I gained a lot more out of my student experience at Middlesex then I could have ever dreamed about. Middlesex gave me ample opportunity to develop and master many skills, be it personal, academic or even employment related. I also found many employment avenues both within and through Middlesex; which were both voluntary and paid. Some of these include being a Research assistant, Education Liaison and Outreach Assistant, Student Learning Assistant, Student Ambassador, Student Voice leader and a Corps Member for an organisation called City Year. The adventure that I have had at Middlesex has been deeply fulfilling. There is so much to learn and feel inspired by on my course; yet, equally I’ve had a great time enjoying, learning, being inspired, and developing as a person through the range of services, opportunities and events outside of my studies, which Middlesex has on offer for their students. I wasted no time getting involved in all things extracurricular, and found that this is where the enrichment lays.

My university havsinvested more than £200 million in recent years to transform our campus into one of London's biggest and best campuses. A brand-new library, state-of-the-art biomedical and technology labs, dedicated classrooms and lecture theatres for business and law, high-end TV production studios and the best art and design workshop spaces are just some of the facilities that us students have available to ourselves. It is a great university with outstanding facilities and services. Some of these are very unique such as the Learner Development Unit (LDU) - a fantastic academic support service, which helps students to understand and equips them with the attitude and skills needed to be successful in their academic work. The LDU is just one of the many. Come to an Open Day and you will know just what I mean.

It is what I later discovered and experienced once enrolling here, that I actually began to understand the right decision I had made. The staff here are really friendly and approachable and with all the excellent support services, help is always at my fingertips! Middlesex provides extensive, flexible library services that can be accessed on-campus, or wherever you are in the world. The brand-new learning resources centre (library) houses an enormous collection of hard copy resources, and the vast majority of our 30,000 full text journals are available online. The library also has plenty of silent and group study spaces for you to use both in the Sheppard Library, which is open 24/7. Middlesex offers an extensive support network– from childcare and counselling to financial and career advice – leaving us free to enjoy every opportunity campus life has to offer.

I enjoy representing the voice of my fellow peers in Boards of Sudies and other SU conferences. I've been a student voice leader for the last 3 years and really enjoy the challenges as well as the benefits my role and the impact it brings to my peers. I really enjoy university and understand the crucial role that Middlesex Students' Union plays. It is a fantastic union, with places students at the heart of everything they do. Middlesex University Students' Union is the independent voice of students on campus. Affectionately known as MDXSU, the Union is completely democratic and represents the interests of all students. MDXSU organises exciting activities, initiatives and parties for students throughout the year, and provides support and advice on a range of academic issues. The Union also helps manage a range of university clubs and societies, encouraging the pursuit of new interests and goals, and establishing a vibrant social life on campus.

I’ve really benefitted from the diverse culture here at Middlesex, it’s been brilliant. Over 1/3 of the student body are international students, which is great. It’s really really easy to meet new people, not just through your studies, but through the range of sports, clubs and social activities! Middlesex University's extensive global network means we are uniquely placed to form global partnerships with organisations and institutions that share our goals and values.

Joining a society or club at Middlesex has been a great way to meet people with similar passions and to discover new interests I may not have had a chance to consider before. Societies and clubs have provided a great platform for me to make friends and expand my networks on campus. Middlesex University offers a huge range of societies and clubs covering everything from religions and sport to hobbies and academics. Most societies are run by students through the Middlesex University Students' Union. And if Middlesex doesn't offer a society or club a student is interested in, they simply have to find some other like-minded students and set up one of their own.

I chose to study Sociology with Criminology as I had previously done so at A-level. Having worked really hard for it, my grades motivated me to believe that I could do equally well studying it further at degree level, and how right I was! Having just completed my first year, I can’t put in to words how amazing of an experience it has been. Each day you meet people, who whole-heartedly transmit their passion. Learning at higher level is a strong eclectic mix of self-discipline, personal growth, intellectually stimulating conversation and awe-inspiring lectures from dedicated academics at the very heart of their fields! One of my lecturers- Dr Sanders-McDonagh challenges us academically, through challenging our opinions on any given topic; this helps us to develop as autonomous, free-thinking individuals. For the past three years Dr Sanders-McDonagh has been a keen influence in helping me to analyse Sociology, and this enabled me to unpick the subject and travel to its foundations. Her innovative lecturers have inspired me to really enjoy my degree even more so through her own passion, which radiates in all of her lectures, seminars and conferences. For Dr Sanders-McDonagh being a lecturer here at Middlesex University isn’t just that, in fact, it is far from that. From the very first day I met her, her continuous awareness to progress not just as an individual academic but also as a lecturer, seeing this has been mesmerising. Studying for a degree in the social sciences permits the knowledge-thirsty to delve deeper into the realms of the social world. It is about looking at social life objectively and inter-subjectively, allowing us to derive opinion from a wide horizon of experiences and not just a single biography. In doing so it allows the collating of many walks of life and presents these in a multitude of life-worlds, which then captures a true representation of social reality. In other words, Sociology is a commentary on social life, attempting to explain the different forces and influences that shape a person’s upbringing.

Middlesex’s Employability Centre, is one of the many outstanding services we have on campus. They offer many services surrounding employability: Workshops, CV- checks, Drop-ins, Boot Camp and Enterprise Development Hub to just name a few. Despite the current graduate unemployment problem, the Employability Centre thrives on supporting current students and graduates long after they leave University. They helped me to secure placements outside University. Elaine Elson- my employability advisor informed us of many opportunities through her hard work and wide connections. This led to me working at organisations that I would not have got into on my own. Also, one of my academic lecturers- Dr. Erin Sanders-McDonagh, offered me the opportunity to work on an inter-disciplinary research evaluation project, straight after my first year. This was an amazing prospect and has really moved me forward in my understanding of research. Through undertaking this project, my existing skills set were developed and news skills were nurtured. Furthermore, my experiences through working on the project, positively contributed to what I was learning on my course. It is here, where I was really able to relate theory with practice and this evidently boosted my prospects of doing really well in my degree.

Excellent

In class