Exactly one week away from New Years Eve, we’re into the reflection period of the year; an opportunity for everyone to look back over the ups and downs over the past year.
2016 turned out to be a major year for me and below I have listed some of my highlights:
January – May
The most memorable part of my year was my semester abroad in the beautiful medieval capital of Europe, Rouen.
When in France...eat macarons
View from a bridge in my beautiful host town
This was an unforgettable experience and I am so proud that I pushed myself to undertake an Erasmus trip. I somehow managed to live on my own in a flat and cope with 30 contact hours a week (without blackboard to assist)! I made friends for life, which seems bizarre given the language barrier and cultural differences. I cannot express how grateful I am to everyone in my L2 géo class for not laughing at me whenever I stammered but constantly supporting me throughout the semester.
Of course, there were bad times. I can easily recall countless times when I felt stupid because I could not understand anything going on around me and my head would be perpetually aching from concentrating all day.
Academically though, the risk was worth it: I still achieved a first class average (despite all learning/assessments being in French). Furthermore, I was awarded the Dean’s List Award for my grade average!
Whilst abroad I also campaigned for and was elected GeogSoc President. It was very nerve-wracking watching the AGM take place through FaceTime! This is my most time-consuming extra-curricular to date but I could not be happier to ensure that geographers have a fantastic time here at Southampton!
Summer
This was my busiest summer for as long as I can remember. This included my first holiday with my boyfriend (Ireland), family holiday after three years (Turkey) and an excellent fieldtrip (Berlin).
Most notably, I spent two months back at Camp Morty in the USA. Returning for the second year in a row, I not only adopted a new position as counsellor but also juggled my dissertation and conducted all of my data collection for my dissertation.
Dining inside a fancy restored church!
A touching note from one of my campers
As well as some work experience in finance and accountancy, I became a student blogger!
Third Year: Semester One
This past semester was very different to the Southampton experience I was used to. I suddenly had three contact hours a week - all French and no Geography, which was a massive adjustment from my 30-hour week in France.
Without lectures forcing me to go to campus, I realised it was up to myself to self-motivate. My key to success was waking up early - fortunately I have always been an early riser so I just had to make sure I maintained up my 7am wake ups and hit Jubilee gym!
Having played throughout my childhood and competing abroad, I missed playing netball and joined the GeogSoc 1st team. We have had an amazing season so far and I love being part of a sport family again. A couple of weeks ago we held our annual GeogSoc Christmas Ball at the Grand Harbour Hotel. It was extremely stressful as President and a lot of pressure to have a successful night, but in the end the event was spectacular and one of my favourite nights at uni!
I am very pleased that I managed to squeeze in all of my extra-curricular activities in third year so far, despite being warned and advised to cut down and focus on my studies. Although I do worry about my work/play balance sometimes, I am really glad I made the time to have fun: from karaoke at The Stags to participating in Jailbreak for the first time.
Highlight of 2016
To top it all off, I have been offered a place at the University of Cambridge to study a masters in Education, International Development and Globalisation and gain an MPhil (Masters of Philosophy).
To summarise, the only two words to describe my 2016 would be: busy and rewarding.
After completing my Year Abroad in France way back in June, the first thing I knew I wanted to do was revive some of the Erasmus culture when I came back to Southampton - by joining the Erasmus Society! It’s proved to be a great decision so far.
I’m one of this year’s buddy coordinators for the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) at Southampton, along with my excellent fellow coordinators, Désirée and Jodie. Essentially, the three of us have the difficult task of matching up the best part of 400 students, so that international and UK students can get to meet one another and practise speaking whichever language/s they want.
The word ‘difficult’ is quite probably the understatement of the century here, as our decisions are bound to make some people delighted whilst others will feel more disappointed.
At the Erasmus introductory white T-shirt party
Back in early October, we sent out a quick survey asking people about their interests and subjects as well as the preferred nationality of their potential ‘buddies’. The response was incredible; much better than we had ever imagined, so our job was even more challenging!
There are 18 of us on the committee, which is one of the largest contingents at the University. So far this year, we’ve promoted ourselves at the Bunfight, set up trips to Oxford and Bath Christmas markets and organised introductory and Halloween parties. As we’re in charge of the buddy scheme, we create meet ups but the initiative is very much down to the amount of effort the buddies put in.
My committee polo t-shirt!
