Jessica Gill

Choosing Surrey

I chose to come to Surrey because it’s a campus-based university in one of the nicest counties in England. The location was close to home for me and I liked its advertised range of facilities. I attended an applicant day in spring 2022, which also influenced my decision.  

I originally applied to do Biomedical Science at Surrey but didn’t achieve the A-levels I'd hoped for, so I applied through Clearing to do Biomedical Science with a foundation year. 

My foundation year experience

In all honesty, I was disappointed when I found out I had to do a foundation year because of my grades. But – and I know this sounds clichéd – I’m so glad I did one. It has made my first-year experience so much smoother; it allowed me to learn the layout of the campus, learn about all the services available, find fun things to do nearby, meet people, make connections... Being taught the same concepts but in a different way to sixth form was revolutionary to me and allowed me to excel in fields I had previously not performed very well in.  

My foundation year eased me into university when my health wasn’t at its best and I’m grateful for that. I am a firm believer that A-levels act as a barrier for many people who want to go to university because it feels like you’re being tested on memory. At university you’re tested more on application and I’m excelling now!  

My course

The facilities on my course are great, especially the Innovation for Health Learning Laboratory. You gain hands-on skills that align with the theory you're learning in lectures. Our new common room, The Dot, which is for biosciences students only, is a nice place to wind down with friends and there’s always a seat free. 

Personal highlights

The best things about Surrey are the facilities, the distance to London and work opportunities. I was able to secure a student marketing ambassador role before I even officially started my course in September 2022 and this led me to meet a lot of great people and form good connections. I also work at the Students’ Union and it’s great to be able to actively improve the Surrey experience for others while being a student myself: I like enacting change and Surrey makes it clear that they want to make the student experience the best it can be. 

Find out more about our foundation year courses and our Biomedical Science BSc.