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University of Sussex

Brighton

Just finished my first year at Sussex. Ask me anything.

I'm currently moving out of my first-year accommodation and have almost finished all my coursework for the year. Thought I'd do an AMA for any new students planning to start their studies.

My course is Filmmaking BA, and I lived in Northfield.

Reply 1

Olie212

Appreciate you taking your time to do this!

What is the transport situation like to and from Brighton? Do you feel like you're too far out and is it difficult/expensive if you go for a night out to get back?

University of Sussex

Brighton

Reply 2

AnkXL

Buses run up through campus, some stopping around the Sports Centre, some going as far as Northfield. The 25 or 25X comes every five minutes or so and takes a short route through the main parts of the city and Brighton Uni campuses too. There's also the number 50 bus which is slower but stops in more residential areas to pick up people who live off-campus. Unfortunately the tickets are pretty costly (up to £5 for a daily traveller) but you can save by buying monthly/yearly or with the B&H buses app, which effectively halves the fare for students.

The only issue with buses is that they're pretty unpredictable as to where the line ends. Some drivers tell me they don't go any further than the Sports Centre, leaving a mile's walk at the end of my journey, whereas other drivers take me all the way to my residential area. Apparently it's meant to depend on the time of day, but the schedule keeps changing and is really iffy. You'll get reliable travel if you go further down campus, which is what I recommend.

You can also get a train to the city which comes about every 10 minutes, but I don't recommend it because it costs more *and* you have to walk further afterwards.

Buses are the way to go. I got a day traveller ticket a couple of weeks ago and rode all over the city thrifting for cheap clothes. :smile:

Original post by Olie212

Reply 3

AnkXL

Forgot to mention that the bus service is 24 hours a day, but the day traveller tickets don't cover night buses. But as long as you have a spare fiver you won't be stranded in the city. Nights out are easy.

Reply 4

Shiver2319

How easy or hard is it to make friends on the first day of freshers week and do you have any advice for it?

Reply 5

maddieveasey

hi,
i firmed sussex with an ABB offer, but it looks like i’m gonna get A*AE lol!!! fml!! i did also get an a* in my epq which they said they would consider if i narrowly missed my grades.. something tells me an E isnt very narrow.. basically how many people do u know got in with grades quite a bit below?? or whether epq helped anyone at all?? its my d r e a m uni and my dad just moved there so itd be honestly perfect, its a shame i had to have a mid exam crisis and completely screw up my chem a level lol.

Reply 6

clickypen

My offer was ABB and I got in with BBB.

What course are you hoping to do? You will most likely be okay, especially if the A* is the A-Level of the course you're hoping to do, and providing the EPQ was fairly similar. You also probably did much better than you thought in your A-Levels.

If your course is smaller or less popular, you'll find that they're much more willing to accept you.

Even if you miss your requirements, the chances are Sussex will offer you a place on a foundation year. Whether you accept it or not is up to you (though personally I don't think it'd be worth it).

Original post by maddieveasey

Reply 7

Maggie_89

Original post by AnkXL

Which accommodation did you have? The 8 share or the 12?

Reply 8

asdfgkillmenow

How is the nightlife? Id want to go to quite a sociable place and I've heard that t's not the best. Not sure if this is true. Which are the most sociable halls?

Original post by AnkXL

Reply 9

AnkXL

Hey guys, sorry for the late reply :smile:

Hope my advice can still be helpful.

Original post by Shiver2319

How easy or hard is it to make friends on the first day of freshers week and do you have any advice for it?

Making friends requires effort. People at the start of the year (particularly during induction lectures) are very friendly and outgoing and want to make connections. Get good at introducing yourself and giving handshakes, make sure to ask people for their facebook. Freshers events are mostly walk-in so the easiest way to make friends is to ask the new people you meet if they want to go with you. I actually didn't start talking to my closest uni friend until we met each other at Sussex Pride in February.

Original post by maddieveasey

So I know a few people who got into uni with far below-average grades. A lot of them started out on a foundation year course and then upgraded to the full degree (so they study four years instead of three). It's not the worst thing in the world to fall below your required grades but you might end up doing an extra year. Just contact the uni, they're pretty lenient and might forgive you if you're quick.

Original post by Maggie_89

Which accommodation did you have? The 8 share or the 12?

I had the 8 share :smile:

Originally I started off with just 3 flatmates, but a couple more joined a few months into the year, so there were only six of us total.