Now more than ever, I realise just how important and rewarding such a scheme is, especially having just returned from a year abroad myself. At the start, it can be extremely daunting as you never know whether you’ll like the country, be able to make friends and manage the dreaded language barrier.
The buddy scheme is so relevant in establishing a bond between home and international students, rather than allowing cliques to grow, and showing that everyone who studies and works here is a valued part of our community. I think this is very important, especially with recent political events (Brexit being one of many!).
For all the Modern Languages students at Southampton learning French, Spanish, German - you name it - there will be just as many Erasmus and international students looking to improve their English with a native speaker. Another really great thing about it is that it’s not exclusively for language students – anyone can join in!
One of the Language Exchange events at the Bridge
We’re equally fortunate to have a multitude of language events where people can chill out and chat with people of all nationalities from diverse backgrounds, even if it’s just down the pub or on campus. After all, people often say they speak a language more fluently after a drink or two!
You might have heard that the COP21 Agreement made in Paris last year came into effect on Thursday 3rd November. This means that countries including China, India, and the U.S. now are legally obliged to stick to the global temperature target of no more than 2°C above the pre-industrial levels, and to pursue a target of 1.5°C. This is a great step in the right direction, but cannot be done without everyone playing their part.
If you’re like me and care very much about challenges such as food security, biodiversity loss, access to water and global climate change, I’ve compiled a list of some things you can do to save the planet as a student at Southampton.
If you’re in halls, this might sound obvious but switch things off, meaning lights, extractor fans, lamps etc., when you're not going to be in the room or around for the day. You would be surprised at the number of times that I’d come home from a day of lectures to find bedroom and bathroom lights still on. I know it seems easy to use as much electricity and water as you want when in halls; some people say, “If only I do it it’s not going to make a difference…” But think about it this way; it’s a good habit to get into, especially if you’re moving into private-rented houses in your second and third year!
On that note, it's easier than you think to recycle (which all halls at Southampton cater for) and there are even annual competitions to win ice-cream!
If you want to make a direct impact on your carbon footprint, consider cutting out meat and dairy products from your diet. Not only will this save you money on groceries, it will also directly affect your personal contribution to emissions! The University's Vegetarian and Vegan Society will be able to help a lot as they are willing to help with any questions you may have, such as recipes, where to buy food, and general advice.
You have the option of doing your washing in halls on a lower temperature too, and if you invest in a clothes horse, you can cut out the dryer element (saving you money, once again).
Join groups which are environmentally focused. Green Action Southampton undertakes a range of projects including an SU Food Co-Op, to cut down on packaging and transport, candle-lit evenings at The Art House Café in Southampton (vegan!), the Southampton Climate Forum, and they also run the awesome Environmental Rock Music Festival! The Marine Conservation Society run weekly beach cleans in and around Hampshire, the Student Switch Off Society – funnily enough – switch things off, and I’ve heard it’s quite fun to run around campus and turn off as many plugs as you can…
If you’re more politically minded, you can join the Young Greens who meet regularly to discuss Green Party issues, and are focused mainly on change in Southampton, so there will be things you can actually get involved in! There are student groups for most major political parties.
Obviously, I’m not saying everyone has to do all of these things and join every student group starting from today, but maybe if you could pick one or two off the list and start there, you could really make a difference today.
So Christmas is over and once again we’ve headed back to Southampton to start revising for exams, desperately trying to work out what we need to score to still achieve a 2:1.
I thought about writing some sort of survival guide for exams, but honestly after three years of undergraduate studies I’m still not sure of the best way to go about it; if anyone does have a good survival guide please let me know!
Instead I’m going to write about something I experienced in December.
One of my closest friends in Southampton isn’t a student, but rather she works for the University, whom I met in a roundabout sort of way a couple of years ago. This woman is impossible to shop for, and has a habit of teaming up with her partner to buy me the most amazing gifts. She is also the most selfless person I know; two or three times a week she takes a basket full of homemade muffins or cookies and gives them out to the homeless people in the city centre.
Photo of Rollz and this week’s muffin delivery
In all honesty I’ve never really paid much attention to homeless people, and I know I’m not alone in that, but on reflection it’s a really terrible thing that so many of us simply accept homelessness as something that just exists.
