Out and about

Southampton is a great city for finding things to get up to. There are countless bars, pubs, clubs, shops, and parks. We have museums, cinemas, theatres, restaurants and cafes and even the Common (a large area of parkland and trees, where you can go for walks in the winter and have barbecues and games in the summer). But, after four years living in the same city, you can find yourself getting stuck in a rut – going to the same places and doing the same things. That’s when it’s time to think outside the city boundaries.

There is so much to do in the area surrounding Southampton, and all are easy to do if you have access to a car or to the train and bus services. Here are some of the places that I have visited in my time here, all of which I highly recommend!

1. Winchester

Winchester is one of my favourite places to go if I fancy a change from Southampton. Our university has a close connection with the city anyway thanks to the Winchester School of Art campus, and if that’s not enough then the fact that it’s a beautiful area to visit should persuade you! It’s just the right place to take your visiting parents and its history means that you’re never short of stuff to do. There’s the Cathedral, King Arthur’s Round Table, the walls and the stunning buildings in the city centre. There are countless pubs to choose from too and, at Christmas, there’s the market which is bound to get you in the spirit of things. You don’t even need a car to get there, as it’s just over £3 for a return by train (with student travel card), and taxis and buses also run regularly.

Winchester Cathedral in the wintertime

2. Portsmouth

Portsmouth is sometimes seen as our ‘rival’ university, who we compete against in sports. However, visiting the city makes a nice change if you fancy one. Gunwharf Quays is a great place for outlet shopping and has many shops that are unavailable in West Quay – there are also countless restaurants on the seafront (La Tasca and Jamie’s Italian being favourites of mine!). Having not been to Portsmouth very much, I have only really seen the shopping area, but it’s also got a great beach that would be lovely in the summer – something that I hope to do when the weather warms up! It takes more time to get to by train than Winchester, and costs a little more, but if you can travel by car it doesn’t take long at all.

The view from La Tasca restaurant at Gunwharf Quays

3. Isle of Wight

I visited the Isle of Wight at the end of my third year with a group of friends. We all clambered into a people carrier, took the ferry and spent the day acting like big kids at Blackgang Chine, an old amusement park, followed by a couple of hours at the beach. Fortunately we had amazing weather. The Isle is a great place for a quick getaway, and can make a really good day trip too. The ferry is frequent, and you can use it either by car or on foot. A great place to go for a change and a little adventure!

Me being a big kid at Blackgang Chine amusement park in June 2012!

The view of the Isle of Wight coast from Blackgang Chine

4. Bournemouth

Bournemouth is another place that makes a change from being in Southampton – and it also has a sandy beach! Perfect for a summer getaway on the train or by car. Unfortunately the only time I’ve ever been was in June last year. It was pouring with rain and we experienced gale force winds before heading home a few hours early soaked to the skin. We still had fun though – just make sure the forecast is good!

A very wet and windy Bournemouth beach, June 2012

Messing about on the beach to brighten up our day!

5. Chichester

I recently headed to Chichester to try something new, after just choosing a random spot on Google maps! It’s further than Portsmouth and actually lies in West Sussex so it really does feel like you’re taking a bit of a road trip! The city is lovely, with lots of shops, bakeries and cafes. The cathedral is also nice and free to get in, and some way away from the city centre is the harbour (though I didn’t go). It reminded me of Winchester a little, and I’ll probably head back one day to go into a cute little bakery I spotted but never tried out.

Inside the beautiful Chichester Cathedral, January 2013

6. New Forest

The New Forest is something completely different. There are little towns to visit, but also huge expanses of open space and woodland. I recently visited Lymington, which once again had many shops, but mostly small local businesses which is nice. I had lunch in a lovely little café, and wandered down to the harbour, before heading out into the wild for a (very muddy) walk. The weather was true to January; grey and drizzly, but it was brisk, refreshing and was perfect for a post-deadline walk. The local wild ponies even came to say hello – but wellies were definitely necessary in the winter. There are trains and buses to the area, but I travelled by car.

A drizzly walk in the New Forest, January 2013

Walking with my parents in the New Forest

7. Milford on Sea

Milford on Sea is a favourite of my parents, and we have visited a number of times just to enjoy the quiet seaside town. It’s quaint and tiny – not the place for shopping, though there are a few little stores. The main attraction is a long wander along the seafront, an ice cream, and then a hot chocolate watching the sun set. It’s perfect it you want somewhere small and quiet, and old fashioned.

The sunset from Milford on Sea

I hope you enjoy visiting the places above, and discover some of your own!

