USAC England: Brighton

Becca and Mary were simply incredible. So supportive and all of the field trips they made were great! Especially the Paris field trip. Brighton itself is a very fun and bustling city that comes alive when the weather warms up (i.e. Brighton Fringe Fest) Plenty to do and plenty to see. All in all would highly recommend, if you want to explore. Easy access via train to London, and of course short flights to anywhere in Europe.

Brighton, very quickly became my second home. The people are friendly and lively, and you will not regret your time here especially if you take the scary step of your comfort zone and join a society! I've made some of the best friends here and I wouldn't change it for the world. The city is so fun (though a bit far from the Falmer campus if you decide to stay in campus halls!) and there is always something happening. From gigs, to fairs, to ice skating in the winter, and beach parties. If you love a bit of thrift shopping, getting some vinyls, and coffee shops then the number one hipster place in the world, Brighton, is the place for you! It's an accepting place where no matter who you are you'll find people who'll love you for being you. The classes themselves are quite different, and very independent, but you will learn a lot from them. It teaches you to be more responsible for your work. The teachers are really hands on and open with help, and the study abroad advisors on campus, Becca, Mary, and Zoe are so helpful and will definitely make sure you get everything you need out of this experience. I will always recommend this program and this city to everyone I meet, because the memories, the people, and the town will always be with me. I would never trade my time here for anything in the world.

It's difficult to explain to others how my semester abroad in England went. From someone who has been stuck in her hometown for 21 years, any location would have been a nice change. But if I could go back and choose again, Brighton would have been selected without any hesitation.

While it may have been better to be housed closer into town, I grew to love the bus rides. I rarely ever used public transportation at home, but the bus system here seemed pretty efficient. It was a pain to pay for bus fares, but you can easily compare it to the amount you spend on a car, gas and insurance.

As for academics, the "modules" I took were relatively easier than the ones I took at home. I kind of had a freebie semester, but for my flatmates, it was difficult for them to get classes they needed for their major. HOWEVER, I recall USAC letting us know beforehand that this location should only be chosen if the student has flexibility in class selections.

Brighton reminds me a lot of San Francisco. It's gloomy and diverse... it's a student town! There's ALWAYS something going on, no matter what day of the week it is. If pubs, pebble beaches, cute little shops, and concerts aren't your thing, London is only an hour train ride away. And then from London, your destinations are (almost) unlimited. Hello Europe!

Now that I am back in the States, there is not a single day that goes by where I don't think of Brighton and all the friends and memories I made there. If anything, I wish someone warned me about this four-months-and-going homesick feeling I have for marvelous Brighton...

Going to Brighton was my first time living away from home and my first time leaving the country. It was an AWESOME experience that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. I am a Business student and luckily Brighton offered a lot of classes to choose from that fit into my degree plan from my home university. There were no tests, just group projects and end of term papers so it was a nice change of pace. The lecturers did tend to grade harder that what I'm use to in the US so you will need to put in some effort regarding your coursework. The coordinators Mary and Becca are SUPERSTARS. They were both such great help getting my schedule straightened out and they planned a number of great field trips.The city itself is such a culturally rich and diverse place with a million things to do, I guarantee you'll never be bored. That being said you'll want to save a lot of money before coming. I tried to restrict myself to a 100 pound a week budget but it gets hard to adhere to with so many things going on at all times. I would recommend working before you come so you have enough to enjoy Brighton as well as travel Europe at the end of term.

Brighton, England is truly a special and beautiful place especially when the sun is shining. However most of the spring semester Brighton is wet and gloomy so be prepared. I loved Brighton and it ended up being the right place to study abroad but I wish that I had known that USAC students do not typical live in Brighton, USAC houses you on the Falmer campus about 3 miles or a 40 minute bus ride from town. The bus is also expensive and Falmer where you live is in the middle of nowhere. Some students have classes on the Falmer campus but I was not that lucky. Before applying I did not know that Brighton was a split campus meaning your classes could be on another campus an hour away. The study abroad Staff Becca and Mary are the most amazing women and they will help make your time in England amazing. Uni of Brighton also offers fun weekend field trips.

