Media training week - laughter, lessons and… Laser Quest?!

As I have mentioned before in this blog, I'm Deputy Editor for the Wessex Scene, the University of Southampton’s student magazine and online newspaper. It’s a great role, and I am very pleased that I built up the courage to run for it in the elections in May this year. I was Lifestyle Editor beforehand, so had a fair bit of experience – but was definitely ready to try something new.

Out new Editorial team are an enthusiastic and friendly bunch who all have a real desire to make the Wessex Scene bigger and better than ever this year, which is fantastic. Every year, the Students' Union (SUSU) media teams move back to university early to take part in media training, which provides us all with skills that will help us carry out our roles efficiently, as well as letting us bond as a group. After all, we’ll be working with each other all year – we need to get along!

This year, our VP Communications David Gilani decided that all areas of SUSU media – the Wessex Scene, The Edge, SUSUtv, and Surge, should all get together and take part in a huge SUSU media training week, in a bid to branch out, get to know everyone, and begin to think about collaborations. This went down very well, with everyone eager to meet new people and find out more about areas that they weren't involved in. Much to my delight, being a huge fan of organisation, a timetable had been created with activities all week long. So here’s what we got up to!

Most of the Wessex Scene Editorial team having a meeting in Winchester

Monday 17^th September:

Monday was the introductory day, where we met each other, talked about our goals for the year, and discussed collaborative events for the next few months – for example, our work towards Elections 2013 which will involve all of the media teams. The Wessex Scene then headed to The Stag’s to catch up with each other after the long summer break, where we then decided to go to Jester’s for the first social of the year that evening!

Tuesday 18^th September:

Tuesday mainly involved being introduced to the areas of SUSU with which we would be working closely – we were told about staff who would be able to make goals a reality, and discussed how we would work best with the University, especially the University’s Communications team. We then went on to play a cheeky game of Hide and Seek (you’re never too old!) before meeting up with the Soton Tab for a chat in the pub, in order to get to know them better and to meet a few new people, which went down well with everyone.

Wednesday 19^th September:

Wednesday saw the Wessex Scene editorial team visit Winchester, the home of our Winchester section editor and one of our imagery editors.  We’re also continually building a team on the WSA campus, who write and create images for the magazine and online. This year we’re really hoping to visit even more! After having some swish editorial photos taken for the magazine, we visited King Arthur’s Round Table and admired the beautiful city, before having a picnic in the Cathedral grounds. We then went for a drink at one of Winchester’s many eccentric pubs.  Later in the day we treated ourselves to a team meal in the evening as a reward for our hard work over the summer and in anticipation of the brilliant year ahead. This allowed us to bond, but also for many of the team to see the other campus, since many had never been before. Plus, there’s always the added bonus of eating good food that isn’t plain pasta with salad cream (something that I have thankfully avoided so far this year).

Amy, Emma, David, Charlotte and Sam getting a quick history lesson!

Winchester Cathedral against an ominously grey backdrop!

Thursday 20^th September:

On Thursday, our Editor Ellie Sellwood held a seminar on constructive criticism, a skill that all of our editors, station managers and other team members need in order to do their job properly! We then split into our specific areas to work on what matters the most – though many of us headed to SUSU’s newly refurbished Bridge bar to celebrate Ellie’s 21^st birthday. Our Head of Design, Bronwen, then talked us through the basics of InDesign, which is used to create our magazine and is what makes it look stunning. After this, the media team headed off for a few games of Laser Quest! How else do you bond with your editorial group?! As someone who had never before been to Laser Quest, I can safely say it was fantastic, and a lot of fun – but it seems that I should not play shooting games, since it tends to make me very angry and competitive! Thankfully though, my team won both games…

The Wessex Scene editors get ready to do battle against other members of SUSU media at Laser Quest – we did work very hard, honest!

Friday 21^st September:

Our final training day kicked off with three hours of team building. Everyone found out what kind of team member they were after completing a very accurate quiz (I was an ‘Implementor’ and a ‘Completer Finisher’, meaning that I am organised, practical, perfectionist, hard-working and consistent – all very true!). We then went on to work in our respective publications or committees to devise a novel team-building exercise for the other groups, which itself proved to be a challenge and a real test of our creative skills. The Edge were asked to travel across the room using three sheets of paper as stepping stones; Surge had to complete a SUSU puzzle created by The Edge; SUSUtv were asked by us to take part in a competitive game of Pictionary involving pigs and play-doh, and our team had to create a tall free-standing structure with half of the teams hands tied and the other half blindfolded. Needless to say, as I was blindfolded, I didn’t succeed, and my structure of play-doh and rulers ended up on the floor time and time again! We then each held our first committee meetings, and discussed the first issue which had come back from the printers that day, before going out to the first night at the Cube to celebrate the end of training week as well as Ellie’s 21^st and her friend Tom’s 23^rd birthday.

The Edge navigate their way through their team building exercise, thanks to Surge!

One of our many serious meetings

So there you have it! An insight into our SUSU media training week. Though we have had a lot of fun and have bonded over many activities, the last few weeks have been a lot of hard work and very exhausting.