Joanne

A new semester

By the time you read this, exams, for the vast majority of the student cohort, will be over. Thank goodness!

This year has seen what's probably been my trickiest spell of examinations yet, sitting six in total (with five of those on consecutive days!), which ranged from performing computer evaluation traces to designing wrist-worn computer systems for children, so they couldn't be accused of lacking variety!

It was certainly challenging to soak up the necessary amount of content in such a short spell of time, especially with the knowledge that after you'd seen off one paper, you'd have to move straight on to the next. As always with the hectic University weeks, sleep was optional – but, on most nights, preferred!

But in the midst of the heavy workload came a bit of light relief with the recent snowfall. I know Flo wasn't a fan, but where I'm from, snow is a real rarity – and I can't recall ever seeing so much of the stuff! The main load came on the Friday of my exam week and, although I was disappointed to see my exam cancelled in the afternoon having already prepared for it, I fully understood why it had to be so – I could barely make it a few steps out the door without sliding around, and I'd have had to climb a hill to reach University!

Plus, after four exhausting exams already that week, I was quite relieved to have a day off just to relieve some of the tension and release my inner child, pelting snowballs at all and sundry!

Once we knew exams were off, the mid-street snowball fight had to happen!

And the next day it was back to the books!

Although it's always a difficult time of the year, there are some great bonuses to exam season. First and foremost, dietary requirements tend to go out the window; when people feel the need to snack or get take-outs or quench any undeniable craving, the presence of examination stress usually acts as excellent self-justification to submit accordingly. Personally I've gone through more packets of Hobnobs and tins of hot chocolate this past few weeks than I probably will in the rest of the year, which although probably hasn't formed the most nutritious of diets, seemed ideal at the time!

But it is also important, after a solid day at the desk, to allow yourself spells of total relaxation from time to time, with my breaks taking the form of occasional movie viewings with flatmates (with a female majority in the house these are often Harry Potters, Disney films or “chick flicks”!) or trips to the University's sports facilities at Wide Lane to play some football with coursemates.

And then, of course, you have the post-exam honeymoon period when, with the next semester yet to begin and no lectures or other commitments to fill the daytime, you acquire freedom from almost all responsibility for a short spell – so I always try to make the most of it!

So with the first semester's work finally completed and only nervous anticipation of results day to follow, what targets do I have for the second?

Well, although this has been said every semester so far (with gradually increasing success), I hope to try and get more done in terms of note-taking throughout the duration of the course. It's only when you reach the end of a term that you realise the sheer quantity of material covered in the lightning-paced informative lectures, and when you have to engage with that material weeks after encountering it, it's always welcome to have some pages in your own words to fall back on.

Fortunately I found that, in the vast majority of modules, coursework forced me to manipulate the content by requiring me to apply it in practical situations, but in more theoretical modules I’m aiming to produce more consistent work throughout – although I’m probably not the only one promising that to themselves!

Outside of the lecture theatre, I'd like to further my engagement with the Students Union's Performing Arts societies, particularly in terms of its Comedy Society, with a view to taking a leap of faith and attempting a first stand-up gig (although I may request that my housemates go along and laugh at everything before I agree to it!); the Theatre Group, experiencing for the first time the world of assistant directing in Keeping Down with the Joneses, a comedy to be performed in the summer; and the musical theatre society, Showstoppers, within which I'll be performing the musical Parade in the Nuffield Theatre in March – which partially involves dancing, ahh! Wish me luck!

But the wonderful thing about a new semester is that, although plans are already laid for the months ahead – including, perhaps, getting a bit of work done! – you're never quite sure of what's going to come next. Indeed, novel experiences have a great way of popping up every week, so there are sure to be fresh lessons, opportunities and experiences in the months ahead. I can't wait.

Robin

Examination fever

The Christmas revelries are over and so are the New Year parties and it is back to business yet again. The winter break precedes the not at all awaited and much disliked examination weeks – it is the time of the year which marks the arrival of the much dreaded semester exams. So, there are far fewer Friday night parties, no more gossiping on the steps of the lecture halls and no more back-to-back movie marathons. Everything is put on hold until this period of eclipse in our social lives comes to an end.

