I chose #Southamptonbecause …it opened my eyes to what I could achieve

For me, it was more a matter of why not Southampton?

I’d visited five universities before submitting my UCAS application, but my heart was set on here when I saw the obvious passion from course lecturers and students alike.

Therefore, this post will answer some of the questions I wish I’d known the answers to before my first year - so hopefully it helps some of you to make a decision!

A snap of Highfield Campus! 

What makes our uni unique?

It may be a cliché but it’s worth saying - I truly believe that the University of Southampton is a special place to live and study. You only have to attend one of our Open Days in the summer to see the genuine satisfaction and enthusiasm of our students and the welcoming atmosphere on campus!

Furthermore, Humanities students have our own, picturesque Avenue Campus close to Highfield, so it’s easy to meet up with friends and coursemates regularly.

One of the weekly markets on the Redbrick

How is life in a halls of residence?

I know plenty of people who loved living in sociable residences like Montefiore and Glen Eyre, but the prospect of leaving home can be very intimidating. It brings back memories of not having wifi in our buildings and then feeling ever so slightly envious when it was installed a year later!

I can assure you that each year will be easier and more enjoyable when you find people with whom you have common interests.

The entrance to Avenue Campus

How difficult will it be to settle into my course?

This was one of my big concerns before starting my degree. Many students arrive having excelled in sixth form, but find it disconcerting that they are not alone in being talented in their subject area.

Fortunately, the lecturers on my languages course have been noticeably encouraging as they are distinctly aware of the step up.

Ultimately, though, everyone is in the same boat and the support network with course coordinators and personal tutors is always something I’ve appreciated here as you feel valued by your faculty.

Late afternoon on the Southampton Common!

How can I follow my hobbies beyond my degree?

The Bunfight in Fresher’s Week highlights the ever-growing diversity of societies on offer here. This means that you’ve got even more opportunities to get involved, whether it’s a new hobby or one that you’ve been practising for years.

I’ve relished being part of languages and Erasmus societies as well as playing tennis, badminton and 5-a-side football on the side. It’s this emphasis on inclusion which inspired me to take up running and in April, I’ll be running my second Southampton Half Marathon!

At a Southampton match (supporting Liverpool!) 

On a trip to Winchester Christmas market

Will I be employable after uni?

I may not have a job just yet, but I can state with absolute certainty that my university life has equipped me with a number of enticing life skills for employers, such as teamwork, communication and time management.

I’m not saying that this couldn’t be achieved anywhere else, but Southampton was the perfect fit for me in terms of location, course and hobbies so there’s no reason it won’t be the same for you too!

Thanks for reading and hope you’ll find my advice helpful!

Paul

How to make your breaks more interesting

After two very relaxing weeks at home in Norway, I’m now back in Southampton and very ready to finish some of my coursework. However, technically I’m still on a break for another two weeks and although the plan is mainly to do work, breaks are important.

It’s a continuous question; what should I fill my breaks with? Most of the time, I’m on so buried in deadlines my breaks consist of eating or going to the gym – but now I don’t have any immediate deadlines and thus time for more and longer breaks.

Tennis 

There are two tennis courts behind Avenue Campus, which are open to book for all students. The gym is nice to go to when it’s raining, but when the sun is out I’d trade the gym for an outdoor workout any day. Therefore, when the sun decides to come out and the temperature is above 10 degrees I’m looking forward to spending some breaks here. However, a trip to the gym is a perfect break from work if the sun is not out.

Netflix 

It’s nice to be productive while you are having a break, but sometimes it’s even nicer to crawl up in bed and watch Netflix after a long day of course work. At the moment, I’m watching the last season of House of Cards and when I finish that I’m ready to catch up on the latest season of Suits. After that, I need something new to watch, so any tips are greatly appreciated.

Walks 

One of the best thing with having a local boyfriend is that I get to see every part of every area in Southampton. Think you’ve seen Bassett properly because you’ve been to Glen Eyre? Think again. When the weather is sunny I love going for walks and my favourites have always been down to Ocean Village or The Common, but Bassett has now made it to my list of favourite places in Southampton. The Southampton City Golf Course is not far away from Highfield Campus and is located in between loads of cute typical British houses. The surrounding areas around Highfield campus are lovely places and are all worth checking out.

Coffee breaks

I’m sure most of your friends are just as busy as you are with coursework. A coffee break with them is a good way to get something highly needed (caffeine!) and socialise at the same time. If you are on campus, there are several places to go; The Bridge, the Arlott Bar or The Piazza to mention a few. If you are in town I think Bedford Place has some really lovely cafés; Retro Café, Café Monde and Halladay’s Tearooms are my favourites.

I was lucky enough to fly over the spectacular Windsor Castle when I came back to England. One word: huge!

Alexandra

Reduce, reuse, and recycle

It’s impossible not to notice that, when in halls or walking around the University's campuses, there are very few general waste bins, particularly inside University buildings. Instead, we have food waste caddies and separate bins for recyclables.

