The journey so far…

I am very proud to have just found out that the University of Southampton has been rated a top university by The Telegraph based on student satisfaction.

We got a whopping 90%!!

This got me thinking about how I would rate my student satisfaction after three years at university – what experiences have I been offered, taken and ran with?

Right, well in case you didn’t already know, I am living in Amsterdam. Why am I living in Amsterdam? Well for work, but also because why not? I got the offer and taking it would mean leaving a couple of days after my last exam, and still I snapped it up.

For a lot of my friends this decision seemed crazy; for me however, the prospect was exciting. I say exciting now because I have the benefit of hindsight – I was of course scared and nervous – but I also knew I’d regret not taking this opportunity, I’d regret becoming hostage to my fears, and I knew there wouldn’t come a moment when I didn’t want to go to Amsterdam.

My beautiful city!

When I think about why this is, it has a lot to do with my experiences at Southampton – the same experiences I suppose a lot of students get, all in varying forms, but all culminating in a 90% student satisfaction rate.

I knew I could go and live in Amsterdam because during my second year I was given the opportunity to live in Barcelona. This was a great opportunity that was available to me via the Erasmus scheme, despite not studying a language. The humanities office encouraged me to take the trip and supported me when I first arrived (and wanted nothing more than to return to Southampton!). They told me to stick it out. Which I did, and for which I am so grateful. I have nothing but fondness for that journey and the semester I spent out there; I had endless fun and met incredible people from all over the world, friends I still speak to and see regularly. Despite finding it difficult at the beginning, living in Barcelona was incredibly easy – I had practical support from my University and the University of Barcelona, matched by the financial support from the European Union – there could never have been a better time for me to live abroad.

These people made leaving so hard – they became my life out there!

So, my first taste of living abroad really captured something inside me – I had fallen in love with arriving in a city, knowing no one, and building myself a home and a life out there – nothing has given me more confidence than this. This confidence led to me applying for the Study China experience. This was a government funded programme where I got to spend a month in China learning Mandarin. This was an incredible experience which was so different from anything I was used to. Again, I had the support of the University of Southampton – they even paid for my visa!

China is beautiful! And Mandarin is impossible…

Those two, very different but very awesome, experiences gave me reassurance when taking this job in Amsterdam. I knew I could manage the moving abroad part – that at least wasn’t daunting for me.

However of course my being in Amsterdam right now comes down to more than my previous experiences living abroad. Naturally I had to be competent for the position, and it is again the University of Southampton that I thank for this.

Whilst at Southampton I got the academic support and freedom to tailor a degree to my interests. For instance (as you might be able to tell), I am very interested in international affairs; accordingly I wrote a dissertation focused on this – merging philosophy with politics, economics and everything else I love.

Academically at Southampton I was sorted, but sadly these days that is just not enough, however thankfully there are tonnes of extracurricular activities I could get involved in.

Taking on a leadership position with the Southampton Hub society was one of the best things I have ever done, it was endless fun and enhanced my job prospects immensely – I am certain it was instrumental in me getting this position in Amsterdam. I was able to lead, to teach and to push myself further than I had ever done before. These practical skills – organisation, communication, dedication – are all essential for the working world. 

I even got an EVA for my participation with Southampton Hub and Schools Plus! 

I think student satisfaction is so high because of the vast variety Southampton offers - if you like charities, politics, sports or the arts, there is something for you. I loved this; my interests are varied but my time is limited and so it would have been impossible for me to dedicate myself appropriately to more societies; however this never stopped me attending the events they held and challenged my common thinking.

Whilst at Southampton I also got the opportunity to work – I have the opportunity to write this blog and do things unrelated to the university bubble. So, what with my experience living abroad, my experience volunteering in societies, and my previous working experiences I guess I was competent enough to gain the job and live in Amsterdam. It’s been a long three year journey and I never thought I would have ended up here… I guess I never thought I would have done half the things I have done. However I understand now that every new experience opens another door, so who knows where I’ll end up next. At the moment however I am enjoying where I am – in the middle of a bustling capital city – reflecting upon the very high student satisfaction with which I was lucky enough to leave Southampton.

Florence