When applying for university, my naive little heart was set on going to Wales. Wales is a good place to study my chosen subject, environmental studies - lots of nature. I often think about how different my uni experience might have been if I’d gone to a Welsh university. But I didn't. I went to the University of Sussex, in Brighton.
Originally, the University of Sussex was my fifth choice behind Aberystwyth, Swansea, Cardiff and Portsmouth. However, luckily for me my uncle lives near Brighton and suggested I come down to have a look. I went to the university open day and loved the brutalist architecture of the campus. Most of the buildings were constructed using concrete in the 60s, with seemingly little effort put into the design. I remember walking through the Sussex campus for the first time, and thinking it felt like a university. It was raining.
The Sussex campus, much like the rest of Brighton, is littered with green spaces where people congregate in the sun. People playing music, dancing, and performing circus arts. It’s easy to get swept up by it all – I did.
After looking round the uni, I took the train into town to meet my uncle and his little family. He showed me round, bought me falafel, and said something along the lines of “Brighton is one of those places you live that you’ll never want to leave”. He wasn’t wrong. I fell in love instantly.
The place has an energy. Not a negative, tense energy like London where everyone walks around stone-faced. No, Brighton has a happy, vibrant energy, making the city a magnet for vibrancy and fun. When you're there, you desperately want to be a part of it.
If you’re considering applying to study at the University of Sussex, here are some of the reasons I chose to study in Brighton.
University rankings
The University of Sussex may not be the best-known UK university, but it consistently performs quite well in university rankings. It’s currently just outside the top 30 in the UK in the QS World University Rankings 2019, and is also the best university in the world for one particular subject (development studies).
Close to nature
The Sussex campus is slap-bang in the middle of the South Downs National Park, which means you can see rolling green hills as far as the eye can see out of your student accommodation window. Brighton is a community that cares about the environment too, so you’ll encounter plenty of green initiatives – there’s a reason the Green Party always do well in elections here!
The Lanes
Brighton is famous for The Lanes – a network of streets filled with boutique shops, second-hand wares, hidden treasures and antiques. You can spend all day exploring the shop windows along these historical narrow roads.
The beach and the piers
No matter the weather, the beach in Brighton is always beautiful. When it’s sunny, the beach is bustling with people and has a lovely vibe, while during a storm you may get to see lightning strike the wind farm located off the coast which can look incredibly dramatic.
There are also two piers in Brighton – the one that’s still open is great for walking along, while the second was lost to a fire but it makes for a beautiful photo op!
