Thinking About Sociology? Here’s What First-Year Students Want You to Know

In this blog, we sit down with first-year Sociology students Annie and Liv as they share how they’ve been adapting to life at Chichester…

Hi Annie and Liv! How did you two meet?

Liv: So we met on the Sociology course. And because it was quite a small course with a few people, it made it very easy to get to know people quite quickly. So we had lots of conversations with them.

Annie: Yeah… it was the Sociology induction. I remember we did ‘speed dating’ and I was chatting with you for that. 

Liv: It’s quite an easy way to get to know each other, and I thought, wow, my best friend!   

We do this thing, don’t we? Every week we try a new cafe, restaurant, or anything like that. And then we rate it in our notes, criticisms, and what we think is good. As if we’re like, I don’t know, Gordon Ramsay. We think we know it, we really know nothing [laughs]!  

So, for people who don’t know about Chichester itself, what’s it like?  

Liv: Well, coming here, I had no idea of anything. I just had no idea what it would be like. The only way I reference it to my friends is Gilmore Girls. If you’ve watched the series Gilmore Girls, it’s a comfort town. It’s something like, when I watch Gilmore Girls, I’m not thinking about anything else. It’s just an easy watch, it’s comforting, and that’s what it reminds me of. Lots of small businesses, but also, you have enough shops, like branded shops, that you can get what you need, I feel.

Annie: Yeah, I was going to say, it is quite cosy, and there are a lot of independent shops, and charity shops as well. But then there’s like H&M and TK Maxx and stuff. It has everything you need. 

Liv: There’s a lot around. It has everything. And if you want bigger shops, you can just get a train to Portsmouth, and it’s not far away. So it’s not like you’re completely restricted. So I think it’s got everything you need.

What do you do to have fun in the evenings?  

Liv: So every Wednesday, you have ‘WISHE’ at the Students’ Union bar, which can be fun. And you dress up as themes, that’s on a Wednesday night.

Annie: And then on Thursdays, there’s Thirsty Thursdays in Room 12, and they’re very good. Yeah, we love Thursdays. And you can also go to Spoons as well. We usually go to Spoons beforehand. 

But there are quite a lot of pubs around as well. So if you just want to go out with your friends and not go out, that’s always available as well. 

What are your Sociology classes like?

Annie: It depends on which lecturer you have, but you might go through a few slides, and then there’ll be an activity. There’s like a prompt, and then you chat about it with the people you’re sitting with.   

Liv: Yeah. I’d always say what makes this course and this uni stand out is that you get to do those interactive things. It’s not like a chore.  

I personally find that university for me, and the actual education part has been my favourite bit of education in my whole life as a whole. All throughout school, I just felt, a lot of the time, that you’re actually being spoken to for hours.  

Whereas here I’d never had the experience of being able to interact so much, so I definitely really like that.  

What would you say to someone who was maybe wondering whether or not university was for them? 

Liv: I mean, I hate the way people say university isn’t for me because it literally can be for everyone, and the way I view it is it’s a fresh start! It doesn’t matter how you behave in school, it doesn’t matter who you’re friends with, the grades you got, it’s a completely fresh start.  

Annie: Yeah, I remember hating school. I’d never go in, and like, I just hated it so much. But I think uni has definitely just been the complete opposite. I actually look forward to coming in and walking into lectures with Liv. Which, like, I don’t know, if you told me a year ago that you’d actually enjoy going to school, she’d be like, no, it’s crazy! 

Liv: There’s no judgment, especially in our lectures, there’s no judgment whatsoever. Somebody could say the complete opposite opinion from me, and I won’t, you know, I won’t look at them differently. I just think that’s a different perspective, and I think it helps you to understand, because I think it’s a main part of life, understanding people are not going to have the same opinions as you.  

These lectures help you understand that people have different opinions, and it’s important to hear them out, listen, and take bits that you align with.  

Annie: And I think even though our course is pretty small, we do have mature students, and there are so many different people in our course that you really do get to hear so many different perspectives on things. It’s interesting.  

How do you juggle everything you need to do to study and live at uni?  

Liv: You’re not in every day 9 to 5,  you get a good amount of lectures, but you’re not overwhelmed with it. Essays as well, you have long due dates, it’s not like you’ll get an essay set for a week. So that’s really nice. It gives you time to think about it, plan it, think, you know, you don’t have to feel rushed.  

Annie: Yeah, it’s not like you’re like stressed and your hair is falling out [laughs]! It’s nice stress. Yeah, and especially because, as I said earlier, with the long due dates, you can really sit on it and really actually read the question. 

Liv: But I would say that balancing is so important. We like going out, but if we don’t want to go out one week, we won’t go out, and we go on walks as well. 

Annie: Oh yeah, there are actually quite a few places to go! 

Liv: Yeah, there’s a lovely canal, we love a walk down there. Then I have Cheer training as well, two or three times a week, too, which I can fit in fine.   

Annie: I tried to get Liv to come with me to Tesco, but it didn’t work [laughs]. I love going to the big Tesco because it’s a bit of a trek, but that’s what I like about it. It’s a day out… 

Where have you been living this year?  

Liv: So we’re currently at Stockbridge Halls of Residence, which I mean, not to be biased, but I would say is a pretty good one! You’re right near town, so if you do go out or just want to go into town, it’s not like you’ve got to get a bus or anything like that.  It’s so fun. And it’s quite big, too. The security there is lovely. Yeah. You do feel quite happy to not be at home. It’s quite nice. 

If anyone’s wondering whether they should come to Chichester to study Sociology, what would you tell them?  

Liv: If you go to other unis, no shade, but I think if you go to one of these big unis with loads of people, especially if you’re somebody who’s so stressed on meeting people, it can be quite hard to find yourself, and you might lose yourself amongst the noise.  

Annie: Yeah, and it’s even just nice like walking around the campus, and you see familiar faces. Even if you don’t talk to them, it’s just really nice to see them. 

Liv: This is so community-based, and you don’t feel that massive jump from school to uni. And I know that if I have any issues whatsoever, I can just come to my lecturer or someone on my course, and I won’t feel judged or anything like that. I just think it’s a very welcoming uni and course.