The Wessex Scene’s first issue of the year is out on campus now, and will be around for the first two weeks of Freshers’ – so don’t forget to pick up a copy and find the team for a chat. You’ve seen how much fun being part of the Media team can be, now get involved!

Joanne

Landing: Take two

After a frantic week of play rehearsals, socialising, sorting out contracts for my new student house and severe withdrawal symptoms from the Internet (such as  going to bed on time), I can happily say that it’s great to be back!

Arriving last Sunday to be greeted by a near-empty house, with only two other of my six housemates having moved in, my parents and I soon set about adding to its homeliness, carrying in and packing away a full carload of stuff – a challenge heightened by my new room’s location at the top of a three-storey house!

Home sweet home for the next year, and maybe beyond!

Once everything had been put in its preliminary place, and the wardrobe was full to bursting with jeans, shirts and fancy dress, there was just about enough time for a pre-closing time trolley dash through the local supermarket to stock up on the essentials – and, as my parents offered to buy, some of the not-so-essentials too! Soon enough, though, I was once again waving them goodbye, and all the responsibilities of self-maintenance fell on my shoulders. Doing so made me reminisce about the same event this time last year, but as I wrote last time, an incredible amount has changed since then, reminding me just how fortunate I am to be leading such a rich double life, with friends, homes and memories both North and South.

And so, with complete independence reclaimed, and no degree to focus on for the next fortnight, I opted to make the most of the situation… and promptly went straight to bed! Well, it is a long journey!

However, I was up the next morning to begin daily rehearsals for Great Expectations, the next show I’m involved in with the Students’ Union Theatre Group. With performances in November (or as our director reminded us this morning: only seven weeks away!) and the adaptation we’ll perform fast-paced and dynamic (there are something like 50 scenes!), I feel confident in saying we’ve had a bright start to the rehearsal process as there’s already some brilliant characterisation and movement on display from everybody, a real credit to the directorial team.

 The classic drama play read-through – and the classic drama circle! 

Credit: @TG_GreatExpec

Furthermore, as with any show, we’ve spent a lot of time getting to know one another’s names and faces, both through playing games, and also being out and about.  This helps massively in bringing together a large variety of personalities and interests into a formidable team unit, and you do find over time that, when you’re lacking energy or motivation in such a lengthy process as rehearsing a play, you frequently rely on your fellow cast and crew members to pick you up again. Plus, it’s amazing how easy it is to relax around people you’ve only just met when you’ve been asked to stare directly into their eyes for two minutes whilst practising your ‘corpsing’ (the act of not breaking character) – it’s guaranteed to make you laugh, even though you know you shouldn’t!

And this is just the warm-up! 

Credit: @TG_GreatExpec

It really is astounding just how talented yet humble members of the cast, and the society as a whole, are, and acting alongside them inspires you to do your best to raise your performance. Indeed, not one to turn down a challenge, other members of the Group are also putting on Macbeth, not exactly an easy play, at the end of October, with only five or six weeks’ worth of rehearsal behind them. So be you a theatrical Shakespearean and Dickensian veteran or novice, it would mean a lot to us all if you could pop along and see the end result; both shows should, we hope, be spectacular.

As for the new house, despite some initial problems with a malfunctioning boiler (although luckily only one of the showers was affected), the place is starting to feel much more like home, particularly as rooms have slowly filled and dirty plates have mounted on the kitchen side. The only component we’re all majorly missing at the moment is the Internet; it’s being installed in early October, which somehow feels light years away! Luckily we’ve all been able to make use of the excellent Wi-Fi connectivity on campus and the numerous workstations in the library (or, in my case, the Zepler Building’s laboratories), ensuring none of us have been too out of touch with the rest of the world.  

Living with the same people as I did in halls last year is great in that we already know one another’s domestic habits (I’m a serial freezer stocker and occasional washing-up procrastinator), but we’ve also been lucky enough to add a couple of friendly other people to the mix to freshen things up. It’s going to be great to get to know them better as we induct them into the lifestyle of late-night discussions in the lounge (for example, last year we had an excellent GCSE Biology revision session!) and frequent attempts to out-do one another in the dancing stakes. The previous tenants’ decision to leave behind a complete set of Monopoly in our lounge area can only be considered a huge bonus!

So things have picked up just as I remember they left off: busy. If the year promises to be anywhere near as packed and enjoyable as this previous week has been, then I can’t wait for it to fully kick off!

Robin 

University Open Days – September 2012

Reiterating what I wrote in my last post, the summer this year has been one of the most lacklustre summers I have ever had mixed with dissertation fever, unpredictable weather, lot of sports action (only caught on the idiot box…sulking….of course) and days of uncertainties when literally nothing progressed as far as the masters project is concerned and one was left wondering if the deadline for the dissertation would ever be met or not. As September commenced and the due date for submission of dissertation drew near, these feelings of apprehension had taken a full circle and I realised that the days of agony were numbered and very soon I would be liberated from this vicious circle of experiments, tests, analysis and proof-reading my thesis.

I needed a break desperately from this bizarre routine and it came in the form of University Open Days. Some students of the University received a mail asking if we wanted to work as student ambassadors during the University Open Days. For me, it was nothing but a boon as I was looking forward to a change from monotony and moreover, it was time to do something for my alma mater.

