News from the ISCRead the latest news stories from the International Study Centre at the University of Sussex: Scholarship competition winner announced
 Monday 30 June 2008: An exciting new Annual Award Scheme in Nigeria and Ghana offered a scholarship to the winning entry of a national essay competition. Congratulations to the winner, Amaka Okoye of Emmy Norberton International Secondary School, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She was presented with her scholarship at a televised award ceremony: a 50% tuition fee reduction on the one-year Foundation Year at the International Study Centre and £2,500 fee reduction, per year, for the duration of her undergraduate degree at the University of Sussex. She submitted her entry through Unlimited Knowledge Admissions Services (UKAS). Amaka will study the Law & Social Studies route in her foundation year, and progress to a Law degree.
New for 2008: Pre-Masters programme
 Monday 19 May 2008: The ISC is offering a new opportunity for international and EU students: a preparation course for postgraduate degree study at Sussex. Our Pre-Masters programme provides an assured path to a taught Masters degree - giving you everything you need to succeed, from improving your English to learning key academic skills. The programme leads to: A Sussex Masters degree will provide you with the qualifications, experience and confidence you need to further your career. The management and finance programmes are directly related to the real world of business and a Sussex Masters degree is highly respected by employers. Sussex has over 3,000 postgraduate students from around the world. If you'd like to join them, read more about our Pre-Masters Programme.
ISC Awards Ceremony (for academic year 2006-7)
 Thursday 27 November 2007: ISC staff and students gathered at the first annual ISC Awards ceremony to celebrate the hard work and great achievements of the first year of ISC students. ISC Academic Development Director John Davies spoke of the wonderful achievements of those present. He said that it is easy to overlook that students are studying at a high academic level, often in their second, third or even fourth language. Mr Davies paid tribute to the ISC and University staff who helped students achieve their goals: "moments like this remind us of why we do it in the first place". The evening was also a celebration of the successful partnership between the University of Sussex and Study Group. ACADEMIC AWARDS:Achievement awards were given to the students who had shown great academic ability and achievement. Best in Business & Management: Nie Minjie (see photo, bottom left) and Oldemiro Sequesseque (top left) SPECIAL AWARDS:
Centre Head Paul Lovegrove then presented the special awards: The first to May Azaam, who changed her programme after the first term, had to work very hard to successfully complete the course and is "an excellent example of determination". Most improved student: May Azaam The final award was in recognition of the student who had made an outstanding contribution to the ISC over the last 12 months. Mr Lovegrove said the overall winner, Souroush Ahmadi, had "successfully completed the Business Programme with some of the highest overall grades across all subject areas" and who was "one of the most liked and respected students by all staff and students alike, extremely well mannered, able, and with an excellent future ahead of him". Best ISC student: Souroush Ahmadi (top middle) The evening concluded with each student receiving their Foundation Year certificate, a reception in the Mantell Building and a disco to celebrate the end of exams. Well done everybody.
Sussex welcome a second year of foundation students
 Monday 24 September 2007: After the great success of the first foundation year students, the ISC welcomed a new student cohort to the campus at the beginning of the second year of the Centre's operation. The new arrivals, from 15 countries, gathered at the John Maynard Smith Building to register and were given an official welcome by the Centre Head, Paul Lovegrove. The new students were then introduced to ISC staff, which included four new teachers, and were given presentations by the ISC Link Tutors who each gave an introduction to the degree programmes and departments that the students will be able to join in 2009 upon completion of their Foundation Year course. This was the first day on campus for many of the students and an exciting beginning to their academic careers at Sussex.
Foundation students accepted onto their degrees
 August 2007: We're very pleased to announce that ISC student results have lead to fantastic degree acceptance rates. 75% of students who joined the ISC are studying for their degree at Sussex - and 90% of students who successfully completed the Foundation Year are now studying at degree level. Students have progressed onto a wide range of degree subjects and are now studying on 21 different programmes. As well as Economics, Management and Engineering, students have also started degrees in International Relations, Automotive Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Design, Satellite and Communications, Law and Sociology. We'd like to congratulate our first group of graduating students on their successful progress to a degree programme and wish them every success during their first undergraduate year at Sussex. Read a testimonial from an ISC student who has started their University degree.