It is a time of the year when you find Murphy at its best. One would find a hundred per cent attendance in lecture sessions in anticipation of getting the remotest clue for prospective questions (I remember someone recording the revision lecture session for one of the modules and running it again and again just to make sure he had grasped each and every word of the lecturer). You’ll find most of the course books, journals and periodicals in the library list on loan for the last minute go-getters and especially the ones you badly wanted (and a hold or a recall for the books you had somehow managed to lay your hands on in the eleventh hour). There is hardly any chance of getting any of the workstations free… most of them would have been reserved at the break of dawn when the usual ‘hardly working’ students become ‘hard working’ (…just kidding!!!). You would struggle to find a seat even in the remotest corners of the top floors in the library. The photocopy machine is utilised to the fullest at this time of the year with students taking hordes and hordes of photocopies of the notes of their hard working colleagues.

It is a time of year when time is a priceless commodity and still you would find yourself craving to watch a soap you don't even like on the television or that football match you would otherwise never have cared for. One loves to read anything other than the course books. Some insane people like me prefer to read the notes of some other module just hours before the exam and not of the module to be examined. Life becomes bizarre and colourless. It turns into a large cup of coffee and the caffeine starts getting to your head.

You could well have realised how much I hate exams. In my three decades of life, I must have taken more than a hundred exams and believe you me I have never liked it even once. I have never liked it even if my preparation was extraordinary… and definitely hated it when I was ill prepared. I have always found that period – once you start the exam preparation and once it culminates - to be very taxing, demanding and agonising. A shiver runs down my spine whenever I think of those nights spent in front of my laptop with cups and cups of coffee. The sooner this agony is over the better – I have always believed this.

As the University has donned a snow-capped look and adverse weather warnings are being circulated, I really sympathise with the strong student community of my beloved University neck deep in preparation despite the adversities of weather. I wish them fair weather and following seas and hope that the steam never runs dry!

Rohit

Seeing the sunshine through the snow

There is one word on everyone’s lips at the moment; snow.

Snow. Snow. Snow.

Despite it happening most years, everyone becomes fascinated by this type of weather. Trains stop, flights are grounded, and somehow the fact that it is colder and harder to walk anywhere becomes a definite cause for celebration. Regardless of everyone initially acting like excited children – my housemate spent several hours, not revising, but making a life size snowman, bless him – for me, within about an hour, I am most definitely sick of it. It is too cold, too wet, too slippery, and instead of being able to watch the news the only thing that is ever on is the weather. I know the weather – it is always cold!

Such a productive use of time.

Okay, now I know that I sound very miserable, and I’m sure if this weather had come before Christmas I would have fully embraced it, but right now, all I want is summer! As much as I enjoyed making an igloo in my front garden or having a full-on snowball fight, it isn’t the same as a cocktail and barbecue.

However, I’m going to try and be perky about this and think of the positives.

1. Firstly, it is a perfect excuse to not do anything. Once everything else in the country has come to a halt you feel perfectly justified simply donning your onesie and doing the exact same.

2. If you feel old like me and Jesters isn’t calling out to you like it used to, this torturous weather provides a perfect alibi. If you have to go out, go to Sainsbury’s to get more hot chocolate, or go to the cinema (they have excellent heating) and if you haven’t seen Les Miserables I definitely recommend it.

3. If you haven’t sent off that letter you’ve been meaning to, and you haven’t finished that application, and your mother’s birthday card is still sitting on your desk – blame the snow. And the Royal Mail.

4. I actually saw the One Show recommending people eat more chocolate – it’s very cold now folks and we need some winter fuel! Heavenly words.

5. Start planning a summer holiday. Now this one is my favourite.

So, around this time of year, what with the dark evenings and having to wear seven pairs of socks to just feel my toes, I simply need something to look forward to when everything looks a bit bleak. This is my final year and so naturally it is hard. Indeed, I chose to quit my job and concentrate on my studies (the sensible decision), I also know that I should be doing something more productive this summer than gallivanting around some wonderful place, so if I can’t go away, you should!

Now these are perhaps all the wise words I can offer: Don’t waste your university summers.

I didn’t and as a result I have absolutely no money, but loads of epic memories. This is the time when you are meant to do those crazy things – you want to fly to Tibet, Zanzibar, Bolivia? Why not! What’s stopping you, you will have worked hard all year and you deserve a break – go on, indulge yourself. So for me, the best thing about the snow is the fact that I know I will soon be leaving it behind.

What I would give to be sitting on a sunny beach with no dissertation due.

So, if you want the snow to be a little bit more bearable get planning for fun things to do in the sun – hey, it’s not overcompensating, it’s called being organised! For instance, I already have a trip to Rome and Madrid planned. Give me a little more time and I’m sure I’ll be leaving for somewhere else too. And remember guys, stay safe in snow (the safest place is your bed). 

