Things To Do Outside of your Degree at University
Hi Everyone 😁
I am a final year student at the Univerity of Salford and with Open Days approaching and students attending various UCAS and UK University fairs comparing universities, I thought it would be worth sharing what I looked for outside of my degree course to help me decide where to apply to, in case it is helpful for anyone else...
1. International Opportunities 🌎:
Some courses offer the chance to study abroad for an additional year, some for a term abroad, or a summer placement. This is a great way to experience life in another country, usually partially or fully funded, learn a new skill or way of approaching your subject, and make friends across the world. I participated in a Global Summer School in Canada myself, which was amazing!
2. Learn a Language 🇫🇷:
I partly chose my university because they offer reasonably priced language courses which you can do in your own time should you wish to. I have now completed my Stage 1 in BSL.
3. Societies ⚽️🏎:
Most universities have a diverse range of societies; these are a great way to make friends outside your course and accommodation with like-minded interests.
For example, at my uni, we have societies ranging from Women's Football to Archery, Snow Sports, and the Taylor Swift society, so it's worth checking what different unis have on offer!
4. Voluntary Roles🙋:
If you have an interest in a particular area, it is worth seeing if your university offers opportunities for you to gain experience. For example, I am interested in student rights and experience, so I applied and have worked as a Course Rep alongside my studies.
I'm looking forward to hearing what things outside of your university degree made you choose your uni!
Lucy ☺️
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)
I am a final year student at the Univerity of Salford and with Open Days approaching and students attending various UCAS and UK University fairs comparing universities, I thought it would be worth sharing what I looked for outside of my degree course to help me decide where to apply to, in case it is helpful for anyone else...
1. International Opportunities 🌎:
Some courses offer the chance to study abroad for an additional year, some for a term abroad, or a summer placement. This is a great way to experience life in another country, usually partially or fully funded, learn a new skill or way of approaching your subject, and make friends across the world. I participated in a Global Summer School in Canada myself, which was amazing!
2. Learn a Language 🇫🇷:
I partly chose my university because they offer reasonably priced language courses which you can do in your own time should you wish to. I have now completed my Stage 1 in BSL.
3. Societies ⚽️🏎:
Most universities have a diverse range of societies; these are a great way to make friends outside your course and accommodation with like-minded interests.
For example, at my uni, we have societies ranging from Women's Football to Archery, Snow Sports, and the Taylor Swift society, so it's worth checking what different unis have on offer!
4. Voluntary Roles🙋:
If you have an interest in a particular area, it is worth seeing if your university offers opportunities for you to gain experience. For example, I am interested in student rights and experience, so I applied and have worked as a Course Rep alongside my studies.
I'm looking forward to hearing what things outside of your university degree made you choose your uni!
Lucy ☺️
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)
(edited 11 months ago)
Reply 1
Original post
by University of Salford Student RepHi Everyone 😁
I am a final year student at the Univerity of Salford and with Open Days approaching and students attending various UCAS and UK University fairs comparing universities, I thought it would be worth sharing what I looked for outside of my degree course to help me decide where to apply to, in case it is helpful for anyone else...
1. International Opportunities 🌎:
Some courses offer the chance to study abroad for an additional year, some for a term abroad, or a summer placement. This is a great way to experience life in another country, usually partially or fully funded, learn a new skill or way of approaching your subject, and make friends across the world. I participated in a Global Summer School in Canada myself, which was amazing!
2. Learn a Language 🇫🇷:
I partly chose my university because they offer reasonably priced language courses which you can do in your own time should you wish to. I have now completed my Stage 1 in BSL.
3. Societies ⚽️🏎:
Most universities have a diverse range of societies; these are a great way to make friends outside your course and accommodation with like-minded interests.
For example, at my uni, we have societies ranging from Women's Football to Archery, Snow Sports, and the Taylor Swift society, so it's worth checking what different unis have on offer!
4. Voluntary Roles🙋:
If you have an interest in a particular area, it is worth seeing if your university offers opportunities for you to gain experience. For example, I am interested in student rights and experience, so I applied and have worked as a Course Rep alongside my studies.
I'm looking forward to hearing what things outside of your university degree made you choose your uni!
Lucy ☺️
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)
I am a final year student at the Univerity of Salford and with Open Days approaching and students attending various UCAS and UK University fairs comparing universities, I thought it would be worth sharing what I looked for outside of my degree course to help me decide where to apply to, in case it is helpful for anyone else...
1. International Opportunities 🌎:
Some courses offer the chance to study abroad for an additional year, some for a term abroad, or a summer placement. This is a great way to experience life in another country, usually partially or fully funded, learn a new skill or way of approaching your subject, and make friends across the world. I participated in a Global Summer School in Canada myself, which was amazing!
2. Learn a Language 🇫🇷:
I partly chose my university because they offer reasonably priced language courses which you can do in your own time should you wish to. I have now completed my Stage 1 in BSL.
3. Societies ⚽️🏎:
Most universities have a diverse range of societies; these are a great way to make friends outside your course and accommodation with like-minded interests.