So, for my friend this year, I decided to buy a big Christmas card and take it round the City Centre, trying to find as many of my friends ‘streeters’ as I could, and ask them if they wanted to sign the card for her. Every single one of them that I spoke to said yes, and all of them had really lovely kind words to say about my friend.
The strange part for me was that they were all such normal people; they didn’t ask me for anything and honestly many were just grateful that someone had stopped to talk to them, when hundreds of people every day just walk by without even noticing them.
That’s when I realised what was so wonderful about my friend taking round muffins for them. It wasn’t about the food, it was the fact that when you have so little, and someone takes the time out of their day to cook for you and stop and have a chat and ask you how you’re getting on, really taking an interest, it changes your whole day and makes things just a little bit brighter.
As students at Southampton we can choose not to be just a part of the University, but part of Southampton’s community. I know many people through student societies hold charity events, such as the Athletic community’s past jogs to the homeless shelter with canned food, but you don’t have to be part of a society to do something positive. I’m definitely not suggesting we all start baking and descend upon the City Centre with cake, but there are a number of wonderful local charities that are always welcome to donations.
It doesn’t have to be money; as students we live semi-temporary lives here, buying things to kit out our student accommodation that won’t leave with us when we graduate. Blankets, sheets, canned food that you bought in the event of the apocalypse or a really rainy Sunday…all of that will be gratefully received by homeless shelters in the city. The Society of St James is a great charity that operates in Southampton – if you’re interested you can find their website here.
I think the main thing that everyone can do, that costs nothing and takes virtually no time out of your life is to simply stop thinking of homeless people as invisible. Don’t quicken your pace just a little bit and walk past, or ignore the Big Issue seller completely.
It hurts no one to just smile. Just a tiny bit of kindness can make more of a difference than you know.
When I heard that the Southampton Enactus team won the 2015 World Cup, the first image that came to my mind was – believe it or not – football.
Of course, I have heard of Enactus before but never really understood what it was about.
Well, it most certainly is not about football, I tell you. Enactus is a non-profit organisation that mobilises university students to give something back to their communities using the genius of entrepreneurship.
Enactus is an international group and Enactus Southampton, one of our many student groups, is just one of hundreds of teams worldwide. This year, Enactus students from the University of Southampton won the prestigious World Cup in competition with other budding young entrepreneurs from 36 countries!
The Southampton team won because of the sustainability of their projects. At the moment there are three international Enactus Southampton projects:
SanEco: a sanitation project based in Kenya that delivers re-usable sanitary towels, waste composting toilets and natural soap through local entrepreneurship.
Right Light: offers solar powered alternatives to kerosene light. Kerosene is dangerous; it is bad for the respiratory system and hazardous for young children. Last year alone there were around 4000 kerosene related child deaths in Kenya.
Juamaji: a project which integrates social entrepreneurship with water purification to remote communities across the globe.
All projects are clean, efficient and, most importantly, sustainable!
BeInspired
As well as international projects, Enactus also runs programmes right here in our local community. I met Amina who is project manager of BeInspired, a local Enactus project based here in Southampton. The BeInspired team themselves are University of Southampton students doing courses ranging from Biomedical Sciences to Economics.
With Amina, BeInspired Project Manager and Imogen, Vice President of Enactus’ Local Projects
At this very moment BeInspired are running their Social Impact Programme; a six week course in Southampton City College that supports the integration of young migrant pupils in the school. The course is interactive and is part of the pupil’s weekly timetable. In fact, the team are scheduled to run an entrepreneurial exercise at the school today. The plan is to get the pupils to sell cupcakes with the aim of creating profit. This means that the pupils themselves will have to manage their own production line, pricing and marketing of their merchandise. Afterwards, the students will travel to Highfield where our very own Student Ambassadors will be giving a campus tour and a talk on how to apply for university through UCAS. The workshop aims to make these young migrant students aware of their potential with the hopes that bolstered confidence will make integration into their new community easier.
The BeInspired Team planning their interactive workshop
Success Stories
The team told me about Juan, a motivated and engaging student who is originally from Spain. With the team’s Empower1 after-school workshops, Juan is motivated to make the most of his creative skills and resources – from his phone, to his school’s design software and his wider social network – to start an entrepreneurial business.
How to get involved
Amina got involved after seeing a poster about Enactus. A PhD Student, Amina wants to get into teaching and is interested in the matter of international student integration. Indeed, as an international student herself, BeInspired lets her contribute back into the community and at the same time satisfies her passion for education.
