welcoming and pretty
Original post by hayley1211_
I’ve been living in a big city my whole life, but I can pretty much fit in with most environments. Really appreciate it if you could give me some information about these unis!


Exeter and Norwich are fairly small cities but have a good student scene. Guildford is a large town which has a bit less going on outside of the university - but it's smack bang in commuter belt for London so just over half an hour on the train into Waterloo (or an hour ish by bus/coach).

To give you an idea - Exeter has 2 multiplex cinemas and 2 small cinemas, Norwich has 3 multiplex and 2 small cinemas, Guildford has 1 multiplex cinema.
Original post by hayley1211_
Hello! I’m an international student that will be studying in the UK this September. I have been offered a place in Psychology from University of Exeter, University of East Anglia and University of Surrey, but I have never been to any of them and I really wish you guys can give me some advice on which to choose! Thanks!


Exeter is the best uni of those three. It has a beautiful campus and Exeter is a great city to live in. UEA is in Norwich which is a bit remote and Surrey is in Guildford which does not have much going for it.
Original post by Muttley79
Exeter is the best uni of those three. It has a beautiful campus and Exeter is a great city to live in. UEA is in Norwich which is a bit remote and Surrey is in Guildford which does not have much going for it.


Surrey does have a placement year scheme for all courses though :flute:
Original post by PQ
Surrey does have a placement year scheme for all courses though :flute:


Not sure that is worth living in Guildford for - I;d go elsewhere for a placement year option!
Original post by hayley1211_
Hello! I’m an international student that will be studying in the UK this September. I have been offered a place in Psychology from University of Exeter, University of East Anglia and University of Surrey, but I have never been to any of them and I really wish you guys can give me some advice on which to choose! Thanks!


Hi @hayley1211_ :hello:

Obviously I'm going to have a bit of a biased opinion here.. but I actually studied psychology at Surrey so I should be able to share some insight!

The psychology course here is really great - in your first year you start to learn some of the basics of psychology in areas such as personality theory, cognitive, bio and social psychology, as well as getting a lot of support on academic skills (such as essay writing and critical thinking) and research skills (such as statistical analysis and report writing). The teaching is a mixture of lectures and tutorials, so basically you learn the theory in the lectures and then put that into practice in the tutorials. You will also be allocated an academic tutor in your first year who is a PhD student and can help with the academic skills (I used to be an academic tutor as well!) In your second year you’ll build on the knowledge and skills you learnt in your first year, before going on placement in your third year.

There are so many placement opportunities for psychology students at Surrey. For example, I worked with the Metropolitan Police Service as a research officer for my placement, and then when I finished studying I went back to work for them for 3 years. Other psych students have done placements at places like the Institute of Psychiatry, Broadmoor, various university research placements and so many more!

Your final year is when you can start to specialise in your preferred area(s) of psychology, as you’ll have the chance to choose some of your modules, and you’ll write a dissertation on your chosen area of research. I was lucky enough to be supervised by one of the best psychologists in my chosen area which was just fantastic! That was definitely one of my favourite parts of the course.

I can share loads more information about the psychology department and the university in general – but so not to bore you, it might be easier to ask any specific questions that you have and I can try and answer those?

I’m sure you’ve already have a good look at our website, but this page in particular might be helpful to take a peek at: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/student-life and there’s more information about psychology here: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/psychology

Emma :happy2:
Original post by hayley1211_
Hello! I’m an international student that will be studying in the UK this September. I have been offered a place in Psychology from University of Exeter, University of East Anglia and University of Surrey, but I have never been to any of them and I really wish you guys can give me some advice on which to choose! Thanks!



Hi @hayley1211_,

Congratulations on all of your offers! Having recently graduated from UEA’s BA English Literature course, I can lend an insight to life as a student here. :smile:

UEA is a thriving campus with a strong community feel to it, and has cemented its status as a Top 15 UK University for many years running. Campus itself is like a mini town—we have cafes, the SU shop, Waterstones, Barclays Bank, a music and club venue (LCR), bars and eateries. We also have hundreds of societies here run through the students union, which provides students with so many opportunities away from studying. The campus is structurally fascinating, with the brutalist architecture located in 320 acres of parkland, home to the beautiful UEA lake (and lots of little bunnies!) It is the friendly, homely atmosphere of the university that makes everyone fall in love with it—for example, on a sunny day students gather in the square with a drink, or have a barbeque by the lake. Academically, the teaching is fantastic and UEA prides itself on quality research. Our 24 hour library is also brilliant (as a Literature student I spent a lot of time there!) and I never went without a book or resource I needed. It truly is a great place to study.

Just outside of UEA is the beautiful city of Norwich; it is an eclectic, compact, vibrant city and a great place to live as a student. In the day, you can explore the city’s shopping facilities, which vary from all the main high street stores to independent quirky book shops. Norwich market, in the centre of the city, houses everything from street food stalls to vintage clothing outlets—it is a great place to have a wander around. There are also the Norwich Lanes: a series of cobbled streets home to over 300 independent retailers, cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars. There is also a thriving nightlife scene, with clubs to suit all preferences and student deals. Norwich also hosts events throughout the year, such as the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Norwich Food & Drink Festival, and UEA’s Literary Festival. Being England’s first UNESCO City of Literature, Norwich has many libraries and bookshops to explore! There are also plenty of museums and galleries, including the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts that is located on UEA’s campus. For sightseeing, there is the 900 year old Norwich Cathedral, Norwich Castle and the glass domed Forum. As you can see—there is plenty to see and do here!

I hope I have helped in some way. If you have any questions, please do ask! We have an Ask a Student page on our website, where you can ask current students anything you would like to know!

Good luck from us here at UEA and I hope you make the right decision for you :smile:

-Sian, UEA Official Rep
Original post by University of Surrey
Hi @hayley1211_ :hello:

Obviously I'm going to have a bit of a biased opinion here.. but I actually studied psychology at Surrey so I should be able to share some insight!

The psychology course here is really great - in your first year you start to learn some of the basics of psychology in areas such as personality theory, cognitive, bio and social psychology, as well as getting a lot of support on academic skills (such as essay writing and critical thinking) and research skills (such as statistical analysis and report writing). The teaching is a mixture of lectures and tutorials, so basically you learn the theory in the lectures and then put that into practice in the tutorials. You will also be allocated an academic tutor in your first year who is a PhD student and can help with the academic skills (I used to be an academic tutor as well!) In your second year you’ll build on the knowledge and skills you learnt in your first year, before going on placement in your third year.

There are so many placement opportunities for psychology students at Surrey. For example, I worked with the Metropolitan Police Service as a research officer for my placement, and then when I finished studying I went back to work for them for 3 years. Other psych students have done placements at places like the Institute of Psychiatry, Broadmoor, various university research placements and so many more!

Your final year is when you can start to specialise in your preferred area(s) of psychology, as you’ll have the chance to choose some of your modules, and you’ll write a dissertation on your chosen area of research. I was lucky enough to be supervised by one of the best psychologists in my chosen area which was just fantastic! That was definitely one of my favourite parts of the course.

I can share loads more information about the psychology department and the university in general – but so not to bore you, it might be easier to ask any specific questions that you have and I can try and answer those?

I’m sure you’ve already have a good look at our website, but this page in particular might be helpful to take a peek at: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/student-life and there’s more information about psychology here: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/psychology

Emma :happy2:


I’m currently looking for a placement and yours sounds pretty cool, what sort of stuff did you do?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you