English BA student claims £500 Student Experience Survey jackpot as PTES 2019 gets underway

UCL’s Student Experience Survey (SES) ran from 1 March until 10 April, with students in the penultimate year of their undergraduate degree providing feedback on UCL and its support services, as well as their programme. 

Over a thousand students completed the online survey, which provides academic departments and support services with vital feedback on what works well and what can be improved. This year’s survey saw a 20% response rate, matching what we saw in 2018. Students who took part in this year’s survey were automatically entered into a prize draw, with a grand prize of £500 in cash. 

This year’s jackpot winner is Max Bogotyrow, who is studying an English BA. Max recalls he “didn’t expect to win” the cash prize, after learning about the survey through a promotional email. However, he was intrigued by the prospect of the runners-up prize of “ten £50 restaurant vouchers – so thought why not?”

He took ten minutes out from his studies to complete the online survey, and was very surprised when he received an email a few weeks later, notifying him that he’d won the £500 cash prize. 

Arriving to collect his prize, he admits “I thought it was a scam, until I saw the UCL email address! Then I remembered I did actually do the survey.”   

He also reveals that he plans to put the prize money towards a new laptop, to help him with his side-line in “writing for music magazines, mainly reviews”. The new laptop will also help Max’s ambition to move deeper into “the production side” of electronic music.

The Student Experience Survey

The SES allows UCL students to have their say and influence their programme before they graduate.  

The results across UCL for 2019 were encouraging, with overall satisfaction rising to 79% from 75% in 2018. There were also improved UCL-wide satisfaction scores for teaching, academic support and learning resources.  

Departmental reports for SES 2019 will be available in late June.

Postgraduate students can win £500 now with PTES 2019

Students on Master’s, PGCert, PGDip and PGCE programmes now have their chance to win a £500 cash jackpot with the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), which is running at UCL until 7 June.

You can find the survey here.

All students who complete the PTES will be entered into a draw for the cash prize, with 250 other students winning a £10 Amazon voucher.

Thomas McMahon