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting the University’s Waste and Recycling manager and we had a chat about the University’s system for dealing with all of the waste produced by its thousands of students and staff.

It turns out there are 12 people who are part of the waste and recycling team, and they get up to far more interesting things than the job title suggests.

 First of all – what happens to all the rubbish?

The University (including halls) has over 1,000 bins and produces an estimated 2,200 tonnes of waste yearly. All of this isn’t dealt with by the Hampshire Local Authority. We have our own contractors which means that much more is recycled.

The most interesting recyclable that the team deals with is food waste, which is why you find food waste caddies in halls and kitchens around campus. Rather than just being composted, which was what I thought happened to it, it’s actually sent to an anaerobic digestion plant, where the waste is broken down by bacteria.

 One of the food caddies used across the University

This process releases carbon dioxide and methane, which is used to produce electricity. The remaining product then becomes a high quality fertiliser to be used in UK agriculture.

This is why the University encourages us to separate food waste from regular recycling. If food is put into the mixed recycling, it becomes contaminated and cannot be recycled. This is why you have to separate your sandwich from its container before you throw it away in the staff kitchen or in the Piazza!

All the other recyclables are sent to a recycling plant where it is separated and reprocessed. A newspaper becomes a new newspaper within a week, glass is melted and made into new glass and metal becomes, you guessed it, new metal parts.

 So many recycling bins in Hartley Library!

If you live in private accommodation, glass can be recycled by using bottle banks (see the Recycle for Hampshire website for more). Within the University, buildings don’t have access to glass recycling since the University uses an external system, so glass can be recycled via the compounds.

For those of you in University Accommodation it is particularly important that you make use of the external mixed recycling bins for glass, and don’t just throw it away in mixed recycling bin in your kitchen. It is requested that glass is taken straight to external mixed recycling bins because of health and safety hazards for the wonderful people that come round and empty your bins. There are some special collections for waste electrical electronic equipment (WEEE), because anything that has a plug or a battery is required to be collected separately.

This whole system is hugely environmentally friendly and saves money, as recycling is cheaper than sending waste to energy from waste or landfill. It also means that materials can be used again and again. If money is saved by recycling as much as possible, then there is more money for student services - a win-win for everyone!

One of the posters used across the University to explain the recycling system

There is also a focus on re-using rather than throwing away. This year the team have worked with the charity Farm4life to divert a tonne of waste in the form of old furniture. The charity selected the furniture that was still usable and in decent condition, and shipped it to their project in Ghana. So far this has been a huge success and the team are planning to do more in the future.

Farm4life isn’t the only charity that works with the University. The British Heart Foundation collect unwanted items from students, particularly at the end of term. The estimated income from these donations in 2015 was £47,516. There is also ‘Shift Your Stuff’ with SUSU and at the end of the year unopened tinned food is collected from halls and given to a homeless charity in Southampton.

The waste and recycling team are key to making sure that life at Southampton isn’t just pleasant but sustainable as well, by emptying the bins and performing all of the litter picking,

Happy recycling!

Emma

Why Hartley Library is awesome

The new term has started and I’ve now borrowed all the books I need for the next few months.

Looking through the rows and rows of book cases at Hartley Library, I thought it would be appropriate to write about why I love the place so much.


So here’s my homage to my second home at the University of Southampton.

Why it’s awesome in a nutshell:

1. It is open 24 hours every day during exam season.
2. Being a Southampton student gives you access you thousands of hard copy books and electronic materials free of charge.
3. It’s arguably the warmest building on campus. 

Some of my Politics and International Relations course books. Here’s to 3rd year.

Most people become accustomed to their university library fairly well during their time as a student. It’s probably the first place you’ll be introduced to as a visitor to Southampton, and I don’t know about you, but many people often judge the quality of a university in question based on the quality of its library. I myself am one those people!

Taken from the green space outside the Library. One of my favourite places to sit in between studying.

Hartley Library is nearly always busy. It can be quite difficult to find a space to study during exam season. This however is simply because it is such a conducive atmosphere for study; students choose to come here in their droves because of the super-fast internet, abundance of books and resources in close proximity, and also group study rooms - which are perfect for teams working on a project or a tricky problem.

View from the Library entrance and its Café. Students often use this a meeting point. 

This desire by students of any course to choose to come to Hartley can be seen clearly when working at an estate agents. I have spoken to people who work part-time at lettings agencies who specialise in student houses, and one of the resounding trends that they tell me is that Final Year students will put the location of the house in terms of how close it is to the library above any other desired characteristic of the property. Even, in many instances, above rent, utilities cost, and the location to nightlife!

Now, if someone is willing to sacrifice a close proximity to Jesters in favour of the library, this only goes to show how good the library is. It also restores my faith in humanity that there are so many students who put their studies above anything else.

Of course Hartley isn’t the only library the University has; there’s also the Avenue Library, Health Services at Southampton General Hospital, the Language Resources Centre, National Oceanographic Library and Winchester School of Art Library too.