The University Open Days were conducted over two days on 4 and 5 September. There was an anticipated turnout of around 10,000 people every day and the event was totally packed, to say the least. It was really awesome to meet the prospective students, excited and apprehensive at the same time, looking forward to a fulfilling three years ahead.

We were aptly briefed about our specific roles during the event by the Outreach and Admissions team. A vote of thanks was also given by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) for our enthusiasm and support. There were a number of roles assigned to the Student ambassadors like campus tours, tours of halls of residence, Welcome and reception desks at various points in the campus, Student’s Union, transport co-ordination, accommodation talks and various subject talks. I was assigned the role of student helper during Fees and Finance talks and also at the Welcome desk.

The day began with students queuing up at the welcome desk as we distributed leaflets and brochures. Soon, the hall was swarming with students and parents and we needed to guide them to the respective venues. The massive turnout was testament to the wide reach and popularity of the University amongst the students. The students were quite quizzical and more often than not, they wanted a chat with the student ambassadors to get a personal view or a first-hand experience of their time at the University.

The event was well planned and structured with gaps between important talks to enable the students and their parents to attend them. There was an impressive show of technology as most of the talks were recorded and posted on YouTube for the students in case they missed them. The details of the events were on all popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and the event was well covered. Kudos to the digital communications team for their splendid efforts! The newly launched blog site was also well publicised. I would not like to sound modest here – it gave me a sense of immense pride as I handed out leaflets to the students about the Life at Southampton blog and mentioned that four fantastic students had been selected to narrate their university experiences and I was one amongst them.

My specific role during the event was to help the Outreach Officer for Fees and Finance talks. The particular talk was quite popular among the students and their parents as the increased fees for undergraduate courses in England are a burning topic. Such was the popularity of this talk that the lecture theatre got packed to its capacity 15-20 minutes before the talk commenced. We had to turn down some students and it felt awful – but the talk was posted on the University’s YouTube channel so no one missed out.

The Fees and Finance talks team

At the end of the event, one could judge the popularity of the University by the sheer number of guests who had come from all over England, Wales and even Scotland to attend the open days. I remember that whilst handing over a leaflet which mentioned “Five Reasons to join the University”, one of the parents asked me if I knew all five myself. Well, my answer was that I could suggest at least ten reasons why one should join the University.

I feel really proud and privileged to be a part of this great institution and hope the future students would also share my views. I hope the fantastic Open Days did make some difference to the prospective students and helped them make the correct decision. A right step in the present paves the way for a bright future!

Rohit

Prague and Vienna

Currently I am in Prague and it is STUNNING. I have absolutely 100% fallen in love with this city and its mesmerising skyline. This got me thinking about beauty, and the ability it has to transform. A few days ago I was in Vienna, a great city, but I was so tired from weeks of poor sleep and it was raining and I felt ugly and tired and just wanted a bloody cup of English tea. However, on our tireless mission to try and see everything we did not stop that day and walked until we found an art gallery. This art gallery was hidden away from our ignorant eyes and this coupled with us continuously getting lost when we finally found it, it felt like we'd found Vienna's hidden gem. Tucked away behind parks and universities was lurking a beautiful and grand palace, the type which you'd think a capital city couldn't hide so scrupulously. I looked out at the grounds and the view already made me feel more at peace. We chose this gallery because we wanted to see the exhibition 'Gustav Klimt - NOW OR NEVER', which housed the largest collection of Klimt's work in the word. It was to celebrate his 150th Birthday and his life long affinity with Vienna.

Honestly I was amazed, the beauty of it all made me feel very small. The Kiss is such an iconic piece and so to see it, in all its massive glory, just hanging there felt very surreal. Walking round quiet galleries really does give me a type of happiness which is unrivalled, to just be able to sit there and stare at a painting you have known all your life, a painting which you have a print of in your house, a painting which you always liked but never imagined would be so impressive in the flesh was very refreshing, it made me forget all my tiredness. His use of opulent gold coupled with the half finished pencil sketches created a sort of beauty i was not used to. The serenity of the faces of the women he painted gave me serenity also; it had medicinal effects.

Vienna was stunning, and Prague has been a massive whirlwind - we bumped into people we knew from home and had a very surreal moment screaming in a market. Getting my tragus pierced in a crazy back alley was probably a high- and low light, if I have nothing else to remember this trip by except a piece of metal in my ear it'll be worth it. Tomorrow morning we move on to Berlin and I am so excited; last year I did an ERASMUS placement in Barcelona and one of my great friends from there is joining us for the last leg of our trip. However, reality is dawning and my beautiful beautiful trip is coming to an end. I have been incredibly lucky to go away with the best people and have gotten to know and love them so much more. My estimations of Europe have also increased enormously, such variety and friendliness lurks in our continent that I KNOW that I will be back to explore more. This trip has been unlike any of my others, I have fallen in love, and loathed, trains in equal weight, I have seen what has been hidden in my own continent and I have become more aware of the wide and extensive histories all of these countries have. Interrailing has been great for me, it has been (for the most part) a stress free way to travel and I would recommend it to everyone, for I now know it is healthy to see as much as possible of the land you are part of.


