Maddii

What were the best things about your course?

I really enjoyed the choice you get with Sociology with the modules and the area of interest you want to specialise in. This also helped me decide what area of work I wanted to go into after graduating. 

I also loved how approachable and friendly the staff and students were, and I made some great friends through my course.

What do you do now? How did your degree from Surrey help you achieve this?

I am the Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) Outreach and Prevention Worker for a domestic abuse charity. My role involves training teachers and professionals about VAWG and how to work with children that have experienced trauma.

My degree helped me find my passion for gender equality and, in turn, I decided to work towards preventing violence against girls. When writing my essays I often framed the questions around gender differences and added in gendered perspectives. For my dissertation I picked a topic around women in the workplace, which further fuelled my interest to work in this field.

The knowledge I learnt at university not only helped me get my role, but built the foundations for understanding issues around VAWG and inequalities, which I'm now able to share with others when delivering training. The skills I learnt when writing essays also help me when writing my reports.

What’s your advice to current students?

Don't be afraid to make the course bespoke to you by picking modules and areas that interest you the most. Utilise the staff that are there to support you and make connections at university - you might find they're handy once you've graduated. Most importantly, enjoy your time and try not to worry about what comes after university!