As for me, I have quite a busy week to look forward to: it's Freshers' Week on campus, so there’s the Bunfight, FilSoc Committee Meetings, prep readings and my part time job to juggle. It is also my 22nd birthday today (yikes) so I’m off to eat and celebrate!

Happy studying!

Rylyn

Mark your calendar: September Open Days

September will soon be upon us, which means there are loads of exciting things coming up. Hopefully a lot of people reading this blog are excited because they have been accepted to Southampton and will be joining us in September. Or maybe you’re thinking of visiting on the Open Day and starting to apply to universities for next year!

The September Open Days for the University of Southampton are coming up very soon. Two weeks from tomorrow to be precise!

I personally did not visit on an Open Day and I honestly can’t say that I regret it tremendously. However, after being a student ambassador at a recent Open Day it struck me what a great opportunity an Open Day actually is. I know I learned a thing or two about the University and the campus that I didn’t know before, even though the Open Day was 5/6 months after I started uni!

Therefore, I have some advice and tips for the upcoming Open Day that I want to share with you.

During the Open Day you will be able to meet some prospective lecturers, attend taster sessions, go on campus and accommodation tours, meet with current students (student ambassadors), sometimes even alumni ambassadors show up and you can meet the staff who work within the admission team.

In other words, it’s a great opportunity to really get the feel of what the University of Southampton has to offer.

The first bit of this post is slightly obvious. I advise you to ask ALL of the different questions you have, no matter what! Stop a student ambassador and ask them about the course; what does he/she like about the course? What has been the biggest adjustment at university? You can ask about halls, nightlife, Freshers’ Week, optional modules, sporting facilities, societies, the library…anything! Make sure you also ask the lecturers and other staff about course content, readings, assessments, academic tutors, workshops, tutorials and optional modules.

Bringing a small notebook where you can write down your questions in advance or to take notes from the information provided on the open day is a good idea.

The whole purpose of the Open Day is for you to decide if Southampton is the university for you, so remember that there are absolutely no ‘stupid’ questions and you can never ask too many!

This brings me on to the next part, which I think is very important to remember, regardless of whether you are a prospective student or parent.

It’s important that you distinguish between the student ambassadors and the staff. As mentioned, you should ask all the questions you might have, but in order to get the best response, make sure you ask the ‘right’ person. For example, if you are curious about internships you can ask your student ambassador if they have had any internships or what they know about internship opportunities. But, to get the best response, you should also ask the staff/lectures. They have (probably) been around longer than the student ambassadors and they are connected to all the students regardless of what year they are in. This means that they can tell you about the current internships opportunities, but also what current AND previous students have been doing.

The same applies to questions about admission and conditional offers. If you are worried you might not meet your conditional offer, maybe something in your personal statement will secure your place. It might be a good idea to ask staff about personal statements, but bear in mind that all applications are different and no one at the Open Day can tell you if your application will be accepted!

Highfield Campus

Going on a Campus Tour is a standard part of the open day. So, when you first arrive, go on the campus tour! Touring around the main Highfield Campus is a good way familiarise yourself with the ‘heart’ of the University.

Depending on your course, the majority of your lectures may be at another campus. For example, Ocean and Earth Science students will study at both Highfield Campus and the Waterfront Campus. Humanities students will be at Avenue Campus a lot, whilst Medicine students will be at Southampton General Hospital. Highfield Campus, despite this, is still extremely relevant for all students, because Highfield is more than just lecture halls. It’s where you find the Hartley Library, which is the largest of all the University libraries, as well as the connection point for all the Uni-link buses, and the location for the University Health Service and the Students’ Union (SUSU).

In other words, Highfield will always be relevant for you and it is, in my opinion, one of the nicest places in Southampton! A little ‘botanical garden’ within the city, as I like to call it.

One of my favourite buildings on campus – The Hartley Library 

The same advice goes for the accommodation tour, but I recommend that you visit the University’s accommodation pages and read about the different types of accommodation offered before you go. The University offers all types of accommodation within the different halls, but unfortunately you can’t view all of them on the Open Day. If the accommodation you see on the tour isn’t ideal for you, fear not! I guarantee you will find a hall that fits your needs.

You should ask your student ambassador about accommodation, because almost all of us will have lived in halls at least for our first year. For example, if you have seen a specific hall you like, but this is not the hall shown on the accommodation tour, ask your student ambassador about it! Chances are that the student ambassador has lived there or will know someone who has.

Some other questions you might like to ask yourself when looking at accommodation include;

• How far away from Highfield Campus will you want to live?
• Do you have a budget?
• Should I opt for catered or non-catered halls?

If you are unsure what the best choice is, ask the student ambassadors what they preferred and hopefully this will help you!

My last piece of advice would be to eat all the food offered at the Open Day! There is usually some really good food, with lots of refreshments available on campus - or you could visit the street food and general market down in the City Centre when you are done! There are plenty of place to eat when you visit.

The view from Mayflower Park in the City Centre

I hope those who are attending the Open day finds this helpful and that you enjoy your visit!