Florence

“On Yer Bike!”

Cycling is one of the only sports that really feature in our household. My dad is a keen cyclist – he rides to work when he can and if he has the time will go out for a couple of hours at least once a week. As I mentioned in my Olympic Games blog post back in August, the Tour de France is one of the only annual sporting events that we watch; and this fondness for cycling has rubbed off on me.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am no Bradley Wiggins. Since being at university I have barely ridden my bike (though cycling around campus and through the city is a favourite with many students here). I haven’t had time – normally in the holidays I’m too busy or the weather isn’t good enough. However, once a year my Dad and I make a point of taking part in a local bike ride.

The Ride and Stride is an event run by the Friends of Kent Churches as a way of getting members of the public to walk, cycle or even horse-ride their way around the churches of Kent to raise money and awareness. It started in 1982 in Suffolk and now over 30 counties take part.

I started riding with my Dad and my sister on the bike ride as soon as I was old enough to be deemed safe on the roads (with a helmet, of course!) and despite one or two years where I may have missed out, I have been visiting churches with my Dad every year since. Although it is a sponsored event (which is of course a highly important part of the whole thing) I mostly see it as an excuse to go on a bike ride. My family have been involved with the church over the years, and it was a big part of my childhood; but now that my participation in the church has dwindled, taking part in the Ride and Stride is much more of a tradition for us.

My dad, my sister Katie and me (in the middle) on one of our many bike rides – September 2002, aged 11

This year, I was more nervous than usual. Ordinarily, I try and get a little practice in before I attempt to ride my bike for a whole day – last year I rode around a few places in Scotland while we were on holiday, which eased me in and I managed a 21-mile trip when the bike ride came around. This summer, however, I had no time to get on my bike. I could tell already it was going to be a real test of my fitness levels, especially since I had not been for a run since June!

The morning was beautiful – hot, sunny, and no wind at all. The temperature did prove to be a problem, since I was so unfit, and I did overheat once or twice – but this was better than last year, when Dad and I got drenched in a heavy rainfall.

Since I was moving into my new flat the next day (a subject for a later blog, no doubt), and still had a considerable amount of packing to do, we didn’t want to be out too late. Dad decided that we would improvise on the way, heading to a number of local churches and visiting Nannie on the way so that I could say goodbye to her before returning to University. We set off from our local church, St Peter & St Paul in Teston, and headed down to our local riverside Country Park – a different route to last year.

Me and Dad at St Peter & St Paul, Teston, ready to start the ride.

Riding along the river bank was scenic and very pretty in the late morning sunshine, and was much nicer than riding down the very busy main road. We visited two churches in Barming before heading into town, then taking a random route towards our next destination. My Dad enjoys finding new routes, and before we knew it we were riding along a tiny ‘pathway’, with nettles, branches and brambles tugging at our skin and cycling gear. It got a little hairy, but was much more fun than taking the dull road route – and eventually, after a couple more churches, we ended up at Aylesford.

My dad outside Aylesford church, also called St Peter & St Pauls.

This was particularly significant, since it was my parents' 28th wedding anniversary that day, and that was the church in which they were married. The best part was that we had turned up at the church at the same time as they would have been saying their vows 28 years ago – and I could tell this meant a lot to Dad. We then went on to have lunch at Aylesford Priory, somewhere that I had never been before, which looked lovely in the sunshine.

A lovely place to enjoy a packed lunch and an ice cream!

After popping into the church where Katie and I were christened and visiting Nannie for a well-earned glass of squash and a natter, we went to our final church in East Malling, another significant place for our family, before climbing the steep hill that would take us home. At this point, I had to give up, and pushed my bike up through the fields. The hot weather and weak muscles had gotten the best of me, despite my best efforts. Dad estimated we had ridden around 15 miles though, which is still pretty good for me – and by muscles certainly felt it the next day!

Our route for the day, expertly mapped out with the help of Google Maps and Paint!

It was a great way to end my summer at home, and was so much fun too. Though, like I said, I do not cycle here in Southampton, so many other students do – it’s fun, keeps you fit, and makes places easier to get to, sometimes halving the journey time! If you’re starting University in the next week, a bike is always an alternative – just make sure you get kitted out with a D-lock, to stop your mode of transport from being at risk of theft! And, most importantly, make sure you ride safely.

Joanne

The people at University

I write this the day after turning 20 years old – a teenager no more! Evidently, the Peter Pan-esque lifestyle I’ve been practising has had little effect...

And so today I find myself packing up clothes, pots, pans, pens, paper, DVDs, fancy dress, books and, most importantly as a Computer Scientist, my electronics! Doing so has taken me back to roughly this time a year ago, when I was nervously consulting an equipment checklist in sheer desperation that I wouldn’t forget anything important. Much has changed since then, and yet I still approach the new year in nervous anticipation of another adventure in Southampton.

But the major difference I’ve noticed, as I’ve been preparing, lies in having the comfort of having established some ground there already, particularly in terms of knowing people. Before I moved down to Southampton last September, there was one thing that terrified me more than all other obstacles I anticipated facing there, and that was the prospect of having to completely reinvent my social circles.

