Nicole's experience
In this blog post, Malaysian student Nicole talks about settling in at Sussex and keeping active through the University’s Active US sports sessions.
“I loved having the beach so close, where I could chill with my friends.”
In the beginning, the thought of moving to the UK by myself was daunting. One of the key concerns that I had was that I would be unable to make friends and that I would not be able to fit in as the UK is so different from Malaysia. However, my worries were completely unfounded.
The main reason why I loved Sussex so much was due to its beautiful campus and its location. Sussex has a huge campus that is surrounded by nature and sometimes, I would even see adorable bunnies hopping around the campus, making my heart melt each time.
With Brighton, one of the most vibrant seaside cities in the UK, only 10 minutes away by train, students can have access to all sorts of entertainment whilst having a quiet and conducive learning environment in Sussex. I loved having the beach so close, where I could chill with my friends from time to time as well as having a skating rink available every winter. It was amazing considering that I would never be able to have access to a skating rink so easily in Malaysia.
Active US is the University’s social sports programme with no membership and no experience needed.
Every year, the University organises a number of activities during Fresher’s Week to help students (and especially first-year students) to settle in more quickly. During my first year, I particularly enjoyed the activities conducted for specific courses and schools, as it provided me with an opportunity to get to know my course mates before the course actually started.
I loved how Sussex made me feel comfortable, even though Sussex is not in the city, there is still plenty to do on campus and all the necessities like a post office, mini-supermarket and cafes are available.
I feel that Sussex puts in a lot of effort into encouraging students to be more active as well. A programme called ’Active US’ provides a space for students who would like to play sports like badminton or squash for fun rather than competitively. I took advantage of this opportunity and it turned out to be so much more fun than I thought it would be. It was a really exciting experience and I appreciated all these opportunities and support Sussex has given to their students.
Furthermore, there are also many job opportunities that both local and international students could apply for on-campus. I was able to get a few part-time jobs during my time at the University which helped me to gain some experiences working with other people and also enhance my CV.
Overall, it was a memorable 3 years at the University and I will never forget all the amazing friends and opportunities I had. I hope that after the Covid-19 situation settles down, I will be able to return to Sussex and take a final graduation photo with my friends to mark the end of this remarkable chapter of my life that I will cherish forever.