I fell in love with Surrey University during my time at the summer school. The campus, a balance between beautiful scenery and modern buildings, was filled with vibrant students of all ages and races. Upon my first encounter with the lecturers and student ambassadors, they gave me a warm welcome that made me feel as if I was already a part of the community. I couldn’t wait to start my lecture.
After the summer school, I came to the conclusion that Surrey was the right place for me; to spend the next four years learning the things that I am passionate for, together with the people that value education as much as me, would take me even closer to what I aspire to do.Unfortunately to study at Surrey also comes at a greater price. The cost of living in Guildford is extremely high and, according to BBC News, Surrey is one of the most expensive place to rent in the UK. My mum was unable to attend college and neither of my parents had the privilege of receiving higher education at University – this consequently brought many financial challenges to their lives. Hence, I cannot rely on my parents to support me with paying maintenance fees. Not only does this mean I need to save up for study materials and fees for accomodation for the next four years, but as a computer science student, I will also have to fund the money for a high-storage laptop to store files for lectures – plus any additional costs for softwares, such as Microsoft or Adobe products, that are needed to complete coursework for my degree. These expenses make it a struggle to afford basic food and entertainment.
Therefore, much of my time will be sacrificed on doing minimum-wage jobs when it could have been spent on learning.However the In2Surrey scholarship will bring significant positive impacts to my degree. With less hours spent on working, I can dedicate the time and energy necessary to complete assignments and coursework to the highest standard. Furthermore, I will be able to spend the extra money from working part time on things that I enjoy, like joining clubs and societies at the University. I have been playing both the piano and violin for over eight years, hence, it will be devastating to miss the opportunity of rehearsing with other talented musicians at Surrey’s string orchestra. In addition to playing music, I taught myself game design at the age of 13 and have developed a game that now total 6 million hits.
Although the game was able to make approximately 7,000 GBP in the past 2 years, the majority of this money had been stolen last summer due to my private data being compromised. Therefore, I very much look forward to spending some of my free time with other gamers at Surrey’s video gaming society.Thank you again for offering me a place at Surrey as well as this opportunity of applying to the In2Surrey scheme. The value of education has been something that I understood since primary school, thus I can assure you that along with improving myself as an individual, my studies will remain one of my top priorities throughout the subsequent years. There is no doubt that with this scholarship, I will become a dedicated professional who you will be proud to count amongst your ranks.Yours Sincerely,Shui Shan