I’m perfectly happy to admit that I was an introvert at school, and even now, I still appreciate the odd day spending time by myself, whether it’s pausing to reflect on the week’s events or simply catching up on some TV. Up North I have plenty of close friends, most of whom I met at the beginning of High School, but my preference during school terms to stay in and work the vast majority of weeks did mean that I tended to rely on the strength of these relationships rather than actively seeking to make new ones.

Thus, the idea of having all of my links suspended in one fell swoop, in my case by a two-hundred-and-fifty mile journey, was absolutely terrifying to me. Despite many people repeating to me that “you’ll have the time of your life” and “your friendships will just... happen!” before I set off, I didn’t find these words hugely comforting at the time.

But they were right. As I grew to appreciate in a first year packed with successes, but more importantly mistakes, Uni is a learning experience in all senses of the phrase. You learn unquantifiable amounts about yourself, about everyday domestic tasks, about the real world, and, particularly, about other people. And one thing I soon discovered was that it really is the experiences and times you share with one another that form the foundation of your friendships.

The most salient example I can think of is that of my flatmates. I was lucky enough to be placed with a group of guys who, despite coming from diverse backgrounds and areas of the country, each clicked into a ‘role’ in the flat very quickly. We each contributed something different to the group, be it brand of humour, opinions on matters or just advice on cooking (guys: make friends with the girls, they help a lot with this!). As we initially struggled together to figure out exactly what to do every day, these roles were cemented, and after six weeks I can recall feeling like I’d known my flatmates for months.

Looking back on those first few weeks, they seemed like a bit of a struggle at the start, but as everyone relaxed and got used to one another, they were pivotal in letting all our characters come to the fore; a classic example of how, in my opinion, time really is the most crucial factor in settling down.

The Jumpstart programme run by ECS (Electronics and Computer Science) exemplified a similar idea, as we were divided into our tutor groups, each tasked with devising a scheme to defend the city in the (unlikely) scenario of a zombie apocalypse. Although hardly foolproof (we settled on converting a pub to quench the Undead’s alcoholic cravings), Group 29’s efforts got us working together and having a laugh within minutes of meeting. Oh, and a later pub quiz helped too – despite a complete absence of general knowledge on my, and most people’s, part!

But if things don’t quite click for you instantly, and there’s no reason why they necessarily should, I found that the connection-based nature of University meant I was meeting new people all year round. Whereas at school definite social divisions appeared very early on, the more relaxed and fluid nature of University mingling means that, even months into the year, there are opportunities to meet a friend of a friend, or just someone you bump into on the bus every day. So just by being polite and friendly (easier said than done on the way to a 9am lecture!) things can fall into place.

If you’re looking to expand your social horizons still further, my tip would be to attend the Bunfight in Freshers’ Week, pick up some flyers (or sign up to mailing lists), and then head along to introductory sessions. Being busy early on helped me hugely to stave off any feelings of homesickness – I didn’t have time to feel it!

Plus, not only will you meet people who you already share a mutual interest with, but you’ll soon see which societies you want to get involved in further, allowing you to take advantage of the superb opportunities they offer along the way. Being able to share these with like-minded people is empowering in forming your friendships, as I encountered time and again with Theatre Group and SUSUtv (the Students’ Union’s Television Station) events last year.

By the end of a hectic week of rehearsals and performances for the show ‘Unseen’, the name ‘Team Unseen’ had caught on!

But the most significant lesson I learned over the course of my Fresher year was that every person I met was unique. They all offered different senses of humour, different mannerisms, different ways of speaking and different personality traits, all borne from different backgrounds. Some came across as quite confident, others perhaps were more reserved, but ultimately, everyone let their personalities shine through and contributed something valuable just with their presence.

And whereas at first I, apprehensive, reverted to school-based conditioning and began to classify people, it was soon clear to me that such an approach just isn’t flexible enough to capture the complexities of the people at University. Meeting so many friendly and open people was a real eye-opener, so I needn’t have worried whether I would ‘fit in’ or not: there was a place for everybody.

I guess that, overall, I learned the value of going into the University social experience with both patience and with an open mind. The sheer variety of personalities you’ll mix with completely differentiates the experience from school, so you’re almost guaranteed to meet people on your wavelength. I’m looking forward to heading back to Southampton to catch up with great friends, and I’m eagerly anticipating the chance to make some new ones as well, but all in good time!

You could say that friendships just... happen!

Robin

Dissertation Blues

What a summer it has been! The whole nation has been gripped with a sport fever… be it the tragic loss of Murray on home turf in Wimbledon… or the much awaited and anticipated London Olympics 2012… or the splendid performance of Team GB in both Olympics and Paralympics and now the much deserved win of Murray in the US Open 2012. It was great to see that Robin and Jo did get an opportunity to see the action live and not only on the idiot box like some of us.

Going through the Facebook albums of some of my friends, I realise how lucky some of them were for having seen Federer play on the Centre Court at Wimbledon or for having watched a Man United game live. It would have been an exhilarating experience for sure! Well, I did play my part as their friend…and liked all their snaps and commented on a couple of them. Well, as for me… I realise what I did miss!