Alexandra

Highlights of my life at Southampton

This will be my penultimate post for the Life at Southampton blog! My first and last exams are this week, after which I’ll hopefully be celebrating, packing for Europe and preparing for my move to Australia. I thought it would be good to dedicate this blog post to some of the highlights of my University experience, all of which I’ve written about in more detail in previous blog posts.

Here’s a summary of some of the amazing things I’ve been up to over the past few years (apart from the obvious which is working towards my degree…)

First year biology field trip to Spain

One of the highlights of my first year was definitely the 10 day Biology field course in Bolonia, Spain. I was able to see, do, learn and experience so much and all in a gorgeous location with wonderful weather. You can’t really ask for more! You can read about the field trip in detail (including lots of lovely photos) see my past blog post “Easter break past and present”.

Getting involved with the dance societies

In my first year I joined three dance societies: Jazz Dance, Ballet and Contemporary, and I auditioned for the advanced competition squads for all. Before coming to the University of Southampton I had never been in competitions and I had mostly danced Ballet, but after making it into the squads I quickly made some of the coolest friends I have at University and I found other dance styles which I really love too. We had an amazing time training together, attending the competitions and taking part in the annual Pure Dance show in both my first and second year. Also, in my second year, after enjoying dance so much in my first year, I took on the role of president for the Jazz Dance Society. I’ve written a lot about my dance experiences in previous posts (also with lots of photos), for those of you more interested in the dance societies you may want to check out these past blog posts: “Getting you up to speed…”, “Dominating at the BNU Dance Competition”, “My last dance competition” and “Pure Dance 2014 and more”.

Mandarin language course 

During the summer of my first year I applied for a place on a three-week intensive mandarin language course which I still feel very lucky to have taken part in. The teacher was super supportive and encouraging and I was amazed at how much I had learnt in just three weeks. If you want to read more about my experience you can check out my past post “Light at the end of the tunnel”.

Obtaining my ocean diver qualifications

At the end of that same summer I finished my ocean diver qualifications with the University’s Sub-Aqua Club. I still find it a little funny how my first ever dive was in dry suit in cold and murky UK waters rather than somewhere in Australia (I had only ever been snorkeling when I lived there). Nevertheless, it was still a great experience. The second location we dived in was pretty cool; the water was clear and there were different parts of wreckage placed around the site so when we were diving we swam past things like a sunken car, a humongous, old, industrial tumble drier and aircraft wreckage. The instructors were really great too.

Third year project

This includes both my field experience in Italy over the summer and the lab experience in at the University during my third year. I’ve learnt a lot during both of those experiences and I had fun while doing it too. I’ve mentioned bits of my lab experience in more recent posts and if you’re interested in my Italy experience check out my past post: “Field experience in Italy”.

 

Green Action

In my third year I took on the role of president of Green Action Society. I was actually completely new to the society when I ran for the role but I was very keen to get involved. I’ve met a lot of new people and learnt so much, gaining new perspectives on global issues, particularly environmental issues but also social issues and the links between the two. I’ve had opportunities to network with people and organisations outside of the University and attended many events connected to the interests of Green Action. Overall it has been a great experience. Past posts where I’ve written about Green Action in more detail include: “Green Action and student campaigns” and “Sustainability festivals and green spaces”.

There’s a whole lot more I could write about but this blog post would be never ending and I need to get back to revision with my exams fast approaching!

I wish everyone good luck in their exams!

Kristin

The dreaded P-word

It is finally complete! I handed in my Masters thesis in the first week back after the Easter break and on Friday I had the corresponding Viva, which means that I can finally say that my project has come to a close.

A Viva is an interview in which academics (two in my case) scrutinise your final report and you are expected to defend your decisions, whilst showing off your wider knowledge of the theory behind your results. In the morning before it I had re-read my report several times (finding a few unfortunate typos, although none as bad as my partner’s 'lover mass black holes', instead of 'lower mass black holes') and had thought about how I might answer certain questions if they came up. Fortunately I was well prepared for the topics that arose and the thirty minutes seemed to whizz by! It’s a major relief to have that behind me – now I can turn my full attention to revision.

 

The print out of my final report I took to my Viva. 

Revision is something that every student knows all too well and although I wrote about it during the January exams, I wanted to discuss it again in today’s blog. It is my final set of University exams (and when I say set, I do mean set – I’ve never had fewer than three exams in a semester – my highest number has been five!), so I feel like I have enough experience to give some advice.

Those of you who have read my previous revision technique blog post will know that I have quite a peculiar method of revising. I pretend that I’m teaching the material to someone, either to an individual or to a whole class of imaginary students. It might sound weird, but just like my Space Plasma lecturer said this week, “If you can explain these concepts to a friend unaided, then you’ll do fine in the exam”.

Recently, I’ve even gone as far as investing in a whiteboard for my revision method; there’s just something inexplicably fun about using them regardless of your age and any way to improve the revision process is worth it in my book!

My imaginary class found 'Magnetospheric Size' enthralling! 

However, it was not the revision techniques I wanted to discuss, but more the ways to avoid the dreaded p-word: Procrastination. We all know the feeling; you’re half way through revising a chapter and suddenly you find that you have Facebook, Twitter and YouTube open on your laptop.

