My time at Brighton

Leah Brown studied on our Health Studies BSc(Hons) top-up degree. She tells us a bit about her time at Brighton and what she has been up to since she graduated.

“I chose the University of Brighton as it was one of the few Universities that offered the top-up degree course. The fact that it was based in Brighton was an added plus as I’d always wanted to visit the city.

“The teaching and support staff were really informative and very approachable. It felt as though they had a vested interest in your learning and really wanted you to achieve your best. I loved the fact that all of the lecturers had experience of working in the health service.

“During my course I was able to book a one-to-one session with a professional writer from the royal literacy fund. It was a great opportunity for someone to proofread my work before submitting and providing feedback to help improve my assignments.

“For anybody in a similar position to myself, who has had a break from education and may be feeling apprehensive about returning, I would say to 100% apply and to not worry as there’s a lot of support available at the University.

“I definitely developed my academic writing and research skills during my study. I also gained more confidence when giving verbal presentations to my classmates and lecturers.

“I used the Falmer library often and the computer suite during my studies but I also liked the fact that you could access books from other campuses. I could use the library in Brighton town centre, St Peter’s House, which was convenient as it was near my accommodation.

“One of the things I really enjoyed was meeting my course mates, as they were all lovely. Being on the coast was also great as it’s such a unique feature of the city and as many of my classmates lived in other seaside towns close by, it was great to go and visit these too. Pre-Covid I really enjoyed visiting the local food outlets in Brighton as a lot were very healthy/vegan focused.

“Three months after graduation I secured a role with Healthwatch Solihull as a Community Officer. It was on the course that I actually became aware of Healthwatch so it provided me with an insight into the kinds of organisations I could potentially work for upon graduation.

“The organisation uses patient feedback to help improve health and social care services and I currently help to design and conduct engagement sessions to deliver to the local community.

“I’ve hosted online drop-in sessions, provided speaker sessions with other voluntary sector organisations such as the Carers Trust, created online surveys, produced social media content directing people to our online feedback centre and worked with care homes to gather feedback from residents virtually.

“I am grateful for what the top up degree offered in terms of employability skills which undoubtedly helped me to gain employment during challenging times.

“Overall, I had a great time studying in Brighton. The course was challenging but also lots of fun and I look forward to coming back for a visit when it’s safe to do so.”