One might sense a tinge of envy and frustration in my words. It happens to you when all around, you find a sense of excitement and a common sentiment, whereas you are tied up with certain other important things in your life like the Masters Dissertation! For the postgraduate students, the whole of summer is devoted towards the mandatory Masters Dissertation… which counts towards a third of your degree classification.

Whilst the second semester exams were still underway, I could sense the anxiety in a few of my colleagues towards their dissertation as they discussed their plans and deadlines. As for me, I take life as it comes and one at a time. I was neck deep in my preparation for the exams and I hardly had time or inclination to divert my attention. Once the exams were over, I pampered myself with a European trip for two weeks to shed the stress accumulated over the duration of exams.

On my return, I realised that some of my very hardworking colleagues had begun their experiments and had a few sets of readings ready. We had our interim project presentation in two weeks and I set thinking about the milestones I had achieved in the project and the roadmap ahead. I remember being quite nervous before the presentation. I had chalked a plan for my project, had done my background research and set up some realistic goals and only hoped that the supervisors liked it. Well, they looked convinced and so did the scores of my presentation.

However, I realised that I needed to stick to my Gantt chart for the next three months in order to produce a good thesis. The project did begin with a bang but there were periods of lull when actually all I had to do was to wait for replies to my emails. The weather also played hide and seek the whole of summer. There were a couple of days of bright sunshine when you planned to have a barbecue with your friends and then suddenly, you find rain pouring in all its splendour.

I really wanted to go for the Wimbledon tournament and also watch at least one of the events at London 2012. But at the same time, I had a lot of work to do for my project and did not want to lose focus. However, I did catch all the action glued to the television… so as not to miss those magical moments… to watch the victorious Murray break down in tears during the prize ceremony at Wimbledon…or to watch the godly Bolt in action…. or the antics of Farah after the historic win.

As time for submission draws closer, I find all my friends doing their Masters, giving the finishing touches to their thesis. As for me, I am totally overtaken by dissertation blues… and going through the ordeal of writing, referencing and proof-reading. Really looking forward to ending this agony on Friday when I plan to submit my work and get liberated… so that I can enjoy the rest of the great British summer!

Rohit

Glorious Croatia

I am currently sitting in the corridor of a hostel called ´Swanky Zagreb´ and I'm not going to lie, it is pretty swanky. Today marks my last day in Croatia as tomorrow (at the crack of dawn, eurgh) we move on to Slovenia. Despite my trip in this beautiful land being a flying one Croatia has definitely left a lasting impression.

I had no preconceptions regarding the country: the flights were cheap and it was near the beach. I was sold. However, when we turned up in Split I discovered a city untarnished by hyper-tourism. It felt like Greece before it got ruined by sun seekers, or Italy without the expensive price tag. Gorgeous Roman architecture surrounded small narrow streets contained by the old palace walls which had become the majority of the city. I found myself constantly stopping and just staring, I felt like the luckiest person who had just discovered some secret gem – this also made me feel pretty ignorant about the beauty and secrets our continent holds.

Taking this into account we decided to change our route and make a proper stop off at Plitvice Lakes, the largest national park in Croatia. Despite a slightly crazy and terrifying journey (buses on the edge of mountains are not my thing), I could not deny that everything was breathtakingly beautiful.

The national park was located in a valley between forested mountains and thankfully the whole area hadn't become overpopulated with tourists traps; there wasn't even a McDonald's. In fact it was the complete opposite, the bus stop was just at the side of a random road and our accommodation was a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. Let me put this in context - there were signs warning people of bears! As we walked along the edge of the road to find somewhere to have dinner, I realized I had never seen so many stars. It captivated me.

A day before we left for Plitvice we were asked if we liked azure pools surrounded by wooded areas and obviously we all cried YEAH! Naturally, we were informed that we would love Plitvice. They were not wrong. The park was massive and surrounded by beautiful mountains which shock you at every turn; as you walk round you encounter waterfalls of differing sizes all running into the bluest waters I have ever seen. This park was literally one of the most stunning places I have ever been to, the sheer magnitude of nature left me and my problems feeling tiny, I felt stunned by how one tiny tributary stream could create a cascade of water and that strength made me also feel mighty and so very lucky.

Croatia has been so much better than I expected, the amount of unspoiled natural beauty and the friendliest of people has made this both a country I would recommend and a country I will return to. All in all, a great start to an already adventurous trip.

Florence
(PS sorry about the lack of pictures - dodgy internet connection!)

One night at the Paralympics

My final week before leaving for Southampton to begin my Masters had been designated for pre-university preparation. Packing, shopping and planning were to be my three main priorities, combined with shifts at work and editing for the Wessex Scene. So really, that was my week – until Monday.

On Sunday, my parents received a phone call from some family friends who had two spare tickets to the Paralympics – and we had to decide which of the four of us would go. Long story short: on Monday afternoon Mum and I were suddenly speeding towards Stratford on a Javelin train ready to spend the evening in the Olympic Stadium. I was incredibly excited to finally be a part of what we had seen on television and to actually enter the venue that we had seen on our visit to the park earlier in July.

Mum and I outside the Olympic Stadium!