One of the ways I avoid procrastinating is not having my laptop turned on, unless I need it for work. This means it actually takes more effort to look at the sports news or my emails than it does to actually stay revising. If this means moving to the library or another quiet space, instead of your distraction-laden bedroom, then go for it – there’s plenty of revision-friendly spots on campus!

Another technique I use is to write a to-do list of manageable tasks that I know I can achieve in the day. Having five or so small and detailed tasks, for example ‘Revise Chapter 7’ or ‘Do questions 5-12’, instead of the open-ended task of ‘Do revision’, helps keep you focused and allows you to track your progress too.

A reward for revising hard all morning! 

The final step I take is to ensure there’s always something to look forward to when I’ve finished my to-do list. This can be video games, TV shows, a pack of fruit pastilles or, like I had at the weekend, a lunch time trip to Trago Lounge (a popular local café in Portswood) with my housemate. As long as you set yourself realistic goals and rewards, and minimise distractions, then revision should be a piece of cake!

I hope this helps and I wish you well with your exams and other deadlines!

James

International Cultural Night and society handovers

It has been an absolutely exhausting week full of major deadlines, including the almighty Third Year Project deadline! Sadly there’s no time to celebrate or rest because final exams are coming up in just a couple of weeks. This has probably been one of the most stressful months of my university experience - however, once finals are over in a few weeks, so is my time at Southampton! I’m going to try and keep this in mind and enjoy the next few weeks as I focus on revising for exams. While it’s somewhat sad to be finishing University, my friend and I will be travelling around Europe soon afterwards so we really have something to look forward to. I’ve booked my tickets to Australia now as well, so there’s no changing my mind now! I’m very excited to be moving back in just a couple of months and looking forward to seeing my family and starting a new adventure.

The last day to elect a new committee for student societies is today, so this week Green Action had our AGM and have voted in a new committee to take over next year. Soon we’ll be having our official hand-over!. I’ve really enjoyed my time as President of the Green Action Society and have been able to meet so many interesting people with similar interests, all passionate about the environment. Thanks to coming from a huge range of degree backgrounds, many of us had different perspectives on current issues so I was truly able to learn a lot from them. In particular I've learnt about new perspectives and arguments from a social side, which I’ve come to understand is also important.

I’ve also been able to get involved with many additional events which I’m not sure I would have if I wasn’t a part of the society. I’m confident that the new committee will do a great job next year and I hope they can continue the progress we have made on our campaigns this year.

Last week my housemate and I attended the International Cultural Night 2015 which was held at the Turner Sims Concert Hall on Highfield Campus. The night was organised by the International Committee at SUSU and AIESEC Southampton and was filled with performances from the different international societies at the University such as the India Society, the Vietnamese Society, the Greek and Cypriot Society, the Bruneian Society and many more. The event allowed them to share and showcase some of their unique culture with everyone. We really loved all the performances and it’s definitely inspired me to want to travel more, especially around Asia.

Some members of the Vietnamese Society performing a traditional dance

All performances were really unique and it was fun to appreciate the differences between the cultures. Most of the people in the different performances also wore traditional clothing from their country. This filled the night with rich colours which was really beautiful to see.

The Bruneian Society during their performance which included both a dance and a story

It was clear the everyone had put a lot of effort in to their performances and the night was really enjoyable. My wanderlust is growing everyday! I just need to get through these last few weeks and then the world is my oyster. I can’t wait!

Kristin

Into the woods

So in this season of finals – and not just the exams! – it has finally come to this: one final appearance in a fully-fledged Annex Theatre-based, University of Southampton, Students’ Union society, show. And what a production to go out on: a large-scale project bringing to the University the classic Stephen Sondheim musical-turned-Disney-film, Into the Woods!

 Although I’ve probably attempted to do so in previous blog posts, I can’t begin to describe just how much the Performing Arts has changed my life since I discovered it as a trembling fresher in first year. My first set of auditions for a show is a stand-out memory for me, as, being extremely shy, I can remember being aghast at having only just met some people for the first time – and then having to pretend to be married to them!

 Back then just being on stage seemed a terrifying prospect, and I wasn’t sure why I subjected myself to it. Four academic years and twenty-five shows later, and the (admittedly still extremely nerve-racking but electrifying) buzz, coupled with nerves and adrenaline galore, is still there - but I’ve learnt to enjoy it along the way!

Of all the shows, it’s definitely the best costume I’ve had to wear!

It’s not just the time on stage, though, or indeed even time off stage – it’s the experience, the journey (if I’m going to be theatrical!) that you go through as both an individual in your role, and a collective with your fellow students within casts, teams or committees, that makes being part of the Performing Arts (or any student group) so special.

I’ve picked up an incredible number of skills from societies, be it public speaking (including dealing with nerves!), project management and co-ordination (of pretty large teams over several months), budgeting, scheduling, touring, designing, teamwork exercises, application writing, communication, and most of all, learning how to relax and trust your instincts. All of these complement the excellent academic groundings that I’ve picked up through my course in Computer Science and Software Engineering.

