Why I chose to study at the University of Brighton

I have just finished my first year at the University of Brighton. It has been a different year with the pandemic restricting what people are allowed to do. I am also a mature student which makes my university experience different to others. I decided to apply to university mid last year. I wanted to do something that was very creative and fun. Even though I didn’t have a lot of experience with games I loved the idea of creating a game. This is what lead me to the Games Art and Design course.

Why choose Brighton?

When choosing a university I looked at a number of unis that offered this course and although I applied to several, Brighton was my first choice. Why? Well two main reasons:

1. It is situated in a town that is well known for its arts and culture and the university is known for its arts degrees. This gave me confidence that it was the university for me.

2. A more minor reason but geographically it was not too far for me to travel to and I got to save on accommodation costs.

Getting my offer at Brighton

I applied and was fortunate enough to get an unconditional offer. I was really excited about this and accepted straight away, but that was when the nerves set in. Will I be able to learn the new software? Can I complete the work I will be given? Does it matter that I have no experience in certain areas? What transport will I use to get to campus? Will I find my way around campus and Brighton? The questions just kept on coming. After some research and looking at the university’s website site some of my questions were put to rest.

Settling into my new course

The day came when it was time to start. Very nervously I joined the freshers’ week introductory teams call (due to COVID restrictions). It was very nice to meet the lead course lecturer and fellow students. Soon it was time for the first actual lesson. Although I was still nervous, the tutor was lovely. She explained concepts and broke down the work we would have to do. I soon felt very comfortable in lessons and had a growing interest to further investigate the ideas that we were learning.

I’m excited for the next year!

I am glad I decided to join Brighton; the university has been very supportive in many ways. Tutors are more then happy to have one-to-ones with students that are struggling. They make lessons interesting and enjoyable. As I enter my second year I am looking forward to it. There are likely to be changes as the COVID restrictions lift, but this time I am not nervous, just excited.