Great exam results for foundation students   Monday 23 July 2007: The results of the final exams of the first cohort of students to complete the International Foundation Year have come through. We are pleased to announce that we expect up to 90% of students to be accepted onto their chosen degree course at the University of Sussex. Exact places are not yet confirmed but we'd like to say well done (祝贺, 祝賀, お祝い, поздравление, تهنئها, felicitaciones and tebrikler!) to everyone who completed the course and we wish them all the best of luck in their future studies. Paul Lovegrove, Head of the University of Sussex ISC, commented "I am delighted with the excellent achievement of our first foundation course students. They have worked hard and thoroughly deserve their places at the University of Sussex. Thanks also go to our staff, whose effort and care have enabled this first year to be such a success." This website will follow foundation year students through their next three years of study at the University on undergraduate degree programmes.
Celebration at end of year party  Wednesday 13 June 2007: Students and staff from the International Study Centre got together this evening to celebrate the end of the academic year. Most students had sat their last exams on the Foundation Year only that morning. The celebration was helped along by a raffle with prizes donated from all over campus, a disco and refreshments. Everyone took the opportunity of taking photos of their teachers and friends. The end of the summer term marks the first International Foundation Year cohort to complete their studies. Thoughts are now turning to the summer break and, of course, exam results and that all important place on a University of Sussex degree programme. The party was held at the Falmer Sports Complex bar on the University of Sussex campus.
Business & Management ranked 20th in UK  Monday 7 May 2007: Business and Management Studies at the Univeristy of Sussex has been ranked 20th in the UK according to the latest league tables. The results of The Guardian University Guide 2008 were published last week. This is the first time that Sussex's undergraduate Business and Management Studies has been scored by The Guardian and it has gone straight to this high position. The International Foundation Year prepares students for the Business & Management Studies BSc - an undergraduate programme in the school of Science and Technology Policy Research. The school scored a 5 (highest is 5*) in the UK’s research assessment exercise. The undergraduate programme was developed from the highly rated postgraduate programmes in the research school. Students can choose from 3 pathways within the degree: Global Economy; Development Studies; or Contemporary European Studies. The programme is associated with the Centre for Global Political Economy and the Institute for Development Studies. Both are world leaders in their field.
ISC student speaks at University conference  Tuesday 17 April 2007: Iranian student Souroush Ahmadi, 28, spoke to delegates at a multi-university conference about his experiences at the ISC. Souroush talked about his initial impressions of coming to Sussex, and how he is enjoying the course and University, before sitting on a panel of ISC and University of Sussex staff to take questions from the audience. Souroush commented on the warm welcome he got from staff when he arrived. About his fellow classmates he said "There is a healthy competition between the students at the ISC, but all nationalities get together between classes to chat". It is clear that Souroush has integrated well into University life - he lives in a campus residence with five undergraduates from South London, and makes good use of Sussex sporting facilities. Souroush is doing very well on the Business and Management Foundation Year and explained "support from the tutors and access to the great campus facilities have helped me to be successful and made my studies very interesting. I have had to work hard but the foundation year is a very good thing for me". Souroush decided to get a degree in England in order to improve his career opportunities when he returns to his job in Iran. Staff from four UK universities greatly appreciated hearing a student's view of life at the International Study Centre and wished Souroush all the best for the future.
A break from study: the ISC bowling trip  Sunday 4 March 2007: The pouring rain did not deter a group of intrepid ISC students from heading out to Brighton Marina to enjoy an afternoon's bowling at 'Bowplex'. Law, engineering and business students from China, Iran, Nigeria, Jordan, Libya and Kazakhstan made up the teams. As battle commenced, some of us used deft skill to topple the pins to hit a strike whilst others (Rami) relied on brute strength to hurtle the ball down the lane. As the day (and games) wore on, one or two players were seduced by the other attractions Bowplex has to offer, such as live football on huge screens and high-tech video games, but the serious bowlers saw it through to the end. The MVPs of the day were undoubtedly Karim who scored 259 points in two games (sources have it that he is only here for the bowling) and Alexandra (aged 6) who scored "a lot". Game over, it was time to get something to eat at one of the Marina's fastfood restaurants. Kath Gilmore, the ISC tutor who organised the trip says, "Thanks for coming, everyone. Let's do it again sometime!" Find out more about the entertainment and leisure activites on offer at Brighton Marina.
