One month until Christmas!

November is drawing to a close, the days are getting shorter and it seems as though the weather is getting colder every day. Waking up in the mornings is becoming increasingly difficult, especially when – as a commuter – I have to leave my house at around 6am! It won’t be too long before I’m scraping ice off the windscreen, I’m sure. In order to counteract all of these depressing things, I’ve been getting into the Christmas spirit over the last week. I visited the Christmas Market, complete with German bar, in Bournemouth town centre, for a mug (or two) of mulled wine. My Mum decided that mid-November was definitely not too early to put up the Christmas decorations and, whilst I’m not entirely sure that it’s acceptable, I have to admit our house does look lovely and festive. I did my first bit of Christmas shopping, which only served to remind me how chaotic it can be – I think I’ll be doing the rest online this year! And yesterday, I watched my first Christmas movie. It’s all a bit ridiculous, but if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, I suppose!

The German Bar, complete with infamous boot-shaped mugs, has become a bit of a Bournemouth Christmas tradition

Our gorgeous Christmas tree – well done, Mum!

My last week has mostly been spent filling in application forms for various graduate schemes, and sitting online verbal and numerical reasoning tests, in a bid to secure some kind of post-undergrad income. A lot of students get to their final year having never considered their CV, work experience or anything else career orientated. Luckily, back in second year (which seems like an awfully long time ago now!), I took advantage of the events and opportunities offered by the University’s Careers service. There’s all sorts of helpful information on offer, including sessions on how to write a fantastic CV, application form, interview and assessment centre advice, talks from top graduate employers about careers with their company and one-to-one appointments with careers advisors, not to mention all the resources in the careers library. It seems like a lot to think about so early on, but it has definitely made my life easier now that the time has come to start applying for jobs. Even if you’re not sure what you want to do after University (which probably applies to the majority of people), the Careers team runs events to help you explore the different career paths that are available to you. There really is something for everyone, and it’s a service that not enough people take advantage of.

My weekend revolved almost entirely around running, volunteering at Bournemouth Parkrun, and finishing off the week with a local 10 kilometre race. Parkrun is a fantastic initiative which puts on free, timed 5k runs all over the country, to encourage everyone to get outside and give running a try. It’s all volunteer-run, and there’s a great community spirit – I’ve only been going for a few weeks and I have already met some lovely people, and improved on my time! You can run for training purposes, to improve your fitness, or just for fun, and any ability is welcome. I absolutely love it, and if you don’t mind giving up your Saturday morning lie in, it’s worth heading down and checking it out.

Wrapped up nice and warm for marshalling at Bournemouth Parkrun!

Wearing my hard earned Boscombe 10k headband after the race

The 10k was my second this year and, although I didn’t do quite as well as I’d hoped to, I took a few minutes off my previous time and achieved a new personal best. The course was pretty hilly, so I’m using that as an excuse! I only started running last year, and when I went for my first run, I had to stop after about 30 seconds. Even though I’ve got lots of improvements to make, it’s amazing to see how far I’ve come and proof that, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything!

Tayler

Lights! Camera! Action!

Regular readers of the blog (and indeed less regular ones!) will know that I’m quite a big fan of all things dramatic: acting, directing, singing, dancing (well, when I have to!) or just going along to watch, theatre’s a real passion I’ve unearthed since starting University, and I’ve loved making the most of every minute of the multitude of opportunities which Southampton has afforded me in it.

But with so much potential to branch out to new things while under the safety net of the Students’ Union, and with our time here seeming ever-shorter by the day (just meeting a second batch of freshers since mine has made me feel distinctly old!), the temptation and opportunity to be ambitious, to experiment and to test the limits of what you can achieve as an individual and a society is, at times, irrepressible (and not good for degree marks!) – after all, if you think you can do it, why not give it a go while the support is there?

So when the chance came along a couple of months ago to audition for the annual feature film put together by the Union’s television station, SUSUtv, I couldn’t resist giving it a try, with my only previous screen experience being a ‘tavern customer’ extra a couple of years ago, during which we had to swap waistcoats in between shots to fill up a pub with ‘different’ people! Crafting well-received titles such as the period drama A Game of Sport and medieval revenge thriller Elfrida, SUSUtv’s traditional production has, in recent years, not only made it on to the big screen at the Union’s cinema, Union Films, but also had a red carpet premiere, DVDs made of it and a blooper reel session to boot, so it really has been an experience to savour for those involved.