Whether you’re a potential University of Southampton student or a current one, I suggest you look out for Enactus at the Fresher’s Fair Bunfight. Alternatively, you can go to the Enactus Southampton website and apply for membership as anyone can join at any point in the year. There you can specify which project you’d like to get involved in and why you’re interested.
Being part of the Enactus Society looks fantastic on your CV. What’s more, you’re bound to cultivate skills such as networking, leadership and according to them, ‘everything in-between.’
Enactus is about taking action on innovative ideas – so why not check them out and take action yourself!?
With December now very much up and running, and Christmas cheer still being firmly spread across campus, this week I found myself a little more busy with other things. Top secret things.
Okay, they’re not really that top secret, but the sense of mystery does make it all seem that little bit more exciting. To be more plainly obvious: this week I’ve been working quite extensively on a project to help boost the University’s focus on film and film-making and to encourage increased collaboration between the creative industries. It’s still a little way off but it’s certainly still an encouraging prospect!
What this post is really about though, is my surprise at how straight-forward it is to go about setting something like this up. Without sounding like too much of a hard-sell, the University and the Students’ Union (SUSU) really do hand you the tools to help you realise a whole range of possibilities. Well, it has to be firmly within reason obviously, but the fact is, if you have an idea for an event or project that you think will benefit the University and/or SUSU, there’s nothing stopping you from giving it a go.
This all started a few months ago now at the very beginning of the semester, at the Creative Industries Induction week held by our lovely SUSU Creative team - you’ll find I blogged about said event all those weeks ago! During a team-building exercise, the creative societies in attendance were asked to come up with ways to encourage collaboration with each other, and it was at this point that myself as Film Editor of the University’s entertainment magazine The Edge, and Pippa, the president of the film-making society Wessex Films, hatched an ingenious plan.
Together we started to brainstorm ideas for a University-wide student Film Festival.
Pippa and I, hard at work on our ideas for the festival
It may have started a little ambitiously, but we soon found that actually, the University itself has everything we would need to run such an event, from a cinema in the form of Union Films, to support staff, a bar and of course, most importantly of all, funding.
Things always seem to become significantly more complicated when money is involved, but SUSU’s funding process was surprisingly pretty straightforward. All you need is access to a society computer account and the forms are all submitted online. After some hefty research to make sure our maths was right, everything was sent off for approval and I let out a huge sigh of relief.
Sending the funding forms off was surprisingly straight forward.
It’s very easy to bat these things away as impossible dreams, but when you sit down and actually begin to plan, it all becomes a lot simpler. The University, its campuses and its many, many societies and services form a condensed version of the wider world. Everything is in one place and within reaching distance (including people to help with the process) making it the perfect time to practice setting up an event or project like this.
So, to end with some wise words from the contemporary poet Shia LaBeouf: “Don’t let your dreams be dreams”. Being at University is the perfect time to give ambitious things like this a go. You’ll always find support around should you need it.
Obviously, keep an eye out for the soon-to-be-named student film festival coming to campus at some point in the new year!
Last year I had a chat with a representative of PwC. It was an informal CV consultation in an event set up by the University’s Careers and Employability team. I had no obligation to apply for the employer after I graduate - it was simply an opportunity to have an interactive one-on-one session with someone who was hiring. What we spoke about during this meeting has had a profound impact on my last year as an undergraduate student.
As we chatted through my CV, we spoke about how my grades and job history were good, but there was a space that was missing a lot of writing: extra-curricular activities. It is true that your grades are crucial to your job search. At the same time, however, so are your activities outside of academia. As cheesy as this may sound, it indicates to employers how wholesome you are as an individual and thus plays a crucial part in what give you an edge as an applicant.
Never managed a team before? There is support out there for you. I got this book from the Academic Skills shelf on the third floor of Hartley library.
So, in light of this, I became President of the Filipino Society. I had never managed a society before, let alone had been part of a committee. I am still getting used to delegation and event planning, but with the help of the team I hope to make this year a successful one for the society. Our first event for the year was, of course, the Bunfight.
Planning this turned out to be quite enjoyable, and we decided that the best way to introduce newcomers to Filipino culture is through the stomach.
So, we got sweets!
The Filipino Society’s stall at the bunfight. The tubs on the right hand side are Filipino sweets and chocolate.