A far cry from that trembling first audition, definitely!

Along the way, I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting the most inspirational set of people I think I ever will. There’s some innate quality within the casts, crews and production teams I’ve got to know over the past four years that makes them so radiant, enthusiastic, full of quite breathtakingly brilliant ideas, and just great fun to be in the company of . Or maybe it’s just the number of times we’ve acted weirdly with each other in rehearsal rooms (which we always explain with “theatre!”)!

Over the course of the four years, I’ve seen plenty of these people come and go, and formed some fantastic friendships which I know will ensure we’ll keep in touch. Being part of such a strong community, as is the case with being part of SUSU, the Students' Union, in general, has been an honour, and has allowed me to achieve things which I couldn’t have imagined ever having the confidence or ambition to even dream of at first, let alone implement.

I couldn’t have imagined singing publicly at the start of University, let alone wearing eyeliner!

Being part of a show is truly a team effort in all senses, and as a result never fails to be a privilege – even if it does take time away from studying every now and again (although doing both is very doable)! It’s this sense of community which has made me feel so at home during my time here, at ease and enjoying myself at the University, and for anyone coming in September, it’s very, very easy to get into – all you have to do is turn up to a meeting and say hello, and things will go from there!

If the stage isn’t your thing, this experience is replicated in all forms of student group, be it media (the SUSU has its own entertainment magazine, newspaper, and radio and television stations), sports (… far too many to list!), RAG (Raising & Giving), academic clubs, lifestyle groups, and many more. Going along for the first time is probably the most nerve-racking experience of all at University, when you know nobody and everything is new – but if you do take that step, I can promise you that you won’t regret it!

As for Into the Woods, it’s really been one of the best experiences of my life – as every show seems to have been! Spending time with such a brilliantly talented cast and crew over the last few weeks, playing Ultimate Frisbee on the sunny University campus during our breaks, and having movie nights and meals together to give us a break from revision for impending exams (the next priority!). It’s summed up what life in the Performing Arts has been for me: better than I could ever have foreseen, thanks to the people around me.

Oh, and as I’m playing a Prince, I guess getting to dress up as royalty and over-dramatically prance around has been fun, too!

It’s going to be a strange feeling stepping off stage come Saturday evening in light of everything, but I know I couldn’t have asked for (or indeed fit in!) more. I’ll only be able to thank SUSU Performing Arts for making my life at the University of Southampton an extraordinary experience – or a journey 'Into the Woods', if you will!

Robin

Making plans for the summer

While the University’s library was closed over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend I used this as an excuse to take a break from my dissertation and jump on a train to the countryside to visit my Auntie and cousin. It was nice to have a change of scenery for a few days and to catch up with relatives. We also took a relaxing drive to visit the small country villages nearby.

However, before I left to see them I started sorting through the things I have in Southampton and packed two large bags full of stuff I plan to give away or leave behind after I graduate. It’s somewhat scary but incredibly exciting to think about what I want to do after I hand in my dissertation and complete my final exams, when my time at the University of Southampton ends. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently, particularly in the last few weeks.

On the train to the countryside. I find travelling on the train alone can be very therapeutic, and a great opportunity to sort through tangled thoughts and clear your head

With my family all in Australia I think it would be nice to reunite in the same country again, as it’s been almost two years since I last saw my dad. Moreover, I haven’t actually been back to Australia in eight years and I can imagine that a lot has changed so it would be like a new adventure to move back, even if just for a few years to study for a Masters or possibly a PhD. Due to the differing term dates in the UK and Australia I will have a few months once I arrive to decide which route I’d like to chose and start making applications. I do know that either way I’d like to go on to further study.

I am preparing for a big move back to the other side of the world and, similar to when I moved to Europe ten years ago, I’ll only be taking a suitcase of clothes and some photos - so I have to start thinking about what I’ll be doing with the rest of my things!

I have really loved living in the UK for the past three years and studying at Southampton has been a major reason for that. There’s still a lot of things in the UK and in Europe that I hope to see someday so it’s very likely that I’ll be back again in the future. While I won’t be able to see everything on my ‘bucket list’ before I leave for the land down under there are a number of countries in Europe that I still want to visit. So, in order to leave without regrets, I’ve also been planning a trip around Europe with one of my housemates after our final exams.

Travelling around Europe can be very easy and cheap especially when you’re living here, so I really don’t want to waste the opportunity. Places we plan to visit include Belgium, Luxembourg, Geneva, Milan, Venice, Prague, Berlin and Amsterdam, all by train which is the cheapest way we’ve found to travel to so many places. It’ll be an exciting backpacking experience and a great way to celebrate finishing university.

Until then I really need to focus on finishing my dissertation which is due in about three weeks and then it will be time to focus on revising for my final exams!

Spring flowers on campus

The weather is getting warmer and the spring season has brought with it lots of gorgeous flowers and longer daylight hours. Summer will soon follow and with summer comes the end of university. So I’d better work hard in this last stretch!