Florence

The final countdown: my bucket list

As I type, I am part way through my January deadlines; 11,000 words of essays down, 4,000 more to go. After months of hard work and weeks of solid writing day in, day out, I am three days away from being free of my first group of essays (depending when you read this).  I could not be more excited at the prospect of sleeping in later than 7.30am and heading to bed at 2am for reasons other than studying. Though, of course, this is why I am here.

The end of these deadlines marks the beginning of semester two. The weather will slowly get warmer, and summer will suddenly arrive without us noticing. This semester will be my very final semester here at the University of Southampton and this, in itself, is a terrifying thought.

You see, this time last year when I was starting the last semester of my final year as an undergraduate, I was safe in the knowledge that I would be coming back to do my MA (providing I got the grades, which I did) whilst my friends and coursemates started to panic about their impending future as graduates. Whilst others frantically applied to grad schemes and internships, I knew that I had at least another year before I would be doing the same. I didn’t have to make the most of being here at Uni – I still had a year to enjoy it!

Unfortunately time has passed too quickly and here I am. One year later, watching the final countdown happen. Tick tock, tick tock.

Technically, I don’t finish my course until mid-September when I hand in my dissertation, which gives me the whole of summer in Southampton too. However this will be mostly spent studying in the library, whilst my friends are at home for the holidays; it won’t be quite the same. Therefore I have, in my eyes, just five months to go until everything changes once again.

As somebody who fell in love with university life as soon as I set foot on campus for my first lecture, the prospect of leaving for good at the end of the summer fills me with dread. Of course, it’s the opportunity to start a new and exciting life, to try something new and to finally try and make my way in the big wide world. However, as someone with a real passion for education, it saddens me that it will not necessarily be on the agenda every day once my dissertation has been finished. So I plan to make the very most of this last semester.

I introduce to you my Final Semester Bucket List: a list of all the things I wish to do, see or achieve before I leave the University of Southampton. Aside from the obvious ones, like ‘graduate with a good degree’ and ‘work my hardest’, I have decided to make sure I really make the most of my remaining time here. Even after four years here, there are things I have still never done, and now is the time to do them!

If any of you are also leaving this summer, I recommend that you make one too before you regret it!

My Final Semester Bucket List

1.    Finally sing at Karaoke at the Stag’s pub one Thursday night.

2.    Have a curry at the notorious Manzils Restaurant.

3.    Try as much of the menu as possible at Sprinkles in Portswood (an ice cream and waffle bar).

4.    Go back to each of my favourite nightclubs at least once before I go.

5.    Visit the Valley Gardens on campus.

6.    Go to one last show at the Nuffield Theatre.

7.    Go for a swim at the Jubilee Sports Centre.

8.    Go shopping in Portsmouth.

9.    Go to the New Forest for the first time since I was younger.

10.  Help with SUSU Elections coverage for SUSU Media.

11.  Go to the local roller disco

12.  Go to as many of my favourite films as possible at the Student's Union cinema.

13.  Have a day of picnics and games on the Common.

14.  Go on SUSUtv

15.  Go to Varsity 2013 (a big sporting event between the universities of Southampton and Portsmouth)

16.  Attend at least one more ball, award ceremony and conference at the University.

17.  Make the most of the extracurricular lectures provided by Humanities.

I’d love to hear your bucket lists, so if you have any of your own, or any that you’d like to suggest for me to do, do comment below!

Joanne

Getting out and about

Although time seems to be flying by these days, in this month more so than others when exams come pouring in thick and fast, I can still vividly recall one of my earliest nerve-wracking memories at University.

At the beginning of my first full week living in Southampton, I received a timetable from ECS (the school of Electronics and Computer Science) detailing a timetable of their ‘Jumpstart’ Fresher-orientation event, including when and where to be at the beginning of each day. Lots of courses tend to have similar programmes which are very helpful in getting you acclimatised to your new surroundings; mine, for example, included a walking tour round the city’s various sights and hotspots, and gave me a good overview of my whereabouts.

If I was still feeling disorientated, this was a pretty big clue what was near to me...!

But with my introductory programming beginning earlier than my flatmates’, I was the first to be confronted with the potentially intimidating prospect of travelling independently in an unknown city, two hundred and fifty miles away from the nearest well-known face, and armed only with a uni-link bus pass and a timetable to make the journeys.

Reflecting on it now, it does, of course, seem quite a silly thing to be worried about – there were plenty of people available to ask, for one thing! But at the beginning of your University career, you do find yourself in a constant state of adjustment as you adapt to a completely new lifestyle (as Rohit previously described). This means that even the smallest thing, like mentally mapping your location and how to find lecture theatres, seminar rooms, shops and (some might argue most importantly!) pubs and clubs, can initially be a challenge.