Our aim is to bring Filipinos together and to promote our culture – anyone can join, regardless of nationality! But I must state that the sweets weren’t to lure people into signing up for the society. We decided to have them out as it was a good conversation starter and, well, who doesn’t like treats anyway?
We also chatted to prospective members about other events we are planning to hold such as Karaoke nights, Movie nights and last but not the least, our Filipino themed Halloween Party!
Our poster/invite that we handed out at the Bunfight!
The Freshers' Week Bunfight was exceptionally busy this year. Within the first hour we must have chatted to over 100 students! I also had the time to look around other societies’ stalls, and I was surprised to find out about groups that I never even knew existed.
Are you a fan of Harry Potter? Game of Thrones? Did you know that Southampton has a Fandomonium Society where you can express your love for your favourite books, TV shows and more? Amazing!
Of course there were perks to being a committee member and running a stall too…
The Bunfight pass allowed stall runners to skip the queue and have a wander through the stalls on their breaks!
I also attended the LGBT Society lunch at The Bridge. The purpose of the society is to provide a space for LGBT+ students to socialise with one another and express who they are free from judgement. I believe in this cause so I’ve also decided to join this year.
Me with the LGBT Society Committee
Looking back on my first time at the Bunfight, I realised how easy it was for me to sign up to too many societies. SUSU has over 300 different student groups, including over 80 sport clubs and 30 performing arts groups.
For me, it is far better to actively contribute to one or two clubs or societies than be a passive member of them all!
And so, the final countdown has started; I may have to be a bit more organised but the pleasure principle need not be lost!
After all that waiting, it’s finally here. The legendary Freshers' Week is now very much upon us. In fact, by the time you’re actually reading this, it’ll most likely already be on its way out. Even as a Third Year shuffling through the unbridled madness for my final time, it seems sad to see it go; the sheer enthusiasm and energy is unlike anything else university has to offer. But, of course, all good things must come to an end, and I guess there are these little things called degrees that we’re actually supposed to be getting on with too!
In fact, for me, the first few weeks re-settling in to the university way of life have actually been about one thing and one thing only. No, not that damn spaceship oven again - I’m talking about the Creative Industries.
As Southampton students will have no doubt noticed by the sheer size and scale of this year’s annual Bunfight (that’s the Union’s societies fair to anyone else), there are an awful lot of societies on offer, ranging from the subject-based to the downright insane. The Creative Industries is built up of a much smaller section of all of these groups and deals with, well, anything creative. This stretches from my own loyalties as Film Editor of the University’s entertainment magazine The Edge, to the likes of SUSUtv and even as far as the circus society.
Of course, in the spirit of creative collaboration, this year saw my first attendance at the annual Creative Industries Induction Week, wherein all the committee members for all of these creative-minded groups hang out in a gigantic room and talk/learn about how to be the best at what we do. It’s a pretty jam-packed week full of all sorts of fun stuff, covering everything from the likes of media law to simple team-building and beyond, giving everyone involved an almost encyclopedic knowledge of our own societies.
The Edge Editorial Team was certainly out in force too, as we took advantage of some incredibly useful workshops on how to use industry-standard software like Adobe InDesign to lay up our latest issue. It may have been slightly fiddly at times, and I may have become rather irate with a certain computer, but ultimately everything just about fell into place, and the new-look designs are pretty incredible. Our first issue of the year has been distributed throughout Freshers week (look out for the odd review inside from yours truly) and our second is on its way to the printers as we speak - so look out for more entertainment-related fun hitting Southampton very soon!
Our stand for The Edge at the Bunfight was a
thing of beauty.
Just in case that wasn’t enough, the whole week was topped off with the team-bonding session to end all team-bonding sessions - a DIY laser-quest tournament held within our very own student club The Cube. Equipped with some classic retro Aliens-style laser guns and with plenty of inflatable barricades and camouflage netting around to hide behind, it certainly was a rather epic way to pull the week to a close. Our mixed-society team may have ultimately lost out on the top spot, but we definitely learned an awful lot about communication and team-work along the way.
With the induction over, it was over to the Bunfight to spread the word about just how great the Creative Industries are. I may have been standing around for a shocking amount of time, repeating the same pitch to what felt like hundreds of confused-looking faces, but spreading the word about one of my closest passions, and sharing our work with the University community certainly filled me with an incredible sense of pride and achievement. Joining a society and becoming a part of something bigger really enhances the university experience - I couldn’t recommend it enough!