Given how acting to a camera is a completely different kettle of fish to anything on stage, never in a million years did I expect to be cast in a role – but, by some stretch of fortune, I did, and have been completely immersed in it ever since! And so, when my head’s not been in a book or pondering many an assignment (this is my third year after all!), much of my free time in the past two weeks has been spent rehearsing and shooting for SUSUtv’s very own ‘mockumentary’ style (think the Office) film, the Society.

The plot revolves around a modest poetry-based student society which, for the most part, are content with themselves and their affairs – right up until the announcement that committee post nominations, and subsequent elections, are soon to be opened! What follows is a string of events which stir up old animosity, cause some frankly ridiculous situations, and spark some drastic conflicts amongst close relationships, with the current President, Alan (played by yours truly!), all the while doing everything he can to desperately cling on to power.

From the very beginning, it’s been a unique and challenging experience as we’ve all, as a cast, had to adapt to having cameras, lights and crew surround us for extended spells of time, repeating scenes to capture a large number of takes, shots and other aspects across whole days, while simultaneously trying to preserve continuity and other important details – during one shoot, for example, I almost drank two whole cartons of orange squash across the quantity of takes, and I’ve been putting off getting a haircut since shooting began just to make sure it’s consistent in every scene!

Filming for me kicked off in a strange manner as, if I hadn’t already realised how different acting on film was from stage acting (especially the case in terms of being natural – and not projecting your voice too much!), I soon grasped it through the events of my first actual filming session – when we shot my character’s, and some of the film’s, last scenes! We then headed back to a volunteer’s house to film another couple of scenes but, finding it difficult to fit all the necessary equipment into the room, ended up doing so at mine just across the road – all in all, a very surreal experience!

Not the usual sight in my kitchen when I come down for breakfast!

I’ve also noticed that, despite the need to use many of the same skills, screen acting also has a very different feel to stage acting; for one, you become far less conscious of being loud with everything you say (the microphones are incredibly sensitive), but far more aware of the smallest changes in expression or posture you make at all times – there’s little more terrifying than hearing “so this shot is your close-up!”

Also, to make the most of the limited time they have, SUSUtv have also been shooting whole scenes in individual takes, meaning that, as a cast, it’s easier to keep some sense of momentum as a character throughout them, but at the same time, to make audio editing feasible we’ve been asked to try and make sure each take has the same lines delivered (in the same way each time!), so it’s a lot tougher to just act round a fluff. One scene I was involved in featured 16 takes, three of which were a result of my mind going completely blank in terms of what to say next, and one where I accidentally stared straight down the camera for a few seconds – oops!

It’s also illuminated for me just how much time, effort, planning and visionary talent goes into creating such a film; whereas with acting and directing it’s just about bringing a script to life in the most effective way you can, in the Society we’ve had directors, producers and crew members aplenty running about the set and all fulfilling a variety of roles, from planning shots and takes to watching for continuity preservation, to operating the clapper board, logging scene takes and many more, each vital to ensuring the quality of the end product is as high as ever.

Watching all the crew in action in between takes (and during them on the rare occasion we get to act directly to the camera!), it’s difficult to imagine that the way SUSUtv members work is too far from the real thing: their professionalism is outstanding, yet they’re all learning on the job themselves as we are as actors, allowing us all to make mistakes without being under pressure, but also offering great opportunities to all involved to gain some vital knowledge of these sorts of events.

So on the whole, filming for the Society has been yet another example of the sort of rich, fulfilling and diverse experience it’s easy to pick up at University just by getting involved. Although at times, a couple of hours’ worth of takes into a scene, it’s been fairly gruelling in terms of stamina for the cast (so I can only imagine what it’s been like for the crew!), the entire opportunity has been extremely fun and a unique chance to feel like a movie star, surrounded by cameras and microphones picking up your every move!

Personally, I can’t thank everyone involved enough for the chance to take part, and although I always find it tough to watch myself act (it brings out my inner cynical perfectionist!), I can’t wait to check out the end product; from my time on set and the footage I’ve seen so far, it promises to be hilarious.

Robin

Feeling excited about the future

I’ve just spent about six hours at the Biological Sciences Careers Fair, which was organised by the university’s BioSoc committee and the Careers team. Having a seemingly endless amount of things to do, including practicals and tutorials to prepare for, write-ups to hand in, daily dance classes, squad rehearsals, running a society, managing a social life and a whole lot more (!), I was initially a little reluctant to expend so many valuable hours of the day listening to people talk about career options, postgraduate study, CVs, networking, etc.