Kristin

Why so far away from home?

It’s probably the most common question I’ve had from friends and family ever since I chose to come to the University of Southampton  four years ago, which somehow simultaneously seems both a short and long time ago! “Why so far away from home?” But, hailing from the North-West and thus a five-hour journey away, it’s a fairly good one as… well, you don’t get much more South than Southampton!

All jokes about moving as far away from my parents as possible aside (although they haven’t let me forget it!), this distance from home has been a defining feature of my University experience as a whole. And, as with everything, it has its advantages and, occasionally, disadvantages, but I’m glad to say it’s a gamble that was well worth taking. I’ve had a fantastic three (and two thirds!) years on the South coast, and am looking forward to a great final term there to boot.

Making the journey back last week to head back up North for some rest and recuperation did invoke a curious feeling. It’s not that I wasn’t excited; I’ve had more home-cooked food here in a week than I managed in the whole of last semester! But when the two lives you’ve led – the Northern life and the Southern life – have so little crossover (I was only one of two from my school year to go to Southampton!), it is an odd sensation to transition between them, well aware that the other one will continue on regardless. With five hours on a train, there’s a lot of time in which to ponder! But, to allay any fears you might have reading this, this curious feeling vanishes the second you see everyone at the station, at your house or in the city again; there’s nothing quite like seeing friends, family and, in my case, cats, again, sharing stories of what’s gone on (although there are different stories suitable for different people)!

In that sense, nothing ever really feels like it’s changed at all, and it’s amazingly easy just to slip back into old routines, friendships and groups and go bowling, see a film or grab a meal together. My school friends’ tradition of regular curry house trips well and truly lives on, and we appreciate it more than ever!

This week, as a break from revision, I’ve gone back to helping to stack hay bales on the farm – with a little help!

In that sense, I’m an extremely lucky individual, in that I have a brilliant set of friends both in the North and in the South of the country and so almost always have someone to call on. It’s not even that the two communities are as distant as I imagined they would be when I arrived so many moons ago – the wonders of webcam chats, texts and, most frequently, social networks, all go a long way to bridge that gap, keeping me ever-connected and chatting with people from all over the country, and making sure we don’t get out of touch. Well, not too often, at least - I do sometimes forget to text my parents back. Sorry Mum!

But the question remains: why Southampton in the first place? For me, I think it’s just because, ever since I visited on an Open Day and follow-up departmental day (which is definitely the best way to get a sense of any University, so I’d hugely recommend attending one here if you’ve a decision to make!), it’s just felt right. The course seemed (and has continued to be) brilliant, the facilities comprehensive, and, best of all, the campus homely.

As somebody who values their home comforts and who hadn’t had any experience of independent living before moving away, this was a critical factor for me. Once I got the sense that I could feel at home in Southampton, surrounded by friendly folk, a beautiful campus and great facilities (the Students’ Union shop remains one of my favourite buildings on campus!), I knew it was the University for me – largely because the well-stocked campus, surrounding area and community would make it nearly impossible to be lonely!

Although, nearly four years later, I still do once in a while find myself missing life at home ever so slightly (and vice versa when I’m back there, and I see there’s stuff happening in Southampton – stop having fun without me, guys!), it’s more than compensated for by the fact that, at both places, I feel like I have an incredibly inspiring, supportive and warm place in which to live every day: a home from home, if you will.

Although I knew from the start that I wouldn’t be able to pop home every other week with my dirty laundry, I’m hugely glad I took on that extra challenge and went for Southampton. If anything, it’s made me throw myself into the real world and learn even more than I probably would have done at a closer university, particularly alongside my flatmates in first year (the perfect time to experiment with stuff, as nobody really knows how to live independently!). Suffice to say we committed more than our fair share of cooking atrocities!

You’ll never know until you’ve seen for yourself how much distance from home, or indeed any other factor, should play a part in your decision, so if you’re considering universities now or for the future, I can’t recommend enough trying the virtual tour on the University of Southampton website or, better still, coming along and seeing the city for yourself! Who knows? Maybe your gut will point you to your home from home!

Robin

A change of pace

I write on the eve of a train journey back to my home in the North of the country, in the midst of many last-minute preparations – there’s never a dull moment at the University of Southampton, it seems! Suitably surrounded by bags and suitcases, laundry, books, pens, paper and ‘to-do’ lists galore, before I return to the comforts of a warm fireplace, cats and an ever-stocked fridge, there’s probably more productive things to be doing than sitting at the computer, watching television and trying to cram all leftovers into portions which are vaguely justifiable as ‘meals’! However, after what’s been undeniably my busiest, most hectic and yet most rewarding term at the University yet, it’s quite representative of just how life has been recently:

Packing in being in two shows (including one in the amazing Nuffield Theatre on Highfield Campus!); directing another; rehearsing for a third; producing a couple; successfully organising and pitching another to go on tour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer and seeing out a term of Presidency of the musical theatre society (Showstoppers) there’ve been no shortage of productions and theatrical affairs to be involved with and keep things ticking along. It makes time seem to pass far quicker than it ought to!

