At the beginning of my educational journey at the University of Sussex, I was a mixture of different emotions. While most were negative, such as anxiety, stress, and sadness from having to leave my home, some were happy. Unfortunately, my time at the university has just exasperated the negatives.

Not only were the people not overly welcoming, but they also didn’t seem to care at all about my mental and physical health. You have to go through a list of people to talk to the person you need – and then soon as you think you found the right person they refuse to help!

One thing that I wish I looked into before accepting my offer from the University of Sussex was the number of strikes that occur. I’m losing out on money and education by being here.

They take away our classes, our seminars, they don’t offer the help you need, and the charge you for absolutely everything. Get ready for your wallet to be completely empty! Because even if you want to drop into the gym, you’ll be looking at a fee.

In my opinion, stay away! Make sure you do your research and don’t settle for inequalities. Fight for your right to an education at a reasonable price.

Law LLB at Sussex University is very challenging but very rewarding. The overall teaching of the modules is very good and the out of hours assistance the teachers provide is extremely useful in furthering your understanding of the law – which is a must! With the Uni going through some strikes a lot of lectures have had to be cancelled which isn’t great considering the amount we are paying for the degree but they have taken the unlearned content out for the exams which seems kind of fair. There are lots of extracurricular activities which you can join which are useful. Due to COVID my first year was disrupted as with every other University so everything was online but it was manageable if you kept on top of the workload which at times it can be hard. In the third year, you are able to choose all of your modules which are law-related and there are a lot to choose from, this is good as it means you can really focus on which area of law you want to go into, I have chosen employment law, family law and a criminology module. With the employment law module, you can work on real-life cases pro – bono which will be really beneficial.

Starting at Sussex University as a young (yet mature by university standards), student parent in the middle of a global pandemic was daunting, to say the least, but immediately I realised that Sussex University was the place for me. From day one, I was supported and encouraged by my tutors, lecturers and support staff and I felt I could take on everything my law degree was inevitably going to throw at me. The University of Sussex is a beautiful campus with incredible staff and students and I am proud to be a student here.

The University of Sussex made it very accommodating for international students to find a home away from home. It has a welcoming campus feel that entices students to explore the campus each day.

The professors in the law program are highly skilled and easy to contact. They are very flexible, whether you would like to meet in person or online.

One thing I find the University could improve on is more contact in classrooms. My program is very independent-study based which makes it feel like I am paying tuition to teach myself.

Brighton is a great place to live, the campus itself is kind of ugly but it has good facilities, especially for media students. Accommodation is kind of expensive, they recently demolished the only accommodation under £100 a week.

If you’re also looking a university whose ambience compliments your student life experience, then Sussex and it’s community is definitely one to check out.

I studied BA Communications & Media studies and I like they had some guest lecturers come lecture for a day on specific topics, had various events that supported our career prospects e.g. having alumnus and individuals in the industry come speak to us about their experience. Secondly, I liked the fact that as students, our voices/academic issues were heard via our student ambassadors (and they took active measures to resolve them when/if they could). In addition, I also liked the fact the student accommodations (i.e. bathrooms and kitchens) on campus got cleaned once a week (saved the stress for some students).

The university is quite international and diverse with various societies ranging from sports, religion, academics, fun etc. I wish they took the strikes more seriously (in terms of addressing students on their stance, supporting the staff who were part of the union). Also, encourage more international students to apply for positions in the SU, and publicize international events such as the International Food Party. Overall, I enjoyed my stay and experience at the university and would recommend it to prospective students.

The tutors are generally amazing and very supportive. The teaching is to a very high standard. The uni offers a lot of support for all aspects of being a student, whether it’s financially or mentally. During COVID and the unforeseen circumstances, they offered support even if you were off-campus. In terms of learning, it is your responsibility to catch up especially with seminars. These used to be recorded or accessed live via Zoom but the university refrained from this privilege in September 2021. I think this is a negative side to the uni as we are still in a pandemic. The on-campus accommodation prices are extortion but this is not entirely the university’s fault as Brighton is an expensive city in general. The nightlife is great, a lot of nightclubs along the seafront and entertainment in general. The facilities on campus are great – a lot of ambience. The library is large and filled with a lot of resources, it’s 24 hours like most uni libraries. There’s also places plotted around campus designated for work if you want a change of scenery.

It is a great univetsity. The lecturers are very helpful in trying to make sure students understand things. There is alot of follow up that is done and very helpful. It is also condusive for career enhancement as it prepares one for different emplyment.

Giving it some thought now, as an international student I wouldn’t come to study at Sussex again. I’m currently studying media and communications, a degree without a future but this is my fault. What is not my fault is being taught many irrelevant things for my future. I don’t know if this is true for all their degrees but in my case, I did everything on my own. Everyone encourages you to attend tutorials if you’re unsure about something but the tutors don’t offer you much support or even relevant information to you. You’ll be introduced to various types of assessments but ask me if someone really gives you real guidance on how to do them. Nope. And the feedback is so bad and irrelevant sometimes as if the tutor has been marking your work in 5 minutes.
Moving on to the campus. It really looks old and scary at night. Because Sussex accommodates more students then they should, some seminars or lectures are run until 8 pm. The library which should be a space of study is always cramped and whenever you need to meet with your study group, you won’t find a place to sit. However, they have a lot of different materials, so it’s a good place to start your research. Also, the online library is more convenient if you’re the type of person who doesn’t like interactions.
The canteens: there are numerous restaurants, cafes, and bars all across the campus. You will even have vegan options. However, it all comes with a price. The food is really expensive, so I prefer bringing my own food if I need to stay on campus and have a break during two seminars. P.S. Don’t make your grocery shopping for Coop. Order something from other online supermarkets. I promise you that with time you’ll save up some money.
On campus accommodation: Based on where you decide to stay, the price ranges from $90 to $160 per week. I would highly recommend staying in East Slope or Swanborough. If you don’t like sharing your bathroom with other people and you would like to stay in the center of the campus near all the important buildings, that’t the perfect place.
Also, try to join the Buddy Scheme or any society if you’re feeling lonely. It really helps to meet people just like you who share similar passions. Don’t worry if you see many Asian students and try to be respectful towards them. They don’t speak a lot during seminars so you’ll have to make up for their shyness.
The University is 30 minutes away from city center and the only way you can travel is by 25 or 25X buses if you’re staying on campus. Moreover, don’t come here without downloading the bus app and push the stop button so that the bus will stop and you’ll be able to get down. Otherwise, it will keep going. And try to sign it to the bus driver if you want to get on the bus. They won’t stop if not. That’s something different for my country and I wish someone would have told me and prepare me for all those things beforehand.