Luckily, I’m absolutely terrible at turning down opportunities and after attending the various sessions I completely feel that it was worth the time and I really appreciate the effort that was put into organising the day! Not only have I found answers to many of the questions which have been circling my mind since the start of term, as well as gaining invaluable advice and relevant information about today’s job market, I also feel a new excitement about the future which now seems a little less daunting after learning more about the different career paths and job possibilities (some of which I didn’t even know existed) and basically what I should be thinking about in order to best prepare myself for success. In addition to this, I’m feeling extra motivated to go out and get even more involved in activities that will enhance my CV, especially things more related to my course. I’m lucky to be at a university which offers plenty of opportunities to do just that.

For example, a couple of weeks ago I signed up for a paid field work opportunity at a site in Northington, helping a PhD student to collect data on poplar trees (which can be used as a bioenergy crop). We left the University at 8am and returned around 6pm. It was a long day but I definitely enjoyed myself and would be more than willing to spend more time out in the field. As well as getting paid we were also given a generous lunch and I have to say it was nice to get out and spend the day in the fresh air.

We were lucky that the only time it rained was during our lunch break. 

It did get quite cold towards the end but at least the sun was kind enough to show its face during the day.

We discovered that my field partner seemed to have a secret admirer. Don’t you just love nature…

It was rewarding to get a little more field experience.

I had never previously used a digital calliper which happened to be so much convenient than the manual ones I was used to. I also enjoyed meeting some new people and learning a bit more about some of the research happening at Southampton.

Another opportunity I grabbed hold of was an Emergency First Aid Training day, organised by StageSoc, last Saturday. To be completely honest, one of the main reasons for me wanting to do the course was so I could get the qualifications and add them to my CV. However, it turns out I truly did end up learning a great deal about what I now think of as essential information on how to act in different emergency situations. I even learnt crucial points about situations I previously thought I knew how to handle such as what you should do if you accidently cut part of your finger off… Tip of the day: do not put the detached end in ice (which is what I thought you were supposed to do)!  Wrap it in plastic and keep it cool as you bring it with you to the hospital. I could go on for a while about the things I learnt during the course, in fact, I didn’t even know what an AED was before the day. (And if you’re sitting there, reading this, wondering what an AED is… Go and find out! You may save someone’s life someday!)

I’m hoping you’re now feeling a little more inspired to go and get more involved in the different opportunities on offer. I rarely regret trying something new but almost always regret not giving it a go!

Kristin

Work hard, play hard

The expression ‘work hard, play hard’ gets thrown around all too frequently, but it quite nicely summarises the last couple of weeks for me.

Already half way into the first semester, many third year students have begun the long process of writing their dissertation and I am no exception. Fortunately, as a student on a four year programme, my dissertation module was split into two, arguably more manageable, pieces. The first half of the course consisted of a group project, whilst the second is focused on writing an individual scientific report.

The first half of the module finished last week, concluding the month-long process of researching, writing, rewriting and then learning (not to mention worrying about) a twenty minute presentation on our chosen area of physics called space weather. For those who are interested, space weather is a branch of physics focused on a series of phenomena, caused predominantly by the interaction between charged particles from the Sun and the Earth’s magnetic field.

It is weird (and very satisfying) to think that half of my dissertation is already complete, and, as I am writing this, I have already begun to research and write my individual scientific report into my space weather subtopic: the role of the Sun on the Earth’s climate. Third year seems to be progressing so fast!

You know that your dissertation is taking over your life when you start to receive space weather post cards from your family!

Luckily, there have been an equal amount of distractions to break up the Physics!

As you may know, fancy dress (I did warn you!) has become a big part of my life and this week was no different! Fancy Dress Society hosted their second social of the year, this time collaborating with our friends from the University’s Fashion Society for a superhero-themed night out in Bedford Place. After meeting in Varsity and complimenting each other on our efforts, we progressed on to Orange Rooms, before finally heading to Southampton’s most indulgent nightclub: Popworld.

Getting ready to meet our fellow superheroes and save the world!

The social was fantastic, especially because of the high turnout (probably our highest yet), with everyone producing great and imaginative costumes. Although originally intending to dress as the mysterious character from the second season of the TV show Misfits, it proved too difficult, so I opted for an easier (and more recognisable) superhero in Iron Man.