I had an awesome time in the city of Brighton, which is only about an hour South of London. It's an extremely diverse city, full of culture and lively people. Brighton has many things to offer, from the famous Brighton Pier, where you can go play arcade games, ride rides, and eat fish and chips, to the Royal Pavillion, a palace that is now a museum. Getting around the city was not difficult at all, the buses ran to and from the University to the city twenty-four hours a day! The University Halls were full of international people, where we could learn about different cultures and traditions in other parts of the world. Overall, I had an amazing experience in Brighton, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves to travel, shop, and eat!

I studied at the University of Brighton from January to June 2013.

The application process is long and slow. The dollar-pound conversion is rough.

It was all worth it and then some!

I told my film professor at Brighton before I left that people like him and the rest of the faculty at the Uni are the stuff that incredible study abroad experiences are made of.

Traveling out of the country, alone, for the first time ever was a terrifying thought. USAC and the staff on site in Brighton made it easier than I expected. Also Mary Zoe an Becca are warm and wonderful women! They care about their students and love getting to know them!

Off campus Brighton has so much to offer anyone from any walk of life! It is a vibrant community of friendly people from all over the world, not just all over the UK! The pubs and recreational activities are just the a drop in the pond! And if you wanna do nothing, go sit in the sun at the Royal Pavillion.

I recommend spring semester especially because of te famous Brighton Festival that takes place for a month each spring. Professional and street performers from all over the world converge on the city's Old Stein and surrounding downtown to offer a vast range of entertainment. Not to go without mentioning the FOOD! Not bland! And the beer is even better!

4 months post Brighton, I miss it terribly. My friends still contact me regularly and I am considering pursuing a masters at neighboring Sussex Uni.

If you've been working towards a study abroad and you want to go to and English speaking country. Brighton is the place for you. Of all the places I could have gone in the UK, I wouldn't change my experience if someone paid me! It was the best experience of my life.

Go abroad. Go. To. Brighton.

I was in Brighton from September to December in 2010. Those three months during the Fall were without a doubt the most memorable of my entire college experience. I met the most amazing people, including many that I still visit and talk with frequently. Mary and Zoe, the program coordinators, are beyond words. Anything I could say about them would only be selling them short. They're that great.
Brighton is a lovely city with fantastic nightlife, a young demographic and is a mere 60 minute train ride from London. There's great shopping, decent food and the city's bus system makes getting around a breeze. From the on-campus housing (we stayed at Falmer), to the University's various locations, grocery stores, Churchill Square, Brighton Beach, the bars, you can (and will) get to it all via bus. And it couldn't be any easier.

The on-campus housing is more than adequate. You're likely to have your own room with your own bathroom and share a living/kitchen space with others on the program. They're not 5-star accommodations but if you're spending a lot of time in your room, you're surely missing out on everything the University, the city and the country have to offer.
The classes were not overly difficult, though they're facilitated differently than you're probably used to coming from the US and adjusting to that may well be your biggest challenge. All of the faculty I encountered, however, were top notch. I found them to be incredibly engaging, helpful and generous. This could, naturally, vary from class to class and instructor to instructor but I don't have a negative thing to say.

The bottom line: GO ON THIS PROGRAM! Like the title says, I left after three months with only one regret: that I couldn't stay longer.

I was initially worried that choosing to study in Brighton (as opposed to London,) would be a mistake, but I wouldn't change it for the world! Brighton is a young, ALIVE city. The University is a 15-20 minute bus ride on the 25 away, but seriously, we grew to love those buses so much. The classes are simple, but they have pretty long papers at the end of the semester.

Housing was great. I was in a flat with 7 other USAC students from all over. Everyone had their own bathroom, which was really nice! Grocery shopping was a challenge because of the bus, but the 25 stops right in front of it. Easy!

It was difficult to get to know local students, but it can be done, especially if you're interested in drinking every night. Literally. I was not, but I had an amazing time with the other USAC students.

The fields trips that you can choose to go on are WONDERFUL. Seriously, sign up for all of them. They give you something to look forward to when Brighton gets a little old. The trips to Paris and Bath were especially amazing. It's so worth it!

Getting to London on your own is also really easy from Brighton.