And so not wanting to be late on the very first day, I took to memorising the bus numbers and departure times from my halls the night before every trip, researching the route on foot through Google Maps in case I missed them, and planning for all the possibilities as if the ten minute journey were a trip across the Atlantic!

But, in truth, there was little to worry about indeed, especially given that my flat was a matter of two minutes away from the bus stop – I could even see the top of the double decker buses from my window, which proved quite useful if I felt up to the sprint! Plus, in many of the University’s halls of residences (I’m not sure if this applies to all of them, though, so please check when applying for accommodation!), the cost of a bus pass on the uni-link bus system is incorporated into your rent, effectively providing you with free trips around the city whilst you find your feet and learn where everything is.

The service itself is brilliant in how it caters to students of all disciplines, and it’s nowhere near as complicated as your typical bus system – I’m still not too sure of which buses to jump on back at home! You don’t need to be concerned about memorising which is your route out of tens of different minor variations, or what large quantities of initials stand for, you simply learn which of the 4 or so services passes nearby and you can quickly get to where you need to be.

Services are inexpensive and very regular indeed, and I’ve never had a longer journey than half an hour or so, even when I’ve been to St Mary’s stadium on a packed-out match day. Having said that, if you are planning to grab the bus to campus for an early lecture, I’d perhaps try to wake up that elusive quarter of an hour earlier – you’ll soon find that the 8.50am service is hugely popular with other lying-in students, and the buses can only fit so many people on!

Now with added Premier League football!

At the beginning of second year and now living in a student house, I made the decision to save money and walk everywhere, trying to make use of uni-link for longer journeys only (such as for quick trips into the city centre). Thankfully, Southampton is a wonderfully walkable city and, my house being in a great spot, no journey, be it to a supermarket, club or eatery, takes more than 15 or 20 minutes. Highfield campus itself is around 10 minutes walk away – although I often forget that this figure applies if I’m speed-walking, probably late for something!

Not only have I enjoyed the obvious benefits of walking health-wise, I’ve also begun to appreciate the aspects of being part of a community more. Nowadays I’m almost guaranteed to bump into someone I know on the road to campus, allowing for a nice catch-up – or a passing “hello!” as I carry on running! Although I would advise following your gut instinct regarding your security – no city is perfect – I’ve yet to encounter anything at all unsavoury. It pays just to be sensible.

So while moving to a new area may seem a bit overwhelming at first, within a few months you’ll soon know your Burgess Roads from your Bloomfield Gardens, your Welbeck Avenues from your Wessex Lanes, and your Highfield and Avenue campuses like the back of your hand. It’s just a case of exploring your surroundings, becoming settled in, and getting out and about!

Robin

Want international experience AND a fabulous week in Strasbourg?

So, I know that many of you will be revising hard and therefore constantly looking for a source of distraction. Well, if you are going to distract yourself with anything, you might as well make it proactive. Apply for the Model European Union 2013 and do something great today!

Model European Union is a week-long simulation held in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.  Therefore, if you care about politics, or Europe, or languages, or writing, this is the perfect thing for you! You can apply to be an MEP (Member of Parliament), Minister of the Council, Lobbyist, Interpreter or Journalist. Whilst there you will have the opportunity to take part in simulated legislative debates at the ‘Council’ and ‘European Parliament’. This is the most prestigious scheme of its type and as a former participant and now a fellow organiser all I can say is DO IT.

Last year I was a journalist and the experience opened so many doors for me, I have made some wonderful friends and cemented my belief in international cooperation.

Ready to fight for a story in the European Parliament!

So, what is it like to be a journalist at MEU?

How do I even begin? This was not merely a writing opportunity – this was a reconnection of values, a learning process in European co-operation, a confirmation of the enthusiasm, kindness and ambition of all young proactive people.

Somehow a week shared with 197 other participants, from 35 different states who debated proposals regarding Frontex and PNR data managed to completely change my whole life ethos.  It is hard to convey just how much more this experience is than a simple simulation, how much bigger it is than purely writing on voting procedures, just how much it felt like you were part of something great.

There is a strong emphasis on the social side of this opportunity which makes everything far more comfortable; I went as a humanities student who had never studied European Politics, however all this takes is enthusiasm and engagement, because trust me, everyone here is lovely. Raising questions during a press conference becomes easy because you’re doing it among friends.

