My final semester and module variety

This week marks the beginning of my final semester at the University of Southampton. In my third year I no longer have any compulsory modules and have been lucky enough to choose modules that best suit my interests. This new semester includes an applied plant biology module, a module with a focus on the relationship between ecology and evolution and a module on how current global issues such as climate change impact biological systems. In addition to these three modules, I’m also continuing work on my third year project in which I’ve been looking at both phenotypic and genetic aspects of stomatal patterning in Poplar, a forest tree seen as having a large potential as a more sustainable feedstock for biofuels.

Now that exams have officially ended, I’ve also had more time to catch up with my housemates (everyone has been pretty busy with exams ever since we came back after the Christmas break). I’ve known my housemates since my first year at the University and have mentioned them a few times in previous posts. So, I thought that it may be interesting for you to read a little bit about what some of them are doing in their final semesters and what life at Southampton is like for students on other courses!

One of my housemates who is studying Audiology at Southampton has recently begun her placement. She’s been gaining practical work experience such as testing patients’ hearing and fitting them with hearing aids and has been practising skills that she learnt over the past couple of years during her course.

Another one of my housemates who is in her third year of studying the University of Southampton’s Geology course has recently handed in a large mapping project which equates to two modules worth of credits (similar to the weight of my third year project). Over the summer, she and others from her course spent about six weeks in Petrich, Bulgaria where they needed to map the area for each of their projects. Other areas where students could chose to go to and map in included Oban in Scotland, Skye in Northern Scotland, Spain and Romania.

During her time in Bulgaria she and the other students who chose to map in that area also had the opportunity to visit two copper mines which she said was both really interesting and useful for their projects. They stayed in the village houses owned by the locals who knew very little English, so she said they quickly picked up simple Bulgarian phrases in order to communicate with their hosts. They also adapted to local ways of living during their stay, including their diets (which was mainly meat-based), and learnt a bit about their local traditions and habits. It sounds like an amazing experience abroad, and it must feel really good to now have finished and handed in such a large project! It's one of the many chances students get to study abroad at Southampton.

A photo of my housemate which was taken in their mapping area. 

I’m a little envious of her trip to Bulgaria but I was also lucky enough to travel over the summer when I went to Italy to collect part of the data for my third year project.

Anyway, on a separate note, with the new semester beginning, my course mate and I attended our first Chinese kickboxing class this week which we really enjoyed. It’s fun trying something new and with this being our last semester it’s great to take the opportunity. I’m not going to lie, we both have a lot of room for improvement (we are both total beginners!) but I’m excited to see how we’ll improve our strength and coordination over the term.

Lastly, to current students at the University of Southampton, I thought I’d also mention that the University is in the process of looking for another blogger to join the team! More details can be found on the University’s blog. It’s a great opportunity to earn a little bit of extra money, gain employed writing experience and enhance your CV! Why not give it a go?

Kristin