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University of Sussex
University of Sussex
Brighton

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Thinking about Sussex and Surrey university in clearing. I was wondering what peoples of Sussex and Surrey university regarding teaching and social life etc? I am looking to do the Life Sciences foundation BSc. How did you find the university? Please honest reviews!!
Original post by JennaStewart
Thinking about Sussex and Surrey university in clearing. I was wondering what peoples of Sussex and Surrey university regarding teaching and social life etc? I am looking to do the Life Sciences foundation BSc. How did you find the university? Please honest reviews!!


Hello, thank you for your question.

As a current Sussex University undergraduate student, overall, I have been pleased with the quality of the tuition and support that I have received throughout my degree. Although, obviously there were some courses that I have enjoyed less than others; particularly due to their content (i.e., not always precisely matching my interests - still in Life Sciences everyone has to cover certain basics); the style of lecturing (i.e., in my opinion, some professors have done a better job than others); and assessment style (e.g., myself I have always preferred longer assessments vs shorter ones and always tend to score higher on the former). Still, I have been able to feedback all of my concerns; hopefully helping to improve the future module delivery. And most importantly, I have learned a lot over the duration of my course (achieving mostly the results that I have wanted); and thus academically-speaking, I have no doubt that coming to Sussex was the right choice.

Socially, I have had countless opportunities to meet and get to know a vast number of students from all over the world and from a range of different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. I do feel this has considerably boosted my awareness of the social issues and most definitely boosted my communication and networking skills. Moreover, the huge range of clubs and societies on offer and the availability of the numerous social events throughout the year; on campus and off-campus certainly do add to the university experience! Overall, making friends is generally easy at Sussex, since the majority of people are very friendly and welcoming. Hence, as long as you put in the effort to get to know your flat-mates, course-mates, join a society/sports class, etc., you should be able to find like-minded peers and settle in fairly quickly!

Also, in terms of the location, Brighton is a lovely place to live; both in terms of the culturally diverse and welcoming environment, as well as, the attractive scenery. For instance, myself I very much enjoy the long distance walks around the South Downs Park and along the beach - a potentially great way to relax and clear your head after a long day of studies!

Lastly, throughout my university journey, I have been fortunate to benefit from a fairly easy access to a vast number of employment options - something which I do believe has really boosted my career prospects, as well as, focussed my professional aspirations and ambitions, beyond what I have initially expected.

Overall, it is crucial to think carefully about which university will fit your academic style and successfully accommodate all of your personal needs.

I wish you the best of luck, regardless of where you choose to study! And please do let me know if you have any questions that I might be able to answer :smile:.

Best Wishes,
Kasia (4th Year Medical Neuroscience Student MSci with a Year Abroad)
(edited 2 years ago)
University of Sussex
University of Sussex
Brighton
Original post by JennaStewart
Thinking about Sussex and Surrey university in clearing. I was wondering what peoples of Sussex and Surrey university regarding teaching and social life etc? I am looking to do the Life Sciences foundation BSc. How did you find the university? Please honest reviews!!

Hi there,

To introduce myself I’m Joao, starting next semester I will be in my final year studying BSc Economics at Surrey University while working as a Campus Ambassador for JP Morgan. I recently finished my one-year industrial placement as an Economist for the British Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). I also had the opportunity to work as a Private Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Biosecurity.

I can totally understand your dilemma as I went through the same thing when I was deciding on a university to attend. I found that university experience and performance are determined not just by the university itself but also by the surrounding area as that is a 3-4yr commitment. It might also be useful for you to work up a 'priority list' for your dream university including factors such as tuition fees, the cost of living, ranking, distance from home, campus-style, proximity to a city center, surrounding area, diversity, job prospects, networking opportunities, course modules, student-staff ratio, etc.

Here are some useful links to compare university degrees:

- https://universitycompare.com/
- https://www.whatuni.com/
- https://discoveruni.gov.uk/

Surrey: The campus is lovely. Surrey is known to emphasize the social life of students and always care about how you spend your free time at university. The student union offers more than 140 societies based on any hobbies and interests students have and clubs for all kinds of sport that a student might want to take up. And even with covid restrictions, the union managed to organize one of the biggest covid-safe university events in the country!

If I were you I would consider doing a placement year. The placement provides students with a unique opportunity to gain skills specific to their subject or industry of choice as well as the employability skills required for real-life work so I would suggest applying for a sandwich degree. Our Employability and Careers team will encourage you to be proactive and apply for your industry placement yourself, by writing a CV and cover letter. More importantly, your school or department will appoint a senior tutor for Professional Training who will work with you from the application process to completing your placement. This is an academic member of staff with responsibility for delivering the Professional Training scheme and supporting you at all stages of the journey.

The university also provides a Professional Training coaching scheme, where you can be paired with a student who has recently returned from their placement. That way you will have friendly support from someone who went through the same placement-seeking process and who will prepare you for the world of work. Also, as some placements abroad may involve learning and communicate in a language other than English, the university has support available to help you develop your language skills.

If you have any questions about Surrey or uni life in general, then please ask as I am here to help you out :smile:

Joao
Economics
(edited 2 years ago)

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