For example, at my uni, we have societies ranging from Women's Football to Archery, Snow Sports, and the Taylor Swift society, so it's worth checking what different unis have on offer!
4. Voluntary Roles🙋:
If you have an interest in a particular area, it is worth seeing if your university offers opportunities for you to gain experience. For example, I am interested in student rights and experience, so I applied and have worked as a Course Rep alongside my studies.
I'm looking forward to hearing what things outside of your university degree made you choose your uni!
Lucy ☺️
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)
Hey Lucy! 😊
Thanks so much for sharing this. Such a helpful post for anyone currently weighing up their University options beyond just the course itself.
I totally agree that looking at the whole experience made a big difference for me too. One thing that stood out for me personally was the placement and employability support, Salford’s links with industry and the option to take a sandwich year were a big draw, especially since I wanted to get some real-world experience before graduating. I'm currently on placement in a software development role, and it’s really shaped what I want to do after Uni!
I’d also add that the campus vibe and student support services were important to me. On the Open Day, I got to chat with lecturers and support staff and just felt like I’d be seen here, not just another face in a crowd. It made the transition to Uni life feel a lot less scary.
Would love to hear what other people looked for when picking their Uni, it’s often those “extra” things that make all the difference 💬🎓
Arslan – University of Salford Student Representative
Reply 2
Hello everyone,
One of the great things about Chester University and I am sure that it is the same in most other universities are the opportunities to work in the university. I'm a Student Ambassador and so I can work on Open Days and Applicant Days, showing prospective students and their guests around the university campus, and answering any questions that they may have in relation to the course that they would like to study as well as student life at Chester, from a student's point of view. As part of the Student Ambassador role, I can also chat to prospective students via the UniBuddy App. As well as being paid for any hours that I work (which is a great bonus), I really appreciate the way that I can gain valuable experience to put on the CV, which is flexible around my studies. Also, it is great to be able to help prospective students who are considering coming to Chester university to study. I really like the way that working for the university enables me to help other students by answering their questions and making them feel less apprehensive and nervous about starting university.
Also, outside of academic studies, I also looked at societies and volunteering opportunities at the university as I think that these are a really important part of university and student life. Whilst the degree is obviously the priority, I think it's really important to have hobbies and a social life outside of working. By being able to join societies for activities that I was already interested in enabled me to meet like minded students and really helped me make more friends at university.
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
One of the great things about Chester University and I am sure that it is the same in most other universities are the opportunities to work in the university. I'm a Student Ambassador and so I can work on Open Days and Applicant Days, showing prospective students and their guests around the university campus, and answering any questions that they may have in relation to the course that they would like to study as well as student life at Chester, from a student's point of view. As part of the Student Ambassador role, I can also chat to prospective students via the UniBuddy App. As well as being paid for any hours that I work (which is a great bonus), I really appreciate the way that I can gain valuable experience to put on the CV, which is flexible around my studies. Also, it is great to be able to help prospective students who are considering coming to Chester university to study. I really like the way that working for the university enables me to help other students by answering their questions and making them feel less apprehensive and nervous about starting university.
Also, outside of academic studies, I also looked at societies and volunteering opportunities at the university as I think that these are a really important part of university and student life. Whilst the degree is obviously the priority, I think it's really important to have hobbies and a social life outside of working. By being able to join societies for activities that I was already interested in enabled me to meet like minded students and really helped me make more friends at university.
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
Reply 3
Hi Lucy!! 😊👋
Love this! Aside from my course specific things, like course content, when I was choosing a university I had my list of extra things that were very specific to me and ultimately helped me make my decision:
Happy uni-browsing everyone, and good luck with your choices ☺️
Becky
University of Salford Student Rep
Love this! Aside from my course specific things, like course content, when I was choosing a university I had my list of extra things that were very specific to me and ultimately helped me make my decision:
1.
Feeling on campus - this was the biggest to me by far! The only way for me to find this was to attend open days, and I remember calling my Dad after my Offer Holder Day for UoS, after being torn between two universities, and saying this just absolutely feels like the right place for me. I wanted to feel supported and able to be myself and I felt confident this would be possible from the attitudes of those around me, speaking to students and staff and also from speaking to the various support services I would be accessing.
2.
Travel/transport links - as I was going to be commuting, having easy and stress-free transport options was a big one for me. I knew I would predominantly want to drive to university, so having car parks on-site was a mega bonus. I also knew there would be times where I'd want to get public transport in case I was going somewhere after uni or wanted to avoid rush hour traffic (or inevitably have car issues at some point...which I did for the first 2 months of first year!😅), and the numerous easy transport links makes life way easier.
3.
Comfortable and enjoyable quiet spaces - this includes having silent areas dotted around campus for me to study on-site, like the whole top floor of the library being a designated silent space and the bookable 1-2 person pods, or the learning spaces in various buildings with big comfy chairs, footstools and microwaves/coffee stations in the kitchen areas.
Happy uni-browsing everyone, and good luck with your choices ☺️
Becky
University of Salford Student Rep
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