If I thought that the week would be one where I could sleep then I was so sorely mistaken, with early mornings and late nights, it was impossible not to form a strong relationship with your fellows. My INCREDIBLE journalist team became my family, supporting each other with motivation, working together to make deadlines, and sharing any MEU related gossip. We all fitted into our roles so well and after constantly spending 24 hours a day with the same people it was hard not to become so attached to them. And it was not just our team, it became natural to hear people lobbying in the toilets, fighting amendments on the tram and asking for a ‘point of personal privilege’ at dinner time.  The passion I witnessed during that week was completely unrivalled to any other experience I’ve had; it was necessary to be prepared to fight for your position because everyone involved respected dedication and commitment.

Naturally, I would encourage anyone interested in either journalism or European politics to participate in this opportunity. I got the experience of writing for a broadsheet one day, and then a tabloid the other – developing two distinct but equally valuable styles. I would be writing on a political scandal in the parliament one day, and then an infamous dance routine performed the previous night the next. The experiences of writing to deadlines and guidelines, writing within a team with a need for constant ideas produced a community of people who became both innovative and proactive.

I always want to thank MEU2012 for reconfirming my undying love for Europe; we have something so special in this continent, so unique – we are all so varied, and yet so alike. Ultimately, by the beauty and creativity of our neighbouring states we learn how to be a better Europe. In Strasbourg I definitely met the next generation of Europeans who will bring this continent to glory.

My wonderful fellow journalists – and friends!

Here is all the information needed to apply; http://meu-strasbourg.org/index.php/meu-2013-conference - I really really encourage everyone to have a look at it – you only have until the 31^st January 2013 to apply!

Florence

It’s New Year again…

Life has indeed taken a full circle and I realise this when I look back in reminiscence, take a trip down memory lane and raise a toast to 2012. It was a year which has been very challenging, yet satisfying. A year wherein my life saw scarcity… scarcity of means with all the savings drained out to support a family of three. As a postgraduate student in the University and with family around, I had to cut costs and live within a budget. Yet there was fulfilment… fulfilment of aspirations and a long cherished dream to study in the UK… and the contentment of seeing my daughter grow up whilst she was with me at Southampton. The year gave me an opportunity to work with the best brains in the world and to be associated with the best academics at the University. The year saw my dream of travelling to Europe come alive with two trips – one to the Iberian Peninsula during Easter break and another to far off Italy after the exams in June.

The New Year was welcomed last year in the company of my wife and daughter and another Indian friend. We went to Southampton city centre in the evening to buy a few gifts for my daughter and clothes for my wife… in an attempt to get a deal on whatever was left over from the Christmas and Boxing Day sales. The city of Southampton looked much at peace and relaxed after the revelries of Christmas. The Christmas decorations were still up and we had a nice lunch at my favourite hang-out in the city, Pitcher and Piano at Ocean Village and evening coffee at Starbucks before we headed home to ring in the New Year.

The preparations for dinner had begun a day in advance with my wife setting up the chicken and lamb for marinating with pure Indian herbs and spices. Twenty four hours of marinating the meat had rendered it soft and succulent and it all looked quite promising. Our celebrations began at 9pm sharp with exotic chicken roast and champagne and soft music in the background. It was bitingly cold outside and therefore the idea of venturing out at night to the waterfront or Mayflower Park had to be dropped. I could not take any chances with a three month old daughter in arms – her health being the top priority.

A couple of rounds of good chicken roast and champagne had set our mood. It was our first New Year’s Eve away from our homeland and we were all quite excited. Thankfully, my daughter too was enjoying taking turns and looking at us whilst she enjoyed the comforts of her cot.

Our landlord’s mum had dropped in in the evening and brought us a nice looking New Year cake and a big basket of chocolates and cookies for my wife. It was indeed very sweet of her and my wife was really touched by her warmth. She even invited us for lunch the next day – a welcome lunch for my family upon their arrival in Southampton.

As the countdown to the New Year was beginning, we could see our neighbours come out in the streets. We went to the top floor of our house as our house was located on top of a hill in Bitterne and gave an excellent view of the city. The New Year was greeted with a loud uproar and cheer and a grand display of fireworks. Our house was well located and the top floor window allowed us to witness the pomp and show from within the comforts of our home.

As I hugged my wife and daughter, I was really grateful to them for having stood by me and agreeing to come all the way to Southampton from India. My eyes were shining bright as I looked forward to an eventful New Year ahead and the good things in life – togetherness with family, success in my course, sound health and happiness galore!

