Getting back into the groove of university life

I’m writing this blog post after completing my first assessment of semester two, which feels bizarre to say as it seems like we’ve only just started the semester! The assessment in question was a piece of group work for my Space Plasma Physics module that counts towards the coursework portion of the overall course mark. The assessment consisted of being split into predetermined groups of four in the lecture room and having to answer three questions that cover the topics learned over the last few weeks.

Usually Physics coursework consists of problem sheets that you can take away and work on for a week, but this is the first time I’ve had this kind of in-class assessment (except for the mid-semester tests of first year). Naturally this method is a lot harder, but it does give good practice for exams (not that I haven’t had enough over my four years!) and the nature of the questions require a lot of approximations to be made, which for scientists is a great skill to acquire.

Three weeks in to this semester and I feel like I am on top of all my modules and I am especially enjoying the Nanoscience module, which I was a little unsure about taking because it is a collaboration between the Physics and Chemistry departments. In addition to my modules, my Master’s project has progressed a fair bit; the most important development being the production of our first plots and thus our first results! I have also begun to write my final report - 500 words down, only 7,000 more to go!

In addition to getting back into the swing of doing university work and assessments, my extracurricular activities have restarted. I was looking forward to the first Art Society (ArtSoc) meeting of the new semester all the way throughout exams because it was the return of the cheese, wine and charcoal night that I missed last time around.

Anyone who knows me will tell you how much I love cheese, so it was no coincidence that I was the first to arrive, even beating the committee! Since it was the first event after everyone had returned from the Christmas holidays, the evening was mainly a chance to socialise and an excuse to pig out on cheese and wine. Naturally that meant that very little drawing was actually accomplished!

The first of many plates! 

Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to the following session, so the next Artsoc event I attended was this week’s Valentine’s Day-themed arts and crafts session. Seeing as my girlfriend reads this blog I won’t disclose exactly what I made, but I can tell you it took me an hour to assemble and involved a lot of cutting and gluing!

After the session had ended we began our first social of the new semester, which, after a brief stop in the University pub, saw us heading into Portswood to visit a fancy cocktail bar, where we enjoyed their 2-for-1 deals!

Susu (the Students' Union resident cat) came to take part in the Valentine’s Day fun, but sadly she declined to join us on the social afterwards! 

Although the last few weeks have definitely been some of the busiest of my University life, I have somehow still managed to squeeze in plenty of relaxing and socialising too. Getting back into the groove of University life has made me realise just how much I will miss the University, and Southampton in general, when I come to graduate in the summer.

James