Keeping with the same theme, Halloween wasn’t too long ago and needless to say I needed no convincing to dress up. Fancy Dress Society didn’t do a Halloween event, mainly because 31 October is the only day when we lose our unique selling point, so instead I had a fantastic night out with fellow feminists on a FemSoc social in Portswood.

An hour’s worth of face painting and I was ready for a feminist Halloween!

Although it seems hard to believe, relaxing doesn’t always come in the form of a fancy dress night out. Last Sunday I went with a few house mates to see the truly brilliant film Gravity in Imax 3D. The Imax is located in the Leisure World complex down by the docks and is a place I could easily spend hours in, with several bars/restaurants and the club Oceana, as well as the aforementioned cinema. Needless to say the trip was a welcomed break from research into the variability of solar activity!

The last couple of weeks have been some of the busiest and most hectic weeks of my university life. However, they have also been some of the most fun and rewarding. In my opinion as long as you get the right work-life balance, enjoying and getting the most out of your time at university is an easy task.

James

Studying abroad

Well, deadline season has officially arrived! The last couple of weeks have been full of essay fun – I handed in my first assignment of the year at the end of last week, and have spent this week working on the abstract and chapters for my final year dissertation. Term has really started to pick up pace, and it’s more clear to me than ever just how quickly this year is going to go by.

On Wednesday, I was asked to speak at the Humanities’ Study Abroad Information Meeting about my experiences over the past year in both Japan and India. Before the meeting, I decided to sit and collect some of my thoughts as to why I’d decided to study abroad, what I’d done whilst in Japan, and what I thought I’d gained from the experience. It dawned on me that, since returning to the UK, I hadn’t actually had much time for reflection.

The gorgeous autumn leaves on campus – I can’t believe it’s mid-November already!

When I came to Southampton, I had no idea that studying abroad was even a possibility. I’d just returned from travelling, and was, if I’m honest, a little bit depressed about being back in the UK. I can’t remember where I heard about the information meeting I attended, but as soon as the talk began I knew I was going. I didn’t know where, but I just knew I had to go.

At first, I wanted to go to Australia. I’d spent four months there before coming to University, and the thought of being back in the sun was extremely appealing, not to mention the fact that there would be no visa dramas due to the fact that I’m an Aussie passport holder! But my Mum, in all her wisdom, convinced me to go somewhere unusual, somewhere where I wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to go. So I decided – Japan it was.

And with views like this, why wouldn’t you want to go to Japan?

I had never been before, didn’t really know anything about Japan, and certainly couldn’t speak Japanese, but – in terms of lectures at least – that wasn’t a problem. All my classes were taught in English, as is the case in a lot of study abroad exchanges, so not knowing the language is definitely not a reason not to go! In terms of daily life, it was a little more challenging. I’d never lived in a country where English wasn’t the native language before, so at first it was daunting, and even the simplest of tasks became difficult. But my host University, Doshisha, provided a lot of support, sending students from my faculty to meet me at the airport, show me where I was to live, and generally provide assistance in my first few weeks of Japanese life. I was also able to take beginners Japanese classes, to help me get by day to day. By the end of the year, my Japanese had improved a lot and, whilst I can’t claim any level of fluency, my everyday life became a lot more comfortable.

Watching Sumo Wrestling in Tokyo – one of those ‘only in Japan’ moments

There was a great choice of subjects to study – as a joint honours student at Southampton, I don’t often get the chance to take elective modules outside of my subject area, such as a language, for example. At Doshisha, I was able to take whichever class I liked from the English speaking faculties. I took some classes in politics and international relations, but also branched out, studying anthropology, finance and philosophy, as well as Japanese.

I also got the opportunity to travel more than I thought I would, which is always fantastic. The great thing about living in a new city is the chance to explore somewhere new every weekend – it feels like you’re always on holiday! As well as exploring the Kansai region, around Kyoto, I visited Tokyo twice, went up to Sapporo on the North Island of Hokkaido, to Hiroshima, and down to the Southern Islands of Okinawa. I was also lucky enough to go on a weekend trip to Seoul, in South Korea, and visit a friend who was studying abroad in Hong Kong.

Skiing in Japan – something I never thought I’d have the chance to do!

Studying abroad is an unforgettable experience, but also a great opportunity to develop yourself, both personally and professionally. It’s something different to have on your CV – something that, at some point in your university life you will have to consider – and can be a great talking point at interviews, or just in general. It also shows skills such as flexibility, independence, and the ability to operate in a different cultural setting, which many employers really value. So not only are you going to have a fantastic time, you’ll also be able to enrich your studies and boost your career prospects.

