Rita Marques Bento
"Studying at Surrey has given me a strong foundation of knowledge and a better idea of what I want to do in the future."
Course
Biochemistry MSciChoosing Surrey
Surrey’s Stag Hill campus really appealed to me when I was choosing where to study – it has a great balance between nature and modern buildings. I could see myself being a student at Surrey whilst walking around on the open day, and felt that I would be content during my future academic journey. On the open day, everyone was really helpful and the lecturers made me feel supported and engaged.
Living and studying in Guildford also appealed to me as it is a safe and nice town to be in.
Studying biochemistry
I like how biochemistry is such a broad subject, and how we study many different aspects related to biological molecules and pathways. I love learning about the myriad of biological pathways that drive our bodies, and how pathology drastically changes this.
Studying biochemistry has given me a strong basis to build upon and work towards improving our understanding of diseases and finding potential therapeutics.
I love the state-of-the-art Innovation for Health laboratory. I really enjoyed doing the laboratory sessions in the lab with our large cohort. There’s a good ratio of lab technicians to students, and they’re always open to questions and willing to explain and help.
"I love the state-of-the-art Innovation for Health laboratory building."
Life at surrey
Over the years I joined a couple of societies – Film Soc, BioSoc, and Art Soc. These societies helped me feel more integrated at university, allowing me to meet people from other courses and years.
I was also a course rep during three of my four years at Surrey. This allowed me to develop my communication skills, by listening to my peers' experiences and issues and then reporting to the staff to resolve problems within the modules or praising staff for their support and work.
More recently I've been attending the immunology breakfast club where postgraduate research students discuss and review published articles. This gives me a good insight into what’s relevant when reading and critically thinking about the information in the articles.
Looking forward
Studying at Surrey has given me a strong foundation of knowledge and a better idea of what I want to do in the future. When I graduate, I want to work in a laboratory to carry out research, either through a PhD or through industry.
If I had to describe my experience at Surrey in three words, they’d be self-growth, independence and fulfilling.