A final committee picture at the Showstoppers Annual General Meeting last week – we’ve had a great spell, but it’s over to the next committee now!

On top of that, I’ve still been co-hosting a show on Surge Radio (the Students’ Union radio station), I’ve started reviewing shows for the Edge (the Union's official  entertainment magazine – as was on my start-of-final-year bucket list!) and Soton Tab (the independent student tabloid), and I’ve continued serving on the overall Performing Arts committee and as a volunteer student ambassador for the Nuffield Theatre. There have been plenty of other creative outlets for me to make use of too! Here’s hoping all the experiences will help me in the job market should I choose to go forward in those circles.

From a more academic perspective, there have been January examinations to study for, a whole new set of modules to contend with, lectures to attend, the deadline for the written Group Design Project report and codebase (including end-user trials!) to meet, the end-of-project presentations to deliver, and coursework and group projects galore to tackle. Well, it is fourth and final year, after all!

Yet, somehow, it’s all still balancing, with there being plenty of time every day to spend either at the well-stocked Hartley Library or wired-up Zepler Building computer labs on all things course-related, before heading off to elsewhere on campus in the evenings to take on that day’s theatrical challenge. As proof that it’s possible, just the other day our group from the Group Design Project were delighted the other day to be awarded a First overall, which, although we’d worked hard, still came as something of a surprise, given just how much of a challenge it seemed at the time!

Along the way, there have been the usual incredible experiences, memories and friendships made, collected and savoured, just as I’ve come to expect from daily life in an inspiring institution such as this one.

With only one term left here, I think it’s that aspect I’ll miss most about University life – you never know what to expect from the day when you wake up in the morning, with so much variation and so many obstacles to overcome and potential accomplishments to attain. Even if things don’t go your way, you tend to learn quite a lot the day after - it’s very true what they say about learning from your mistakes.

It’s been a great – if busy – term, during which I’ve met plenty of brilliant new people!

Having said that, I am quite looking forward to heading back up North soon, as doing all of the above has left me fairly exhausted! It’s been completely worth it and I wouldn’t give up the experiences for anything in the world, but it is a lifestyle from which you need a break from time to time. Surrounded by family, pets and old friends at home, I’ll be sure to take the necessary time to rest and recuperate – and maybe eat a decent meal or two (thank you in advance for the vegetables, Mum)!

It’s a curious feeling returning home as, even taking into account the complete change of pace, there is always a slightly strange aspect to it, with an entirely different setting, group of friends and lifestyle in general. At the same time, I know within a few days of being back I’ll be settled, having met up and shared stories (and maybe a drink!) with plenty of old friends, and will be very well-rested indeed, so I’m looking forward to seeing everybody again.

What a term, Southampton – thank you, and here’s to a great break before the final one!

Robin

Southampton Science and Engineering Festival and Global Village

Last weekend I spent my Saturday helping out at one of the stalls for the University’s annual Southampton Science and Engineering Festival. The day is a great way for members of the public, both adults and children, to come and visit the University, learn about what research the University is undertaking, why it is important and how it has an impact on our daily lives. For the kids there were also a number of activities at the different stalls which they could get involved in. For example, at the stall I was based at - which was about the research the University is doing around breeding better varieties of lettuce for traits such as longer shelf life and drought resistance - kids were able to collect different types of lettuce seeds to take home and grow for themselves. We also had a microscope based at our stall which they could have a go at using. It was great to see so many people with an interest in science visiting the University and so many kids curious about science and keen to get involved in the different activities. The day was a great opportunity for me to practice my science communication skills.
 

Here’s the stall I was helping out with during the day. 

The boards behind me helped explain how breeding better varieties of lettuce tied into the bigger picture of food security and needing to feed a growing population under climate change.

During the day we were also given a free lunch for helping out (which is always nice!) and some free time to go and check out the some of the other stalls. I was based in the Biology section but there were also stalls from many other research areas including Engineering, Medicine, Psychology, Physics and Archaeology.

Last Tuesday AIESEC Southampton and SUSU’s International Committee organised an event named Global Village which was held in the Students’ Union. The event allowed the different cultural societies to represent their country. There were stalls representing a number of different countries including Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Pakistan, Japan, the Philippines, Brazil and Sri-Lanka. Each stall had some of their national cuisine which you could taste, some stalls had traditional clothing which you could try on, others had games and there were also performances from each society during the day! It was a lot of fun and everyone was really friendly. My friend and I even went around the stalls twice, the food was really good!

Some of the super friendly girls from the Malaysian Students Association Southampton society, two of whom I know through International student meetings. 

Finally, I’ve just finished my last week of lectures before the Easter break. Time is passing by unbelievably quickly and I can’t believe how close graduation is. In any case, this year I won’t be heading back to Sweden over the break as my family has now moved back to Australia. This is probably a good thing as I really need to focus during this break to finish writing my dissertation while also preparing for my final exams. However, I know I’ll still find some exciting things to do in Southampton over the next four weeks of the Easter break.

Kristin