The stadium was incredible – enormous, but not intimidating. Of course, the clear blue sky and lack of clouds helped, making the stadium lights look even more spectacular. Our seats were situated between the flag poles and the podiums, right in front of the 100m track. Once we were settled, and had filled up on overpriced salad and sandwiches, we were ready to enjoy the evening and to relish this once in a lifetime experience!



The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, even at the very end after the events had finished!

There was so much going on for the entire evening – we were lucky enough to witness a number of finals, particularly the races for the visually impaired which were very intense. The 5000m T12 final, for the visually impaired, was really exciting! We were also fortunate enough to witness Gold for Team GB, in the Men’s 100m T53 Wheelchair final, when Mickey Bushell stormed ahead and took the lead. The cheering was sensational, as was the sound of the entire stadium singing the national anthem after the ceremony.



Bushell about to receive his well-earned Gold medal

Inspirational events also included the Men’s High Jump F42, for amputees, which saw athletes jumping impressive heights with a huge amount of skill which was a very tense experience! It was fantastic to watch and brought home how brilliant the Paralympics really are, and indeed how amazing the human body is. Long Jump, Javelin and Wheelchair Racing also took place that evening, and all were very nail-biting and gripping.

However, the most inspiring part of the evening was the complete support of the crowd for every single athlete. Regardless of country and finishing place, every competitor received deafening cheers and applause from the crowd, which really emphasised the collaborative idea of the Olympic and Paralympic games. The efforts of all involved were visibly (and audibly) celebrated by everyone – the support was sensational and I felt so lucky to be involved in every single moment with everyone around me.

When Jose Luis Santero of Argentina finished eighth in the Men’s 5000m, resulting in him being lapped twice by the other athletes, he was supported by the cheers of the crowd, and everyone stood to encourage him and his guide to the finish line. At that moment, I was filled with great pride for London 2012.

To simply compete in the Games is a feat in itself, and no athlete should feel inadequate wherever they place. It was clear then that the crowd were incredibly inspired by all competing in the Games and keen to show their support. It was so fantastic to witness the excitement and amazement of all the winners in person. You could really sense the delight of medallists as they completed their laps of honour and their happiness reflected onto the crowd who showed their respect for everyone by standing as they passed.

Watch Jose Luis Santero come 8th to cheers from the crowd (courtesy of Channel 4)

The organisation of the event was also marvellous – the Games Makers were cheerful, helpful and very friendly, our journey on the Javelin train from Ebbsfleet International to Stratford was the quickest and smoothest journey I’d ever been on, and the queues were minimal. I feel very fortunate to have been able to experience a night at the Paralympic Games. It only went on to reaffirm how well the games have been organised. London 2012 has really been a testament to the country and to the world of sport.

Joanne

Looking to the Future

In a fortnight’s time I’ll be heading back from my northern hideaway into a new bedroom, in a new house, ready to start a new year and embrace new adventures and challenges, starting with rehearsals for November’s Theatre Group performance of “Great Expectations” (come along and see it!). It’s the beginning of a fresh year in Southampton, a place which, after the magnificent Fresher year I had, I can happily now call my home from home – and support the local team on their quest in the Premier League!

It’s terrifying to think that the summer’s gone as quickly as it has – barely a dent has been made in the to-do list - and that I’ll soon be plunged back into the worlds of finance, responsibility and self-sustenance. Nonetheless, if it’s anything like the Christmas or Easter breaks last year, it’ll be very easy to get back into the swing of things – all it’ll take are a pressured deadline or two, Theatre Group workshops or nightclu- I mean, ‘social engagements!’ I’ve valued the chance to have a rest, spend some quality time with my northern-based friends and family (with whom absolutely nothing seems to have changed) and recoup some funds through part-time work, but life in Southampton offers a different experience entirely. There is never a dull moment at university, and each day sees new achievements and chances to learn, be it important lessons or completely useless trivia. Every second counts!




Inspired by our university endeavours, it didn’t take long upon our return home for the fancy dress to bust out!

  Aside from the intimidating prospect of my modules actually counting towards my degree classification this year (they don’t in Freshers’, which gives you time to settle and adapt), one aspect of university that’s been on my mind this summer is the need to start looking to the future and planning a career. I think when I turn 20 next week the proximity of the world of work really will hit home! I’m lucky enough to be a student at Electronics and Computer Science, or ECS, where there are so many opportunities to apply for an internship or round your education, but it’s still quite a difficult prospect to grasp.

I have three years of academia left (I’m on the Masters programme) before I’m jettisoned into the big wide world, and all of a sudden I’ll be standing on my own two feet, applying for jobs in the hope of making a living. And there won’t be any trusty student loan to fall back on should things go awry (except perhaps the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’)!

I wouldn’t say that up to this point I’ve ignored the inevitability of employment, rather that my focus has been primarily on academic success and making the most of the unique opportunity that the first year presents. Although I have been fortunate this summer to obtain significant work experience developing some software for a local security-based company. Despite omitting some formal processes – design documentation was, to put it kindly, sketchy – the job to a reasonable extent represented the sort of challenge I’d like to undertake throughout my career. While programming can sometimes drive me bonkers (“why don’t you work, why don’t you wo- oh, it’s working... thank you!”), there’s little more satisfying for me than seeing the growth of a software project from a simple concept to a fully-fledged implementation, particularly when I’ve finally cracked a problem or deduced an algorithm after hours of toil.