The Edge and SUSUtv joined forces for some
bunfight fun (Image courtesy of SUSUtv)
Freshers’ Week is just a mere taste of the extra-curricular opportunities on offer from the University, and based on the turn-out and enthusiasm so far, it really feels like this is going to be a fantastic year.
Four years ago, when I first accepted my offer from the University of Southampton, I never thought I’d end up so attached to the city and the campus. Neither did I think I’d become an ambassador for the University; giving Open Day tours to prospective students and their parents, and writing for the student blog! However, here I am today, writing my final Life at Southampton blog post and wishing I could experience the last four years all again.
I thought the best way to finish my two years of blogging would be a quick trip down memory lane, hopefully giving you an idea of why I have come to love the University so much. I came up with the idea of picking one highlight to put down for each of my four years here, which proved harder than I thought, but I think I’ve nailed it!
My Highlight of First Year: Living in halls
It’s hard to describe the experience of living in halls to someone who hasn’t done it themselves, but within a few days of arriving you soon develop a love for it. There is a great sense of community and diversity, as you begin to mingle with a variety of different people. The great thing about living together with other students is that no matter who you are, there will be always be someone who is similar to you and any worries about making friends are quickly banished.
On my first day at University I arrived at the Glen Eyre halls complex and was led to the New Terrace block. After the first day I was already attached to my room and halls, and it didn’t take long for me to join in with the traditional ‘my hall is better than yours’ debate! The people were lovely, the rooms were excellent and the ducks that used to hang out outside our block were very friendly! I have many great memories from halls, but perhaps my favourite is the invention of a sport we called Corridor Cricket – played responsibly of course!
My first day at University – the beginning of an exciting journey!
My Highlight of Second Year: Starting a band
When I think of second year, I think of the summer holiday in which I spent a lot of time in Southampton. I was originally here to work as a University tour guide during the Open Days, but it quickly became an opportunity to finally form a band! We turned the living room in my student house into a practice space and took any chance we could to crank up the volume. As fellow musicians will tell you, there’s nothing more exciting than creating and playing music together!
The Open Days themselves were also enjoyable. I was a little nervous beforehand, but I had no need to be as everyone I showed around were eager to listen and were genuinely interested in what I had to say. It was also very rewarding, especially when parents came up to you afterwards to say thank you! I hope I had the same effect that my tour guide had on me five years ago, as I can still remember him!
I think this is how all living rooms should look!
My Highlight of Third Year: The Grad Ball
Whilst my girlfriend will want me to write that “meeting her” was my highlight, I feel I should go for a more University related topic here! I think the day that stands out most from third year was the Graduation Ball, partly because I was lucky enough to win a free ticket to the event, but mainly because it was an amazing night out!
The Grad Ball was a chance to say goodbye to all the students from my year that were graduating, but it was also an opportunity to dress up smart and enjoy ourselves, with exam and coursework pressures well behind us. The night was Hollywood themed and with three different dance floors it was easy to dance all night. I remember it was starting to get light again when the event finished – morning had come! It was my favourite event of my university life!
Did I mention the Grad Ball had rides!?
My Highlight of Fourth Year: ArtSoc
My fourth and final year has been filled with many great things, including the process of completing my Master’s project, graduating and securing a graduate job, but the obvious highlight for me was joining ArtSoc, the University’s Art Society.
It took me three years to discover the perfect society for me, trying out a whole array of different things, but finally this year I joined ArtSoc and I loved every minute of it! One of the reasons I felt so at home is that it didn’t matter how good at art you were; it was all about having fun and learning some new skills. I experienced life drawing, oil painting and Modroc sculpting for the first time, all whilst making a whole new friendship group. I think out of all the things from University, I will miss ArtSoc the most!
Finger painting proved to be harder than it sounds! Nevertheless it was still great fun!
There’s one thing that all of my highlights have in common: they have all involved new friendships. I think when people talk about the ‘University Experience’ that’s what they mean. The qualifications you work towards are, of course, of great importance, but what makes university different from anything else is the friendships that you forge and the memories that you create together.
Thank you Southampton for the last four years and thank you for reading all about my life at Southampton.
For final year students, last Thursday was results day and, just like last year, I had conveniently booked a holiday during that week.
