Will T.
The societies are a huge part of why I enjoy being here, especially as an engineering student. Surrey has a great range of clubs and societies, but the engineering focused societies stand out because they give you the chance to work on real projects for competitions.
Placement company
Malloy AeronauticsWhat do you like about your course and why?
The practical side of the course has been a big highlight this year for me. The Cranfield flight test was a standout experience, getting real flight data made the theory feel more clear. The flight simulator sessions and wind tunnel labs have also helped build intuition for how the aerodynamics we learn in lectures behave in the real world. Both practicals allowed us to directly affect the aircraft and see how it performs.
Being involved in the UAS society has added a lot too. It’s made the course feel more connected, and working with people who share the same interests has made the whole experience very enjoyable and motivating.
I like that the course gives us so many different ways to understand the material. Having all the lectures recorded is very helpful, especially when I need to go back over the more challenging parts at my own pace. Combining that with tutorials and past papers has made it much easier to check whether I understand a topic rather than just recognising it.
Will enjoying the learning by doing approach at Surrey.
What do you enjoy most about Surrey?
What I enjoy most about Surrey is how self contained and convenient the campus is. Everything I need is within a short walk, lots of places to eat, loads of study spaces in the library and across campus, and the town centre and station are only a few minutes away. It makes day to day life really quick and easy for me.
The societies are a huge part of why I enjoy being here, especially as an engineering student. Surrey has a great range of clubs and societies, but the engineering focused societies stand out because they give you the chance to work on real projects for competitions.
I’ve been heavily involved in UAS Peryton, which focuses on fixed wing drone competitions such as the IMechE UAS Challenge and the BMFA Payload Challenge. These competitions attract university teams from all over the world, and Surrey consistently performs very well.
Being active in the society has opened up opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I led a team to the 24-25 BMFA payload competition and I’m now the 25–26 President. This has given me hands on experience with motor testing in wind tunnels, CNC hot wire cutting, carbon fibre manufacturing while working closely with academic staff and managing a multi disciplinary engineering team. Through my experience with the society and course I managed to get a part time job at the Surrey Research Park working with a start-up company manufacturing delivery drones.
The societies at Surrey are a huge part of why Will enjoys being here.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
When I graduate, I want to be at the forefront of UAS development. The industry is growing rapidly, and there are huge opportunities in both civil and defence applications for advanced unmanned systems.
I’m starting my industrial placement at Malloy Aeronautics in the summer, their work really interests me and I hope to gain valuable experience during my time there.
Being involved in UAS Peryton has made it clear that this is the area I want to specialise in. Working on fixed‑wing platforms, payload integration, and flight‑ready systems has given me a strong foundation, and I want to take that further in industry. Contributing to the next generation of UAS whether that’s improving endurance, autonomy, or payload capability.
Your advice to new students
The best advice I’d give to anyone thinking of studying this course is to actually apply the knowledge you learn as you go.
The lectures and tutorials give you the theory, but getting involved in one of the engineering societies is what really brings it to life.
Taking an active role in real projects not only deepens your understanding of the material, it also gives you practical experience that stands out massively when applying for placements or graduate roles. Having a University that supports and has the facilities for these activities greatly enhances what we gain over our time here.