I thoroughly enjoyed speaking at the meeting – it was fantastic to see so many students there, all interested in going to study overseas. Students just like me, when I was in first year, who really have no idea what might lie in store for them over the coming few years. I felt like I could have spoken forever about my experience, which is strange, because a year ago I don’t think I would have had the confidence to stand up in front of all of those people. The University has so many fantastic opportunities to go abroad as part of your course – from adding on an extra year, like I did, spending a single semester, or taking part in a summer school, in a range of countries across Europe, Asia and more. Everyone I know who’s done it has had the time of their life – the question really isn’t why would you study abroad, but why wouldn’t you?

Tayler

Raising and Giving

Sometimes when things are as busy as they can be at University, I find it’s quite easy to get wrapped up in my own little world of rehearsals, assignments and general procrastination, completely forgetting that the outside world rolls on regardless!

So when I received an online invitation the other day to head along to the annual Christmas Lights Switch-On at the University in a few weeks’ time, I had a double-take and, after a quick check of the diary, realised that, somehow, we’ve reached November already – this year seems to be absolutely flying by, and the jolly spirit that always accompanies a Southampton-based Christmas is nearby…!  I then, of course, realised that I had a few thousand words’ worth of technical report due in mid-November and headed straight for the computer labs!

Rehearsals are back in full swing for me - next up, a musical in February which features me tangoing with my friend Jeremy!

  

But what really deserves attention, even if we’re not always forthcoming with it, are the magnificent efforts of the Students’ Union’s RAG, or Raising and Giving, department. Made up of sprightly, charitable and determined individuals, their efforts to raise funds for noble causes are ubiquitous across campus; it’s rare you see a week go by without glimpsing a collection bucket on the concourse outside the main Union building or in its pubs and bars, or without a cake sale (or several!) around, or even their arranging of their own events for the public to enjoy, and for the resulting funds to be passed on to some great causes.

With it being this time of year, and the approaching day of Children in Need, I always think it’s fantastic to see just how much the collective Union buys in to the philosophies of RAG and showcases some brilliant philanthropy. Already I’ve encountered Surge Radio, the Union’s own station, broadcasting from outside all day at one point last week on the concourse in an effort to raise, battling through freezing temperatures much to a few of the hosts’ distress (although Pudsey Bear seemed to be having a great time)!

And around this time it’s no longer considered weird (well, at least to an extent!) to see the Union President David Gilani and other Sabbatical Officers having various limbs waxed in public, and indeed the same applies to the case of the Theatre Group President, Sam Dobson, who went through the agonising experience of having all hair removed from his chest, while auctioning off the strips to his supportive (yet laughing away!) members - the videos were being spread on social networks within seconds! And just the other day I was told that SUSUtv’s committee and executive members are getting gunged on the concourse every hour throughout the Children in Need day, so I’ll be sure to go along and… errr... ‘support’ them too!

On top of all that there’s the traditional annual RAG naked calendar (not explicit in the slightest!) which is a great laugh to shoot, and an even better laugh when you see your friends in it (I’m unfortunately not this time round - phew!), week-long festivals of fundraising, collections on the city streets and much more, with events including parties and sky-dives (by far braver people than me)! And it’s all for charities chosen by whichever group volunteered to organise these events in the first place, so it means that bit more to its hosts and participants - or indeed, if you’ve an idea for an event and charity to raise for, to you.

But this is only scratching the surface of the activities that frequently take place across campus, and indeed will be happening all over the country on Friday, and the fact that so much of it is student-led from the offset is inspiring, another example of the achievements at the University which, despite not always receiving the limelight amidst everything else going on here, make a huge difference and accomplish feats which hold consequences stretching beyond higher education.

One of my ambitions before I complete my degree is to get more involved with RAG events and, judging from what I’ve seen so far, it’s as easy as ever in SUSU; it’s just a case of putting yourself forward, getting stuck in and meeting some awesome people to boot! So despite being wrapped up in my work bubble, and although this Children in Need I may only be able to support the efforts of others through donating, who knows? I’m sure that, soon enough, I’ll need to wax my legs too!

Here’s to Raising and Giving - I hope everybody involved enjoys the day, and has their customary charitable success in doing so!