Students experience a real University lecture  Thursday 1 February 2007: Business and Management Foundation Year students enjoyed a real University seminar/lecture experience with Dr David Twigg, convenor of Management Studies for the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit at the University. The event was held in the Arundel Building on campus, away from the ISC’s usual teaching rooms. The one-hour lecture introduced the subject of Operational Management, as taught to first year undergraduate students. ISC student Menny Abdallahi, 19, from Mauritania, attended. He says: “The lecture that Dr David Twigg gave was about Operation Systems. It was really interesting. I learnt about the way that they teach in the university and I liked it. I am looking forward to starting University next year.” Paul Lovegrove, the ISC Programme Manager explains “We wanted to give our students a flavour of what a lecture at the University of Sussex is like. It was a great success."
Sussex voted "best place to be" by international students  Friday 26 January 2007: More than 800 international students at Sussex responded to an independent survey last autumn in which Sussex was voted "Best place to be" out of 40 leading UK universities. The findings come from the International Student Barmoter (ISB), conducted by i-Graduate. The factors contributing to the "Best place to be" rating include especially positive feedback on the friendliness of the University generally, its location and the facilities on campus. Other findings which confirm the high quality of the education and living experience offered to international students include: - quality of academic teaching and course content rated highly For more information about the survey read the full article in the University of Sussex Bulletin.
More students join the Foundation Year  Monday 8 January 2007: A second intake of students have just arrived at the University of Sussex to begin the International Foundation Year. These new students will study exactly the same three-term programme as September-entry students, but will finish in August instead of June. In October 2007, provided they have achieved the grades they need, they will join the first intake of Foundation Year students in progressing to their chosen degrees at Sussex. On the first day of the University spring term, the new students were inducted into the on-campus International Study Centre and welcomed by the staff and existing students. They can now start to prepare for a University degree and enjoy living and studying in England. What an exciting way to start 2007!
Foundation Year going strong  Thursday 30 November 2006: Approaching the end of the first term of the International Foundation Year, the course is going strong and ISC students are settled into familiar timetables. In fact, students are now focusing on their end of module exams. They are revising hard and extra support is available to help them prepare. The exam results go towards their final mark for the foundation year. The students are also thinking about which degree course they want to study next year. In preparation for their decision, representatives from different subject areas and departments of the University have visited the ISC to give advice and information. After exams, the Christmas break begins. Some students will stay on campus and experience Christmas in England. Others will go back to their home countries and families. All will hopefully return refreshed and ready for the start of their second term in January.
Official opening of the ISC  Thursday 28 September 2006: The University of Sussex International Study Centre officially opens. The occasion was celebrated with an opening ceremony, speeches and an international student party. The University of Sussex has invited Study Group - a world leader in education and training for international students - to collaborate with it on the development an on-campus International Study Centre (ISC). This ISC will offer international students specialist preparation for degree studies at the University. Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Sussex, Professor Paul Layzell said, "It's here, it's live, and we already have some great students on the programme - so thanks to staff at Study Group and Sussex for making this strategically important project happen." Study Group's Strategic Development Director, Nick Rhodes, addressed the students in attendance directly when he added, "We understand how difficult it is to choose the right university. Let me confirm - you have made the right choice. Sussex is a superb university and a wonderful place to study."
First intake of the Foundation Year  Monday 25 September 2006 was the start of the first International Foundation Year to run at the University of Sussex International Study Centre. Students from all over the world started their studies with the aim to progress onto a University of Sussex undergraduate degree. Students from 19 countries including Angola, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar and Vietnam are enrolled at the ISC. Serdar Gokcenay, a Turkish student on the foundation year says "I want to work in International Relations eventually and I want to improve my English. This course will make my degree easier because I will be much better prepared." Read more about international students' experiences at the ISC. New foundation subject routes  Two new subject routes are being offered to students starting the International Foundation Year from September 2007: Life Sciences and Media Studies. These new routes take the total number of Foundation Year subject choices to five, meaning that there is now an even wider range of degrees at the University of Sussex that ISC students can progress on to. The ISC Academic Development Director, John Davies, says "If you are interested in a wide range of exciting, science-related careers then the Life Sciences Foundation is for you. Sussex has a pleasing blend of the traditional with the modern as far as first degree courses are concerned. Environmental Science, for example, is one of the fastest growing courses on campus. The Media Studies Foundation offers as its two main courses Sociology, with opportunities to learn more about British society, and Media Studies itself, where studies of news media, advertising, film and TV drama culminate in the making of your own short film. Learn the theory and then put it into practice straight away!" |