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Subjects studied: |
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school: BRGS Date of submitting these answers: August 2005 Read about Nicola's Gap Year... |
| University
you are at, why you chose this university,
and give one interesting fact about your university: |
|
| I'm
at the University of Surrey. Although
not many people have heard that much about
the university for me it was the natural choice.
I had the opportunity to go to other more 'prestigious'
universities but I fell in love with the Surrey campus - its like being
in the
country but with all the perks of the city. The course is just as good if not
better than those offered else where and the people are really friendly. Did you know that Surrey University has its own space centre? Now thats an interesting fact! |
|
| Best things about your university city: | Worst things about your university city: |
| Being
a relatively small university and being
100% campus based gives
the university a
sense of community - you really
do know everyone at least by face if not
by name. Because
its so small people make an effort to get to
know
each other - no one just fades into the background.
The campus is lovely with a big lake and lots of green spaces, Guildford is a large town caught between the country and the city. Its the best of both worlds! |
The worst thing is that as the university was built in the 60's the buildings aren't pretty - but they are starting to address this. The worst buildings are being rebuilt and facilities are being improved. So its not that bad! |
Social
scene/nightlife in your |
Popular activities at your university/ in your university city?: |
| It is great! The union is really good - something on every night. It caters for all tastes from R&B, to punk via cheesy pop, house - you name it. Chancellors is a great uni bar to start the nigt in - and it has good food! There are lots of places to eat and drink on campus but if you fancy something different a short walk into town and you'll find enough to keep you entertained all year. Harpers, Time and Flares are the big clubs but then theres all the regular bars and a few hidden gems - leave them for you to find! | There
are around 60 different societies ranging from
PirateSoc to Links, so there is something for
everyone. Sport is big at Surrey, all the usual plus a few extra - the biggest success comes in the form of the cheerleaders (representing the UK in World Finals!) If you want to know more look on the website and it'll tell you all about them. |
| How
much on average per week do a) Halls of Residence,
b) Renting a house, cost in your university town/city? |
What is the accommodation like in your university town/city? |
| Accomodation
on campus varies from £50 to £100
a week depending on the court and whether it
is en-suite or not (all rooms are self catered). The cost of renting in town varies depending on whether you rent privately or through the university. Privately, it can cost anything from £300 to £500 a month each for a 4 bedroom house, university managed accomodation is cheaper roughly £250 to £400 a month (both excluding bills). |
Since
I started in 2003 the accomodation
has been greatly improved. The most basic accomodation
is just that - basic but its good enough for
the first year. The en-suite rooms are everyones
first choice but I prefer to have accomodation
with good cooking facilities and a community
spirit so I lived in University Court Flats.
The newest accomodation is on the new campus
around a mile from the main campus - these
rooms are lovely but you pay the price! |
| How much on average do you spend on food shopping per week? | |
| I
guess I spend about £25 a week, sometimes
a little more, but I like my food. That includes eating out on campus at least once a week. |
|
| What is the course you are studying? - Was it your original choice when applying for university? | |
| I
study BSc (Hons) International Retail
Management and Languages but this course is no longer
offered - it has been incorporated into the
general Retail Management degree. Initially I applied for International Business and Law with East European Langauges, and variations of this at other universities, but when I had a few interviews for this I knew it wasn't for me - when I got to uni I changed course and I haven't looked back since. |
|
| How many years does your course last? | |
| It's a 4 year course (its a sandwich course so you spend the 3rd year out on a placement). | |
| What you enjoy most about your course/ what impresses you about it?: | |
I love the mix of business, law, accounting, sociology and languages, and the use of guest lecturers really helps to pull the degree together. I'm most impressed with the facilities available to us in the new management school - its at the centre of the university and presents the new image Surrey is trying to promote - it really is changing with the times. |
|
| What you enjoy least about your course, and what could be improved : | |
| The one thing I have found disappointing is the lack of industry days - we have had few field trips which would be really useful to consolidate our learning. A few of the modules have been quite out dated however the management school is going through review at the moment so things are set to change. | |
| How
do you rate the teaching standards on your
course, and do your tutors/lecturers/the university give you the right support for your studies?: |
|
| I can't really fault the teaching - they are there for you when you need them. But sometimes the examples that they use are dated and the library isn't the easiest thing to navigate but I must admit they are making it much easier and most of what you need they have made available online. They make full use of IT with a number of lectures being conducted online, all resources made available on the university hub and all uni rooms having free unlimited broadband. | |
| What A Level Grades/UCAS points did you have to achieve to be accepted onto your course? | Why did you choose the particular course you are studying? |
| BBB was the entry requirements at the time (which I easily met) but as the course has changed the requirements have changed - generally Surrey ask for 280 points for business degrees although its getting more competitive now | Since
GCSE I have been interested in languages so
a degree in this area seemed natural however
a pure language degree filled me with fear.
By combining my other interests in business
and law, with languages seemed the best option
for me. |
| Best thing about being at university: | Worst thing about being at university: |
| Being independent - really learning about life and meeting lots of people that you would never have met in every day life. I have learnt so much outside of my course. I can juggle lots of things at the same time: uni work, paid employment, laundry, cooking, food shopping, keeping in touch with friends, phoning home - you name I can do it! | Sometimes
it feels that life is continuing without
me.
By living and working on campus, it often feels
quite insular, with uni trying to protect us
from the 'nasties' of the outside world. The
fact that I never really have any money is
also a big problem, but student life wouldn't
be the same if you didn't have to worry about
finance! |
| What do you plan to do after you graduate? | |
| I graduate in the summer and although I have no firm plans I am looking at travelling for a few months - hopefully in Africa before starting a graduate scheme. I have applied for human resources and marketing schemes as these are the areas that interest me - so fingers crossed. | |
| If you were to recommend going to university, what would you say? | |
| If you're seriously thinking about it, do it! If you don't you may regret it for the rest of your life. Don't worry about the debt too much, obviously its a consideration but at the end of the day if it gets you where you want to be it'll be worth it in the end. | |
| Do you get homesick? If so, how do you deal with it? | |
| I'd
be lying if I said I never get home sick -
but to be honest you soon forget about
home.
Being around your friends all the time, great nights out, and lots of work (ok, mainly in the final year) mean that you really don't have the time to think about home. Friendships made in the first few weeks will, in my experience, last you a lifetime and they really help when you feel like going home. - when you feel like going home don't...it'll just make it worse - go out for the night, eat ice cream, watch a film with friends but don't go home. |
|
| Do you think you made the right choice? Or looking back, would you have gone to a different university/started a different course? | |
| No regrets! I have no regrets about life at all and anyway there is no point regreting anything because you can't go back and change anything. You'll know if you've made the right decision - I know that this was the right decision for me and I wouldn't change anything even if I could! | |
| What have you achieved whilst being at university? | |
| My
biggest achievements are in no way academic,
for me its making true friendships. I have made friends with people that I would never of dreamt of being friends with. I have no prejudices now. As a person, the friendships I've made have helped shape who I am - without being at uni I wouldn't be half the person I am today! |
|
| Any other comments about your university experience: | |
| It's the biggest decision you'll ever make - but it'll be the best years of your life. If you go to uni make the most of it, you'll miss it when you leave! | |