With the final days of June ticking by, our student cards very close to expiring, and with many of our number soon to be heading off to conquer new horizons, a large group of us leavers decided to take advantage of the recent scorching weather and enjoy a sun-soaked day on Bournemouth beach. It seemed the perfect place to have one last hurrah together, as although we’ll all definitely see each other in the future, it probably wouldn’t be as guilt-free as doing so in that post-summer exam period as a student!
What we hadn’t counted on at the time, however, was that the date we’d picked, based purely on the promise of great weather that day, also happened to coincide with the release of all of our results… and therefore, final degree classifications – our last ever academic results days!
But we were determined to make a day of it and enjoy this last road trip. Doing our best to ignore the prospect for as long as possible, we all packed up as much beach equipment – towels, beach balls, cricket sets, and plenty of sun lotion, and drove the short trip to the picture-esque beach, setting up a base camp which was to be our home for the day.
Preparing to celebrate results in style, our road trip reached a beautifully golden Bournemouth beach!
While we all did our best to offset the sense of lingering tension with fish 'n' chips, ice cream and dips in the shockingly cold sea, there was a sense of nervousness hanging in the air. We even tried building a traditional sand castle while waiting, although it wasn’t the strongest ever (we later saw it destroyed by the onrushing tide!) as we had to construct it with our hands – none of us had remembered a spade!
The hand-built sandcastle
Finally, after a wait which seemed much longer than it actually was, the tension was punctuated by the sound of cheering as results were released and, one by one, we checked our email inboxes…
Personally, I’d gone into the day hoping for a Second Class Upper mark, what we call a 2:1, thinking that anything more would most likely just be out of reach. But because my final few months of being at the University have represented something of a fairytale, and because this was to be the perfect day, I received the surprise of my life when I was recommended to receive First Class Honours at my graduation ceremony – I’m going to be Robin Johnson MEng!
After a quick (inevitable!) phone call to Mum, of course, who, in my shock at the mark, gave me the brilliant advice of “Don’t question it, just be happy with it!”, I found out that all the leavers around me had done brilliantly too, with everyone delighted at their mark. It was one of those moments I don’t think I’ll ever forget, the perfect way to crown four unforgettable years on a beautiful day. The resulting “soon-to-be-graduates” photos were also inevitable!
Some of the class of 2015 after finding out results – we couldn’t have been happier!
(Credit: Ellie Blacklock)
(Credit: Ellie Blacklock)
… although our many, many attempts at a posed-for jumping photo were far less successful!
(Credit: Joe Buckingham)
(Credit: Joe Buckingham)
And with tension relieved, we were able to enjoy a brilliant day, riding roller-coasters, playing ball games, swimming in the sea, jumping waves and just relaxing in the sun. In the end, we didn’t want to leave, but leave we had to, and following several goodbyes, we were on our way home.
… at which my housemates and close friends surprised me with champagne, and we had a movies, video games and snacks night, honestly the perfect way to cap off what proved to be the day of my life! Thank you to everyone for a brilliant one!
All in all, it’s been an incredibly productive, enjoyable and, thankfully, successful year, both in the books and in the extra-curricular life, and I’m happy to say I’ll leave University with the greatest sense of fulfilment I could imagine.
And, with only my graduation ceremony and Edinburgh left, that final day of the year together in Bournemouth really was the perfect way to finish.
Robin
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