Chloe Atkinson in facepaint - all ready for Derby Day 

Final year BA Drama and Literature student Chloe Atkinson talks about how she came to Essex.

How did you choose Essex?

After getting in to my first choice uni and attending there for a year I decided that particular uni wasn't for me, however I still wanted to finish my degree. Essex was my insurance choice when I had done UCAS a year earlier so therefore naturally I got in touch with them first, but of course I was off the UCAS system by that point.

I was incredibly worried and doubtful, thinking an email to Essex probably wouldn't actually do much and it was too late to change my choice after a full year. But I was delighted when they replied saying they could help me after all; my course had a couple of spaces, and if my application was accepted along with my first year grades from my previous uni, I wouldn't even have to repeat my first year!

A short number of days later it was done - I was an Essex student. They helped me re-do my entire UCAS application and made the whole process far less painful than I imagined. I've just finished my second year at Essex having been elected to the executive on one of the biggest societies on campus, as well as First Class marks and my name on the Dean's List for Excellence, so I think it's fair to say I made the right choice!

What are the best things for you about choosing Essex?

One of my highlights at Essex was definitely the Derby Day against University of East Anglia students, as seen by my photo! We hosted this year and despite being marginally defeated there was such an amazing team spirit and atmosphere on campus from both sides. It was odd being on the other side though, UEA is the uni I transferred from!

Another big highlight is probably seeing one of my favourite plays which I'd directed on the Lakeside Studio stage being a near sell-out (at the peak of exam season too, which is quite hard to do!) I'd never directed before and never thought people would be paying to watch my work, but I received overwhelmingly positive feedback and it was a brilliant experience.

• Applying to the University of Essex through Clearing