Robin

Getting you up to speed…

Hi everyone! My name is Kristin Vestermark and I’m a second year Biology undergraduate at the University of Southampton. I’m super excited to join the blogging team and I hope I can give you all a good insight into my fulfilling life here at Southampton. 

Where should I begin? It’s been over a year since I moved to the UK (on my own), from Linköping, Sweden to begin the exciting and rewarding adventure of studying a degree at university. However life at university has been so much more than purely what my degree programme has had to offer. Here’s some of the many memorable and gratifying experiences I’ve had so far.

The first one being, living in halls… This was the perfect place for me adjust to UK culture, transition into a more independent lifestyle and a fantastic way to meet a huge variety of interesting people from varied degree programmes. I happened to share a kitchen with 20 other people, which may seem somewhat shocking but looking back, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I met two of the four awesome people I now share a house with while in halls, and seeing as we each study different degree programmes and are a part of different societies, it’s unlikely I would have been lucky enough to meet them if I had not lived with them in my first year.

Some of the twenty people I lived with last year

Speaking of the different societies here at Southampton, I can’t not fill you in on my love of dance! I’m currently a member of the jazz dance, ballet, contemporary and street dance societies as well as being on the university squads for three of them. I got totally hooked in my first year and as a way of getting even more involved, I’ve taken on the role of being the president of the Jazz dance society, now in my second year. I’m hoping to contribute to another incredible year of dance performances, competitions and terrific socials!

Me with the advanced jazz dance squad, at the annual Loughborough dance competition last year

Me and some of last year’s contemporary squad – taken before heading to the stage during the annual Pure Dance show, which includes performances from all of the ten different dance societies at Southampton

As you’re likely to realise as you follow me through the year, I have an endless amount of interests. As if dancing six days a week wasn’t enough, I also joined the Southampton University Scuba-aqua Club last year. It was thanks to the lovely and dedicated members of the society that I was able to get my ocean diver qualifications. This is something I’m really proud of and I’m looking forward to getting more dive experience and hopefully building on my qualifications in the future.

Now that I’m in my second year, my course has become increasingly demanding and the pressure to do well is constantly in the back of my mind (knowing that what I achieve this year will count directly towards my degree). However, I’m extremely lucky to be studying something I’m truly fascinated about and in fact, the more work I do related to my course, the more I realise I have made the right choice to study Biology at university. The only problem is that, as with all aspects of my life, I seem to have too many areas of interests and I’m finding it difficult to decide on an area of Biology on which I might want to focus in the future. I’m hoping this will become clearer as the year progresses.

So, you should now be somewhat up to speed with who I am and what I’ve been up to over the past year… This year is going to be a total juggling act but I’m absolutely loving everything that I’m doing and everything that I’m involved in, so I guess I’m just going to have to learn to juggle!

Kristin 

An introduction

I’ll introduce myself. I’m James, I am currently in my third year studying (and thoroughly enjoying) a masters in Physics at the University of Southampton and I am one of three new writers for the Life at Southampton blog, taking over the reins from the wonderful Flo, Joanne and Rohit.

‘Who am I?’ It seems like such a simple question, yet it’s surprisingly hard to answer. After all, it’s not that often that you have to divulge such a large amount of information about yourself in one sitting. However, as a blogger, it is a necessary thing to do.

I guess that’s the first part of who I am; a writer. I have always enjoyed writing creatively, yet up until recently I have never been able to really find an outlet that worked for me. However, around Easter last year, I decided to follow the growing trend of starting my own blog. The only question was, what should I write about?

I turned to what I loved the most for subject matter: music. Music is more than a love, more than a passion; it’s an obsession.

It began as a child, listening to my Dad playing Queen songs and asking to have my own copies. He copied the CDs onto cassettes (remember those?) for me to listen to and I would sing along, thinking I, one day, could become the new Freddie Mercury.

Although my singing career never took off (some would say thank goodness!), I did pick up the guitar ten years ago and have kept going ever since. Through this time I took part in a few jams and gigs, taking up the bass and the odd pattering of drums along the way, but it wasn’t until this summer that I joined a band with fellow University of Southampton students.

That is one thing Southampton is great for – immersing yourself in music. Whether it’s joining the music societies such as RockSoc (which I am a member of), performing and jamming in a session by LiveSoc, or going out to one of the many, many music venues in the city to see an array of acts from local hopefuls to your favourite band, there is a whole culture of music and entertainment to enjoy.