So whereas I’m vaguely aware of the direction I’d like to head in, I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to get there. And this is where I need to make a change this year. Last year, with my attention drawn away by other things, I tended to ignore the multitude of opportunities on offer at ECS, in particular its first-rate Careers Fair, numerous guest lectures and internship opportunities - placing them firmly under the ‘Later’ pile. Although I attended a few talks and witnessed some inspired teachings, I didn’t benefit as much as I could’ve done had I kept my future in mind. Being on a four year degree, I thought I had plenty of time, but given how quickly the second semester (when I was all settled in and comfortable with my new lifestyle) roared past, I’ve realised how time in Southampton is deceptively short.

So whilst refreshing the University experience, I know I’ll need to consider what lies beyond far more frequently over the course of the new year - although I may still skip the odd event here and there to catch up on much-procrastinated coursework and the like!

Furthermore, I’ve begun to find myself gazing at “career opportunities” sections of company websites, in particular software development posts, and it’s staggering just how much it’s claimed that graduates can learn on the job from shadowing more experienced colleagues. Nonetheless, to even get the opportunity to join these sorts of schemes, I’ll need to look at my degree with a less pragmatic “learning it for the qualification” mentality. This attitude suffices at school, but only because it takes you onto Higher Education – I can’t remember the slightest thing about the Latin text I studied intently for months for the A Level exam!

Instead, I’ll need to view my studies as more of an immutable base upon which to launch a career; I need to further my efforts to sharpen and fully absorb the knowledge and skills I think I’ll make use of one day, hence I’ve already begun to reread last year’s notes. This could be tricky when balanced alongside the demands of coursework and a social life, but it’s a target for this year, at least!

On the other side of the coin, I can’t wait to throw myself back into acting, making television, playing football, being around the buzzing Students’ Union, and just appreciating the magnificent people that I’ve come to know as my friends in Southampton! And, if one such person has his way, I might even find myself attempting some stand-up comedy at some point, although this is subject to me ever dreaming up a joke which the Penguin chocolate wrappers haven’t featured first... please DON’T come and see that!

So I enter September the most pumped up for an academic term I’ve been for years and, while it remains to be seen how long this burst of motivation and optimism can carry me, I feel ready to engulf myself in the world of studying once more, this time with a keener eye for future implications.

Oh, and there’s one other... tiny... insignificant motivation: family rivalry. A First Class Honours Degree for my sister this summer means that the competition is well and truly on!



Please ignore the incompetent tie-tying on display here...!

So roll on Southampton Take Two! This time, it’s personal...

Robin

My Euro trip

Tomorrow I set off to do what I have been anticipating all summer; to have a good old jolly around Europe, and quite frankly, I cannot wait!

When a few months ago British weather and exams got the better of a few of my friends and I we decided to do something about it; we planned ourselves a little adventure. I have two great life mottos, firstly; to go somewhere new at least once every year, and secondly; to never ever waste these gloriously long summers university affords us. Talk about killing two birds with one stone…

I have a very passionate relationship with Europe, I literally adore it. All of it. However I was starting to think it was getting a bit ridiculous to have such a fierce love of a continent I had barely explored, a continent which was, to my benefit, on my very doorstep. I have a bad habit of shrugging off my splendid neighbouring countries in favour of places like China, but when I realised that I hadn’t been any further east in Europe than France I knew that something needed to be done.

I count myself as a European before anything else, and I genuinely fear that a British Island mentality could ruin the progression of our country. So, with this desire to embrace everything European I rallied some of my wonderful childhood friends together and got planning. Now, I am one of those girls who loves post-it notes, highlighters and the planning process more than most things in life so you can imagine how excited I got about the prospect of organising weeks of travel.

It seems to be somewhat a rite of passage to backpack around Europe, I know both my parents did it when they were at university and it was always on my list of things to do. I was getting sick of meeting people from America who had seen more of MY continent than I had.

What I never really thought about was the massive amount of diversity Europe houses, it is quite staggering when you think about it – from the sandy beaches of Spain, to the snowy mountains in Austria; you cannot argue that there is something there for everyone.

A few weeks ago I purchased my most expensive train tickets ever: an interrail pass – whoopee!! This will be my transport from country to country, and as someone who hates flying I cannot wait. This way we can look out the window and see the landscape we’re travelling through. I’m expecting some very inspirational long train journeys where all my friends divulge their deepest secrets and desires, I just hope they are ready for that…

This is our route which seems to cover a pretty vast amount of Europe:

Croatia à Slovenia (Lake Bled) à Hungary (Budapest) à Austria (Vienna) à Slovakia (Bratislava) à Czech Republic (Prague) à Germany (Berlin) à Holland (Amsterdam)  

However, due to an incapability to save money and a terrible habit of going out for lunch with my friends, I seem to have left myself with not much to actually travel with - I will be living off bread and wine, with a reserve fund saved for ice-creams and art galleries, but that is the joy of being a student traveller.

I feel pretty lucky right now!

I’ve got travel monopoly, travel chess, AND travel scrabble. I think I am all ready to go. Wish me luck!

Florence