Summer is coming

A couple of weeks ago, the sun finally made an appearance, and for the week students were wandering round campus in maxi dresses, sandals and shorts. Bubble tea was being drunk outside SUSU on the grass and the queues for Sprinkles Gelato (an ice cream café in Portswood) were longer than ever. Summer was making its first appearance in Southampton after months of wind, rain and unseasonal snow.

Unfortunately, as is the way with British Summertime, the rain came back and so did the wind with a vengeance. And in a way, this is quite fortunate, as nobody wants to be stuck in Hartley library or their poky student flat revising and writing essays when the sun is blazing outside and you could be grabbing a jug of Pimm’s at the Stags.

University of Southampton campus in the sunshine in 2012, looking beautiful as ever!

The summer is coming though; exams and deadlines are upon us, dissertations for third years have been handed in and plans are being made for post-graduation celebrations. I can’t quite get my head around where this year has gone – it seems only five minutes ago that I was looking forward to my MA, preparing for Grad Ball and taking day trips to the Isle of Wight with my friends before we said our goodbyes.

This year, I’m not really having a summer holiday – my course requires me to write my 20,000 word dissertation from June to mid-September, which means I will be staying in Southampton and, probably, Hartley Library, trying to finish my post-grad degree off in style. This fills me with a little dread, if I’m honest – I’m having visions of blocking friends on Facebook due to their holiday photos and begging friends and family to visit me. My fellow course mates and I have already decided we will have weekly trips to Sprinkles, the Common and Trago Lounge (a restaurant/bar nearby) to treat ourselves and to keep ourselves motivated… not good for my bank balance, but definitely good for the soul!

I will be saying goodbye to my Undergrad friends too – those I have met through my time at the Wessex Scene and SUSU Media, friends of friends, and people I’ve known since I started uni. This summer will definitely be the final few months of mine at Southampton and I am determined to enjoy them, despite my overly large deadline at the end of it. After all, I’m here to study – and I plan to enjoy my final ever essay too!

Summer in Southampton has always been one of my favourite things. The campus is beautiful; if you haven’t been on campus, I urge you to visit, as it is one of the things that really attracted me to study here three years ago. We have trees, grass and flowers everywhere, with a stream and even a few resident ducks! You only have to step outside the library to find a grassy space to relax on in the sunshine, and with our student pub on site you can relax with a Pimm’s without leaving campus! The green space continues onto the Common, just a short walk from Avenue Campus (the Humanities building), which sees an expanse of open space, perfect for long walks, sunbathing (when the sun actually appears) and picnics. I will be going for a few days there this summer, complete with food and sports equipment. Rounders, anyone?

Me and my friend Hannah basking in the sunshine on the Common last summer – 

I plan to do this again!

Although we don’t have a beach here (though many people think we do!) we’re not far from Portsmouth and Bournemouth which are lovely in the summer. We also have Mayflower Park, which is right near the quayside, and the docks and the waterfront. We recently had the Media Ball on a boat, and the docks were beautiful just before the evening – there are plenty of restaurants down there for a drink outside in the sunshine!

Summer in Southampton is going to be lovely… aside from the sheer amount of work I have to do! It’s not long before everyone will be heading off on holiday, visiting friends or starting graduate jobs… let’s just hope the sunshine makes an appearance once more!

Joanne