Australian metal band Circles playing at their intimate album launch gig at Southampton’s Avondale House in October 2013

Not content with just satisfying my creative side, I also try to squeeze as many hours of sport and exercise into my life as I can. This is one aspect of my life that university has completely changed. Since arriving as a fresher in late September 2011, I have tried dodgeball, taken up the mysterious sport of tchoukball, played badminton recreationally and also competitively for the Physics society, joined the handball team and managed to find time to swim nearly every week.

Nothing can quite prepare you for the number of societies at the university before you arrive, with the sports clubs only being a small handful of the full variety. I am heavily involved with one of the more bizarre and unique societies: Southampton’s very own Fancy Dress Soc. I am on the committee as the group’s treasurer and one of the original twenty-five members which were needed for the university to affiliate us as an official society last year.

Fancy Dress Society’s first ever social

The society’s premise is simple: to host the best fancy dress themed socials. The image above is from our first ever social with the theme of dress being someone, or something, with a name that begins with the same letter as your own name starts with (I went as The Joker). The night spawned some great and imaginative costumes, including an iPhone (which had shed all its apps by the end of the night), Gandalf and Jake the Dog.

Regardless of who you ask, I’m sure everyone will agree that the key to getting the most out of your university life is to keep yourself busy; take up a new sport, pop along to a talk by a guest speaker and go along to a social or two. Whilst I certainly haven’t touched upon everything I do and love, I hope I have given you a glimpse of what to expect from my posts in the future (lots of fancy dress for sure!) and how I live my life at Southampton.

James

And so it begins…

Hello everyone! My name is Tayler and I’m in my fourth and final year as a Modern History and Politics undergraduate here at Southampton. I’m one of the three new writers on the Life at Southampton blog, and I’m extremely excited to be taking over the mantle from Florence, Jo and Rohit. Here’s hoping I can live up to their high standards!

When I first came to university, I expected to be here for three years, live with the people I met in first year, and maybe take up a new sport. In actual fact, it didn’t happen that way at all. I’ve stayed an extra year, visited and lived in seven different countries, learnt a new language, lived with different people every year and got involved in three different societies. I’m commuting from home this year too – I live in Bournemouth, which is around a 40 minute drive away – which has added a whole new dimension. While my university experience hasn’t exactly been conventional, I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

During my trip to Indonesia in Second Year

I spent the last year studying abroad at Doshisha University, in Kyoto, Japan – a once in a lifetime experience that I never even knew would be possible until I arrived at university, and one which has enriched both my academic and personal development more than I had ever anticipated. Studying in Asia allowed me to gain an entirely new perspective, and the sense of achievement was incredible – I had to overcome so many challenges, not least the fact that I spoke no Japanese when I arrived! And, in between eating sushi, singing karaoke and, of course, studying (which, contrary to popular belief, does occasionally happen during study abroad!), I managed to travel around Japan – trips to Tokyo, Hiroshima, Sapporo and all the way down to the southern islands of Okinawa. It truly is an incredible country, and I would recommend the experience to anyone.

Origami in Japan

Now I’m back at Southampton for my final year. Things are very different from when I left – the majority of my friends have just graduated so the amount of people I know on campus has decreased by about ninety per cent! As I said before, I’m commuting this year, which can make nights out somewhat of a logistical nightmare, although I can’t help but feel this is a blessing in disguise. It is third year after all – things are getting serious! I can say with some certainty that this year is going to be less exciting than the last, and I’m gearing up for some long shifts in the library as my dissertation deadline looms. But I’m determined to enjoy it to the full, as everyone tells me I’ll miss it when I’m gone!

Although sometimes it seems a little strange that only a few of the friends who I started university with are still here, I tend to try and focus on the positive – it’s forced me to get out there, join some new societies, and get involved with things that I never thought I would. I’m the Travel Editor for the university’s official magazine, the Wessex Scene, and I’ve also joined the Athletics and Cross Country Club. I started running whilst I was in Japan and am now a complete addict – a year ago I couldn’t even run for ten minutes, and I just ran my first half marathon last month, proving that anything really is possible when you put your mind to it!

Before and after the Bournemouth Half Marathon!