Rohit

Why my smartphone will ruin my degree

It’s January; Christmas and New Year have come and gone and dreary 2013 has begun.  The decorations and pretty lights are down, the food has been eaten and people are feeling porky through over-consumption. We are back at Southampton. Which can only mean one thing: It’s exam / essay time.

Students will be queuing up outside Hartley Library early in the morning as The Fear kicks in, ready to spend hours upon hours revising, note-taking, researching and essay writing. We will grip our hair in the horror of realising nothing had been done over the Christmas period, whilst those around us will yearn for an early night or even just a few free hours  spent with friends.

It’s not a pretty sight, but it is what we are here to do. To study, to be tested, and to earn our degrees, whatever stage of education we are at. Once it is over, we can sit back, relax (for a bit) and then start the process all over again for semester two. But for now, we must just grit our teeth and get on with it.

I myself am in the process of essay writing, since most Humanities subjects are based on coursework for the majority of the marks, and my Masters is entirely graded on my essay work. This is the biggest workload I have ever had, and despite having spent most of my Christmas break staring forlornly at my laptop and trying to do as much as possible, I am still unsure how I will get it all done. To make matters worse, nearly all my essays are worth 100% of each module. No pressure, then!

Unfortunately, now I am back at my flat with all of the University’s resources at my fingertips, I still have not gained much more momentum than when I was at home. You see, along with exams and essays comes procrastination; an art form that has been honed and perfected by students in order to avoid, at any cost, their work. This will, for me, range from browsing trashy gossip websites and re-watching old episodes of New Girl or The IT Crowd, to endlessly scrolling through Facebook and Twitter. We all do it, and I have three years of procrastination experience under my belt. Only, this year, it’s worse.

This summer, I upgraded to an iPhone.

Now, firstly, I have to say I am glad I did it. This year I have needed to be easy to contact for the Wessex Scene and for job applications, and my connection to the internet and Facebook is essential since most of our editorial contact occurs online. I get more for my money, and I no longer need to use my really old digital camera on days and nights out (hello, Instagram. Please, don’t judge!).

However, now comes the problem of distraction. Out of habit now, I am constantly checking Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, texting fellow students about our woes, and playing Draw Something or Word Feud when I feel that things are getting a bit too much. I can close the Facebook window on my laptop, shut off the internet and try and concentrate as much as I want, but the lure of the smartphone is forever present. It’s almost like a reflex. And it’s rather sad, since I never wanted to become one of those people; glued to their phone at all hours of the day. It’s time to take action.

I hereby propose to myself that I leave my phone across the room, on loud, charging by my bed at the opposite end to my desk. No more Word Feud. No more unnecessary Facebook stalking. I will be able to hear a text or call, but otherwise the iPhone will be for work-free time only. Otherwise, sadly, the rotten thing will ruin my degree.

So Happy New Year to you all! To those of you who are students, I wish you the best of luck with your essays and exams. Let’s beat this procrastination problem together. Who’s with me?

Joanne

Back to business

The advent of the new year, 2013, sees the opportunity to evaluate and refresh every aspect of your life, which for me includes assessing my application to all things academic. I think I worked fairly hard before the Christmas break (turning slightly nocturnal in the process!), but realistically it’s common knowledge that January is crunch time for the whole semester, when the truly large marks tend to come into play.

So what better way to get back into the swing of things, having had a wonderfully refreshing (although not overly productive!) break, and having just made the long haul back from the North-West, than to throw myself back into the academic side of University this week with revision lectures for the upcoming exams?

Yes, unfortunately it’s that time of year again when students find themselves compulsively panicking at every waking moment, regardless of whether they’re at the books or relaxing without them. Time spent taking breaks, although important (in moderation!), increasingly begins to feel like time wasted, and productivity is high on the agenda of the masses, particularly the huge crowds that fill the campus’ Hartley Library on a daily basis – although chronic procrastination can sometimes find a way of striking as well! Christmas and memories of the holiday season were as soon formed as they are now temporarily cast aside, and the world of academia goes into overdrive as everyone seeks to beat the rapidly-encroaching deadlines instilled by the presence of exams.

So as I lay awake at night struggling to recall the order of Scheme closure evaluation or the exact inner workings of the FAT file system, I know that it really is time to go into a period of lockdown: now, more than ever, work is the priority.

It goes without saying that exam time is difficult, irrespective of the level at which candidates are taking them. I always found that, during my A Levels, I longed to be revising the content of my GCSEs again because it seemed so little, and so simple, in comparison, and now I’m at University I’m finding myself reminiscing about the good old A Level days instead!

