This was in reference to the degree classification structure which
means, in your first year, you only have to pass your modules to advance to
your second; your marks don’t count towards your final result, in other words
(although some schools, such as ECS, award scholarships based on them). This
allows you a bit of time to properly adapt to a student lifestyle and working
system (time which, personally, I'm grateful to have had), an experience which
I wrote about in my last blog – but you do always have to bear in mind that you
get out what you put in!
Another saying I often encountered was “Second year is when University really begins” - usually quoted by
my parents or older students to drive home the point that my results, this
year, actually count towards a fifth (as I'm on a four year programme) of the
overall classification. Accordingly, at the beginning of the year I set myself
the target of getting my head down and tackling the books more often than I
achieved last year.
So two weeks into the new University semester, and as I’ve made the
transition from first to second year, what’s changed about life in Southampton?
Lectures
Naturally, the most salient difference I’ve noted has been in studying
for my course. As I previously mentioned, although it's important to attend as
many lectures, tutorials and labs as possible, sometimes the occasional absence
is completely unavoidable – Freshers' flu can be horribly potent, and it
doesn’t just hit first year students! Nevertheless, I can already see after the
first two weeks of the semester that engaging with topics during lecture time
will be critical to success this year, particularly as the difficulty of module
content seems to have stepped up considerably, with prior knowledge of topics
covered last year assumed – hence why it’s a good idea to absorb the concepts at
the first time of asking!
A couple of occasions this year already, when pre-reading lecture
notes, I've found myself flummoxed by a wall of Greek letters and intimidating
formal notations. In spite of fearing the worst – falling behind – before the
sessions began, upon attending them I’ve managed to grasp the notes’ meanings
and concepts, largely due to the measured and informative explanations my
lecturers have delivered. The step-up from first to second year implied that if
I hadn’t gone along, I’d have been
completely stuck – after all, “the set of
all Q states” means more to me than “alpha maps Q times Sigma to 2 to the power of Q” and the like!
There’s no substitute for a good old-fashioned plain English explanation
from lectures – my notes are littered with them!
On the flip side, I haven’t found concentration too much of an issue so
far; with course content as demanding as it is, and multiple coursework
assignments lurking around the corner, there’s no time to drift off!
Getting places
A further difference in the second year lifestyle is the change of mode
of transport I use. Whereas in Halls of Residence you’re entitled to a free
pass for the uni-link bus system, which can whisk you to campus rapidly, location
has, in my circumstances at least, dictated that walking would be more
economical. Adapting to life in the student house over the past month has seen
me learn the quickest routes and according journey times to buildings across
campus, usually for use in occasions when I’m late off the mark in the morning
– and I’ve had to buy an umbrella!
But although there’s still the occasional grumble whenever I find
myself trudging through the rain and see a packed bus of dry people, I guess
there’re also a number of advantages to walking everywhere, aside from the
obvious health benefits. Not only have I learnt the location of a number of nearby
shops and services, I’ve realised just how walkable everything in Southampton
really is: everything I could need is within a twenty minute radius at the
most.
Furthermore, it’s great to often meet fellow students and friends in
the streets encompassing the University. I’ve experienced a great sense of
community around the city, and it’s a nice change from perhaps the more
enclosed (but wonderfully provident) world of halls.
And as a result of having to be more economical with trips to and from
my house, I’ve spent a larger quantity of time on campus, where I’m often seen
in the numerous on-site catering facilities and ECS Zepler computer labs – a
much less distracting place to get my head in some books!
Practising the domestic arts
Whereas last year I spent a great deal of time getting acclimatised to
domestic and financial self-maintenance, the experience of doing so has helped
so far this semester in many ways, be it saving on bills or having an idea of
where to purchase certain items cheapest.
I now mentally compare the prices of everything when I see them, or I’ll
calculate their cost in terms of hours of part-time work!
I hope to write about my shopping and cooking tips in the near future
(which should greatly entertain my housemates, if nothing else!), but suffice
to say I think I’ve retained most of the skills I picked up over the course of
first year...
...oops!
... including the ability to forget about putting food in the oven!
But it's still the same great So’ton
I write this a month to the day
after moving back down here, and just as my first year seemed to pass in a blur,
I’m absolutely perplexed by the rate at which the previous four weeks have gone
by. Despite being another year older (although regularly none the wiser!), and
despite the changes between first and second year – greater challenges, greater
responsibilities, but also greater opportunities – Southampton is still the
playground I’m privileged to reside in.
So to quote another cliché, “time flies when you’re having fun”. It’s
no wonder how quickly the spell has gone, as I’ve enjoyed acting rehearsals,
course lectures, group socials, SUSUtv meetings, Theatre Group workshops,
meeting a plethora of new faces, auditions and, recently, the hilarious
workshops of the Comedy Society – hopefully with the end result of attempting a
bit of stand-up soon enough! And, hugely excitingly, I’ve been massively
fortunate to be cast in Showstoppers’ (the musical theatre society’s) main
show, Parade, to be performed in the amazing Nuffield Theatre in March –
it’s going to be an experience to cherish!
The year is rich in promise
already and, if this is when University “really begins”, I can’t wait to see
where it ends up!
Robin
No comments:
Post a Comment