It’s easy to become comfortable at university – hanging out with the same friends, frequenting the same clubs and bars. Sticking to what you know, rather than branching out. But sometimes, when you put yourself out there and try something new, amazing things can happen. So my advice to you, if I may be so bold as to give it, is to mix it up a little. Join a new society every year; get involved in something you’ve never tried before, something random, ridiculous and maybe even a little bit daunting. Meet some new people, because – let’s face it – you can never have too many friends, and those you meet in your final year could turn out to be just as great as the ones you made in Freshers’. Try out a new club night, or restaurant, by yourself, with a friend or as a house. But whatever you do, keep things new and exciting. After all, life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Tayler

Back to reality

And there it goes!

With the ever-present curse of the post-show blues now well and truly kicking in following two months’ worth of hard work on last week’s production of Equus with the Students’ Union Theatre Group, things are slowly starting to sink back into the realms of reality – and nothing is better at forcing me to do so than the looming assignment deadlines just around the corner which I’ve been putting off for directing’s sake!

Following an awesome couple of final shows, during which the cast of the show reached heights we could never have foreseen at the start of the process, and then a couple of hours spent helping the staging society, StageSoc, take down the huge set we’d requested and seen built for us (at the time it seemed right, but having to deconstruct it we regretted it!), we headed on over to the traditional after-show party at one of the cast’s house to finally unwind, sit back and reflect on what we’d accomplished or otherwise.

Needless to say plenty of emotional speeches were given (mostly by a choked-up production team – this one’s going to be tough to let go of!), presents and awards were handed out to everyone who made it happen (cast, crew and techies!), and a great time was had by all – well, up until the point we woke up next morning to the glaring knowledge the show’s all over!

I was lucky enough to be given refreshments and a signed photo frame with pictures of the show by the brilliant and generous cast; thanks guys!

Putting on the play has been a massive team effort from the beginning, so it was great to celebrate with the people who made it happen!

It always initially feels strange (and fairly deflating!) knowing that so much time and effort (I counted up the rehearsal hours we’d undergone over the seven weeks: 136, ahh!) has gone into something so fleeting, but as with much of the time you spend at University I guess, it’s all about the journey you go on (particularly the case in finding your feet in first year) and how that morphs the end result.

I’m delighted to say that, with Equus, we’re hugely proud of the show and we feel we’ve done pretty well on both fronts, having had a brilliant run with a truly remarkable set of people who made the rehearsal process of a dark text enjoyable and very gratifying indeed, ending up (somehow!) with some quality theatre at the end of it all, as testified by some glowing reviews from both local and student press. Discussing if we’d make any changes to it all in retrospect, my team and I concluded that if we could do undergo the process again, we wouldn’t change a thing!

But, at the same time, the first show of my third year here (one of a smaller number than last time round hopefully; I’m trying to moderate it a little more this year!) has been and gone, a striking reminder for me that I don’t have as much time left studying in Southampton as I might like. As if seeing a second batch of freshers into the uni didn’t make me feel old enough!

In many ways I’m quite lucky to have a fourth year of study here lined up, being on a Software Engineering Masters course, but it’s going to be quite an eerie experience watching many of my friends – and all of my housemates – graduate at the end of the year and depart for distant climes, and it’ll be weird not having them around all the time to pester or procrastinate doing far more productive activities with!

On the flip side, because life at University is as fluid as it is, I’ve found that I’ve positively racked up opportunities, experiences and friendships just through saying ‘yes’ every so often – there’s always a deluge of things to do, despite never having seemingly enough time in which to do them! Just reflecting on how much has been achieved in the calendar year of 2013 alone from a personal standpoint, it’s implicative of how easy it is to flesh out your life and come away from University with more than a couple of stories to tell the next time you find yourself in both an informal context and an interview room – and luckily, I’m only just over halfway through my University career!

It was a privilege to direct such a truly talented and fun group!

So although I jest that I’m going back to a life of deadlines and constant wishing I was back in the director’s chair of my favourite play (well, I will miss it!), I know that something new, fresh and exciting is awaiting me around the corner, a new challenge or chance to step out of the comfort zone, which means life will continue to go onwards and upwards!

And just as plays, groups and assignments come and go, so do blog writers! You may have noticed that I’ve recently been joined by a fresh set of faces on here, and soon you’ll be hearing from new writers for Life at Southampton in the form of James, Tayler and Kristin, all of whom I greatly enjoyed meeting the other week. I can’t wait to find out what they’ve been up to during their time in Southampton so far, and indeed hear about their experiences in the months to come – after all, it’s difficult to live here without picking up a few stories along the way, such is the amount that goes on!

Now, back to reality – in the shape of those looming deadlines...!

Robin