Looking at the system objectively, however, I’d argue that this is all relative perspective: at the time of taking them, every exam seemed, to me, to be insurmountable, but in the end I made it through GCSEs, A Levels and First Year. And, ultimately, learning for them provided a firm basis from which future topics I’d study would go on to be expanded and, overall, my knowledge broadened, so putting in the time making notes, which I can still refer to, and combing through textbooks was certainly worth it.

For example, in my subject, Software Engineering (which follows the same course path as Computer Science for the initial two years), early modules were focused on building strong mathematical foundations, particularly in areas such as Discrete Mathematics (covering areas such as logic and set theory) and Formal Methods (mathematically proving the correctness of computer code), which are now proving invaluable as I can take knowledge of their principles for granted when applying them to the more difficult Theory of Computation module.

So even though the temptation remained to settle for a passing mark in first year, I’m glad that I went the extra mile in producing fairly comprehensive resource notes for helping me this time around. Hopefully I’ll be able to do the same for next year, although with time quickly slipping away before my first exam, it may be a case of consolidating revision during the Easter and Summer breaks instead!

Everyone has a different method of revision, but ultimately one huge advantage that life at University holds over studying elsewhere is the social context in which you undertake it. As ever with life around the University of Southampton, the great sense of community manifests itself in a mutual acknowledgment of one another’s need to learn. This can help to drive you through difficult topics as friends and coursemates are generally more than happy to share their understanding, an invaluable resource when you need to translate a sea of Greek letters and functions into plain ol’ English!

Plus, I’ve always found that the collective presence of everyone working is inspirational, as it reminds me to remain focused, despite the temptations of social networks and television! When I and my housemates catch one another procrastinating, we do our best to get each another back on track, and when we feel like we’ve all done a satisfactory day’s work, we put on a film to relieve some of the stress of the day.

So to everybody knee-deep (or making early strides) in the stormy seas of revision, take solace in the knowledge that exams will soon be over, and that everyone else is going through the same. And remember, there’s always the period of post-exam celebration to look forward to!

After the welcome break that was the Christmas holidays, it’s back to business with a bang: good luck to everybody with exams this month!

Robin

Hello 2013, I welcome you with wide open arms!

Now I am definitely one of those people who buys into the refreshing nature a new year can create; I get very excited and always think that this will be the year, MY year. Of course, this is year is bound to be amazing because it is the year I will finally a.) Organise my life b.) Become a better person c.) Write more letters – these tend to always be my thought processes and these always seem to be my resolutions, over ambitious and slightly impossible but so much better than my mum’s which is just to stop collecting more Tupperware.

Personally, I think the idea of a clean slate is very attractive. A whole new start to make this year whatever you want it to be. Last year, amongst a lot of other resolutions, I had to ‘Make 2012 Outrageous’. Now, I know I am slightly biased, but I most definitely think I did this. When I look back on my wonderful year I feel more than blessed; I couldn’t predict the events but everything that happened I have learnt from and has increased my development. I didn’t know where I was going in 2012, I started the year slightly bitter and angry, but boy was the journey of that year spectacular. I came back from my Erasmus placement in Barcelona which was one of the best experiences of my life, and though upset to leave, I returned to a house of people I loved and cherished. Throughout the year I was a journalist at the European Union in Strasbourg, I flew to China to complete a government funded programme, I finished second year, I travelled around Europe with some incredible friends, I started third year and I continued living with those people I love so much. When I write it down it seems like such a whirlwind, I cannot believe how lucky I was. It is important to remember that at the end of the day, we are young and this is the time for doing whatever we want, being entirely selfish, having fun, trying new experiences and indulging in completely outrageous behaviour!

So, I already knew that 2012 would be a tricky one to beat, that it had set a high standard, but this was a challenge I was happy to take on. My housemates and I decided to celebrate New Year’s by throwing an international themed house party in Southampton, which was an excellent way to welcome in the New Year. Despite knowing that I have a pretty spectacular life compared to many I decided that my main resolution would be contentment (amongst the letter writing/working harder than ever before/saving my work regularly/sorting out my life). Because this year is MASSIVE for me: I graduate! And, though I do consider myself a happy person, I am also one of those people who clings onto bad memories or grades, I hold a lot of grudges and it is not good.

New Year, new attitude.

Being satisfied is very hard, of course nothing is perfect and it is natural to think that we could have worked harder or done something differently, but, when time is so fleeting that sort of perspective is unproductive. Literally anything could happen and I need to make sure that my doors are permanently open to 2013 – the year of change, new opportunities and contentment.

Hello 2013! I already know that I am going to love you.

Florence