Luana Vasconcelos

Choosing Surrey

Choosing a university also means choosing a new home for the next three-four years. It’s important to consider location, accommodation and services. Surrey succeeds in all three criteria. 

The location is excellent, with London less than an hour away and easy access from and to airports like Heathrow and Gatwick. The campus is also only 10-15 minutes walk to Guildford town centre. 

Depending on your schedule, it’s perfectly possible to go out to lunch or brunch in town, then be back for classes very quickly. 

Surrey offers a wide range of accommodation, with different bands suited to different tastes, and guarantees a room on campus for first years which is great if you’re an international student. Living on campus allows for the opportunity to meet lots of people and experience independence. 

The University campus also has amazing services and offers everything that you could need. We have our own coffee shops, restaurants, supermarket, pub and even nightclub. Every year there are new study spaces like the MySurrey Dots. Our Library has five floors, complete with all the books you will need, computers and notebooks to borrow. 

My course

I love my English Literature course; it’s so interesting to analyse texts from different perspectives and theories. Surrey offers the kind of course where you get a taste of everything, so it’s great especially if you’re unsure which area you’d like to follow. 

There’s always a bit of history, sociology and psychology. You get some freedom with assessments, so you can choose to specialise in one framework  (for instance, I usually write about feminism), or you can explore the different theories for each module. 

Creative Writing is also super fun and interesting. The modules have helped me become a better writer and worked in sync with the literature ones. It’s just incredible to be able to write my own work and explore different formats. I’ve always been a prose writer, but by my final year I’ve written poems, short stories and scripts as well.

Student life and societies

Surrey proves that University is about more than just academics. There are plenty of opportunities to develop your CV, enjoy yourself and make lasting friendships. Students are supported throughout their university experience in all of these areas. 

Societies are a huge part of student life and offer a safe space to meet like-minded people or find others from the same nationality. From the Hispanic Society, Nigerian Society, Japanese Society and Italian Society; students from all over the globe are able to find their community. 

From weekly nights at Rubix, Surrey’s own nightclub, to fun events recognising students from diverse communities, student life is never boring. Every February, we have One World Week, a celebration of the diverse nationalities and communities that are part of Surrey. International Students’ Day also offers a chance to make connections and offer advice. 

Surrey prepares students for life after studies; with many workshops and career-related events. Our amazing career team is available to support students through every step of the employment process, from CV building to mock interviews. There are plenty pf part-time roles available on campus, which I found useful and easy to apply to despite being an international student.