I think the support provided by professors and lecturers has helped me stay engaged and motivated me to apply myself 100% of the time during the past few years. In addition, the uploaded presentations and post lecture recordings are relatively common amongst universities, but still never go underappreciated, as they allow students to review content outside of the lecture theatres without scrambling to get every word down off the board during the two hour slot. While it might not have the historical buildings many city universities are adored for, it makes up for it with it's picturesque lake and wide assortment of animals, such as the Canadian Geese on Manor Park and all the beautifully coloured birds on Stag Hill. One thing Surrey could look to improve on is it's support extended to those on placement. Despite occasional meetings with a placement tutor, there feels to be a disconnect between the student and the university during the industrial year. For the economics department, the return day, which is looked forward to as a time to catch up by many, is now being held over Microsoft Teams, making it seem all the more impersonal. I believe if Surrey improved on this, it would make the year in Industry seem much less daunting to future students.

My course has been absolutely incredible, and a joy to study over the past years. The lecturers are for the most part engaging and filled with interesting content, with the exception of certain modules due to differing interests or, rarely, uninspired lecturers. Compared to adjacent courses at different universities, we have a very high number of contact hours, which as a student feels like a curse but is really a blessing in disguise, as it allows you to develop personal relationships with your tutors which can be very beneficial. As mentioned before, there were a few modules where the lecturers seem uninspired, and these were definitely the worst aspect of the course. The lectures often left you feeling confused, and when attendance started to drop lecturers would blame it on the laziness of students instead of trying to adjust their teaching style to be more engaging. Despite performing well in these types of modules, I still was left feeling unsatisfied with the module at the end of the semester, as I felt I hadn't learnt many valuable life lessons or transferrable skills during them, as many other modules strived to leave me with through engaged and focused teaching.

During my first year of university, I stayed in an en-suite accommodation, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My flatmates were very respectful, ensuring the kitchen stayed clean and keeping the noise down during anti-social hours. The room itself was spacious enough for all of my things, and the shower had a timer to track water usage, which resonated with my passion for sustainability. The location became an issue in certain scenarios, as it was a 20 minute walk from campus and the buses were very inconsistent, making for a depressing journey to campus when it rained! Overall, I would recommend Manor Park to a new student looking for accommodation, as it was the perfect mix of everything one could ask for in a living space.

Best: Teaching, the people and, nightlife. The opportunities are there for you but only if you take them. Worst: Guildford town is a really nice place but it’s somewhere students don’t seem to go out much and often stay on campus so if you want that student town "feel" like many student towns, it won’t have it.

Best: tutorials to always consolidate learning and lecturers always have time for you if you make the effort to attended office hours Worst: Amount of contract hours scheduled with tutors is limited. Tutors aren’t always the best.

A lot of halls are still being renovated and I got one of the oldest halls which didn't the nicest decor in the world. Guildford is such a safe place but can get quite expensive when compared to other places