I’m currently in my 4th year at Surrey and I have loved every second of my time here! The last few years have been filled with some incredible memories. Moving to university was definitely the right choice in terms of both my career and personal development and has added so much value into my life. In this blog, I’ll share some of my favourite memories from my time at Surrey.

Freshers’ Week

Freshers’ week continues to be one of my favourite times of the year (without fail!) but the experience of moving to university, meeting new people and celebrating our achievements of being here was definitely very special. There’s so much to do and the Students Union always puts on an amazing selection of events. Our on-site nightclub, Rubix, hosts different themes on every single night from UV paint parties to performances from entertainers such as Aitch and Scouting for Girls so there is definitely something for everyone. There is also an incredible range of day time and non-alcoholic events such as the Team Surrey colour run and movies played in The Marquee. Freshers’ week really helps you get settled in and bond with the people you will be living, studying and working with in the future. For me, sitting by the lake with my flat mates watching Avengers End-game on the last night of Freshers’ week was the time that really felt like I’d settled into my new home and I was incredibly excited about the future. 

GradFest

Fast forward 3 years and the people I’d shared Freshers’ week with were graduating! We had spent 3 years living together having moved from Student Halls into private housing and had really formed an amazing bond. We had spent many hours revising together and been through 6 exam seasons so being able to watch them graduate knowing how hard they had worked was really special. It was really inspiring and very motivating. After graduation the Students Union hosts Gradball which is an amazing celebration consisting of food, photobooths, fairground rides and a night at Rubix. The dress code is formal and it was really fun to get dressed up for the occasion. I had such an amazing time and I cannot wait for my own graduation! The friendships I’ve made at university will certainly last a lifetime.

Writing a Research Paper

Whilst my friends and social connections have been a massive highlight of my time here, the career opportunities, teaching and mentorship I’ve experienced have also been outstanding. I feel very confident going into my future career and have had some amazing moments along the way as I have been supported in developing new skills and my professional experience. There are so many examples of these from my first time ever doing surgery to my first consultation but my favourite has to be conducting and then producing my own research paper. I have never felt particularly academic and always preferred hands-on skills so I was really nervous going into this process when I got my research paper title. The support and teaching was amazing throughout the entire module including from our Academic Skills and Development service. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone but ultimately, I achieved something I never really thought was possible. Getting a good grade back on my paper was the icing on the cake. Many students will feel like this about their own research and dissertation and it is definitely one of my proudest achievements to date.

I could go on and on about all the amazing times I’ve had here at Surrey so if you want to know more about what current students get up to and their experience here be sure to check out our Student Instagram! I’m so glad I chose to come to university and moving to Surrey has been an incredible adventure.