Original post by asdfgkillmenow

How is the nightlife? Id want to go to quite a sociable place and I've heard that t's not the best. Not sure if this is true. Which are the most sociable halls?

I'm not really a nightlife kind of person, so it's hard for me to say which accommodation is the best. Northfield Bar generally has a lot of chilled out events and there were flat parties galore during freshers and induction week. Stanmer Court is pretty good from what I've heard.

There's lots of places in the city to go if you like clubbing. My flatmates were forever disappearing to Pryzm or The Haunt at midnight and coming back loudly at 4 or 5 in the morning. You've got a good selection of places available.

Reply 10

Frost24

Hey! Thank you for doing this!

I have just received my offer letter for East Slope Lullington and I was wondering if you had already been in there? How was it like?

I saw the pictures on the uni website obviously and I wanted to know if they were close to reality?

Reply 11

AnnaGapYear

Hey! I'm thinking of studying filmmaking at Sussex but I'm nervous about accepting. Everything about the uni looks great but is the course any good? How big are the classes? Are the students there really passionate about filmmaking? Any advice would be great thank you!!

Reply 12

Anonymous #1

Original post by AnnaGapYear

Hi,
I know it was 3 months ago but I'm interested if you've transferred onto Sussex this year. I would like apply next year, but I'm not sure as Sussex is mainly famous about other courses, not art degrees... :frown:

They recommended NFTS, Westminster, AUB and Hertfordshire for me. What do you think?

Reply 13

PLSY

For the reputation of film degree, how to compare Sussex vs Bournemouth?In terms of facilities for film production, which uni better equipped?

Reply 14

JemimaBlain

What are the best places for 2nd year housing if you like it somewhat to very lively, also where should you avoid?

Reply 15

University of Sussex Official Reps

Original post by JemimaBlain

What are the best places for 2nd year housing if you like it somewhat to very lively, also where should you avoid?

Hello,

Thank you for your question. Personally, I have not rented privately in Brighton. However, I have come across a good website link, reviewing the main student housing locations in Brighton, including Elm Grove, Hanover, Round Hill, City Centre, and Kemptown: Private accommodation. The information discussed include the typical price, size of accommodation, number of people you can expect to live with, and what the area is best for. I hope you find this information useful.

Also, I would strongly encourage you to contact Sussex Housing Services Team ([email protected], +44 (0)1273 678220), if you need any advice with regards to renting privately in Brighton. They would be more than happy to provide you with a detailed guidance as to which particular location would best meet your specific needs and preferences.

Let me know if you have any further questions I can help you with

Best Wishes,
Kasia (4th Year Medical Neuroscience Student, MSci with a Year Abroad).

Reply 16

University of Sussex Official Reps

Original post by JemimaBlain

What are the best places for 2nd year housing if you like it somewhat to very lively, also where should you avoid?

Hi Jemima, thanks for your question :smile:

I see Kasia has already replied but I thought it'd be worth replying myself as well, as someone who's in their 2nd year of renting privately in Brighton at the moment.

From my experience, the Coombe Road / Lewes Road area has a lot a lot of students living there due to the close proximity to the uni and also supermarkets like Aldi and Sainsburys which is really convenient. I lived here in 2nd year and I greatly enjoyed my experience. Only downside was that it was quite hilly but the convenience definitely made up for it!

The Elm Grove area is also quite lively I'd say as there's a lot of shops and venues in and around this area. It's in between the city centre and the uni so it's a great location if you'd like to be close to both locations and a lot of students live here as well.

In terms of places to avoid if you're looking for a lively location, Woodingdean from my experience is relatively quiet as there's not as many students here compared to other areas. This location's further away from the uni than other areas hence the smaller student population. However that does mean you'll be dealing with less noise and it makes for a calmer atmosphere, so there's definitely advantages to living in a quieter area as well.

I hope this helped but if you do have any further queries, please don't hesitate to get in touch!

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

Reply 17

University of Sussex Official Reps

Original post by PLSY

For the reputation of film degree, how to compare Sussex vs Bournemouth?In terms of facilities for film production, which uni better equipped?

Hello,

We offer a photographic and video studio, audio production and Foley suites, pre-and post-production labs which are available 24/7 and so much more. Here you can find more information about the facilities offered at Sussex for Film Studies. We also have a wide range of professional equipment available for you to borrow using the online booking system.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!

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