I was in Amsterdam for four days with my girlfriend and as I got my first text telling me that our results had been put online, we rushed to find a waffle shop with free Wi-Fi.
It was then, whilst eating my waffle topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, that I found out I had been awarded a first class honours for my Masters in Physics! I was over the moon and the knowledge made my waffle taste even nicer than it already did!
Amsterdam is a beautiful city, notable for its architecture and canals.
Naturally that moment became one of my holiday highlights, along with watching the sea lion show at the local zoo, taking a relaxing canal tour through the city and engaging with the interactive exhibits at the Amsterdam Museum. Whilst Amsterdam is known for being a party city, it also has a large amount of culture, including the fascinating van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum, which houses an enormous gallery of 17th Century paintings amongst other collections.
The sea lions were incredible.
As I mentioned above, this is not my first holiday whilst I’ve been at University; I went to the beautiful Belgian town of Brugge last year and I have also been on two less-cultured holidays to Marmaris and Magaluf. With budget airlines and great deals to be found online (we found a four star hotel room at a very tempting discounted price), going on holiday as a student is cheap and easy, and is fast becoming part of the University experience, especially considering that students have incredibly long summer holidays that run from June to September!
My girlfriend and I enjoying our holiday in Amsterdam together.
Even if your friends aren’t organised enough to book a summer excursion, there are still chances to travel as many societies hold their own holidays. For ArtSoc (the University’s Art Society) there was an opportunity to go to Florence over the Easter break, but sadly with a looming Masters project deadline, on top of revision and interviews, I was unable to go. Most sports societies tend to organise competitions or tours abroad too, and if the sun isn’t your thing, the University has a Skiing and Snowboarding Society too!
As a student it can sometimes be hard to find funds for holidays, so there are always alternatives closer to home. At some point over the summer, my friends back home in Surrey want to do a small camping trip, where badly barbecued burgers and haphazard tent erecting is more than enough to have a good time! If you’re in Southampton over the summer, why not explore the New Forest with some friends? It couldn’t be closer!
This summer is my last big break before I start work as a medical physicist in September, so I am allowing myself to enjoy it and take all the opportunities that come my way. My holiday to Amsterdam turned out to be a perfect way to celebrate all the hard work I put in to my degree and I’m now looking forward to graduating in three weeks’ time.
I write this post the day that results are due to be released – a final results day after many years of post-exam suspense, just waiting to find out how it actually all went. Four years of work towards an MEng in Software Engineering will be summed up by a single number – so here’s hoping it falls upwards of that illustrious 2:1 category (or even above!).
In the meantime, to stave off that curious mix of anticipation and trepidation (with this year’s exams being towards a Masters, so even more difficult to predict!), I’ve been keeping myself busy with fond farewells to all. As I wrote last time, I actually think I’ve been busier since my degree ended, somehow! There’ve certainly been plenty of social opportunities to see off my time in Southampton as a student, and I’ve been determined to make the most of them and enjoy the surroundings of a city that’s now a second home to me.
Amongst the highlights of these brilliant farewell opportunities was the 24 Hour Show last weekend, and is in truth the event I’m probably still recovering from – it really takes it out of you! One of my favourite annual goings-on, and one which I fully encourage and any all to go for (even if you’ve no experience in performing, singing or dancing before), it’s a charity fundraiser with an incredibly unique and challenging twist.
As you’ve probably guessed from the name, when you’re in the 24 Hour Show, you’re tasked as a cast member with learning the name of a musical exactly 24 hours before you’re expected to perform that same show! This involves learning the entire thing (including songs, scenes and dances) overnight (who needs sleep, right?!), getting together a costume for it, building the entire set and technical aspects if you’re one of the amazing folks in the staging society StageSoc, and then practicing the material by yourself and in groups, all before watching the show collapse spectacularly in front of an audience’s eyes for charity. If there’s one thing to teach you the value of sleep, practice and getting things done in advance, it’s this show!
It’s also all undertaken for a bit of fun, with no pressure or great expectations on the cast as a result, and this year’s production was no exception. In fact, the show even strangely improved between the first (at 5pm) and second performances (at 8pm, forty-five minutes or so after the first one had finished – no rest for the wicked insomniac performers!), and was actually probably the strongest iteration of it I’ve been a part of, a testament to the talent and dedication of all of those involved. And, of course, when it went wrong, it went really very wrong - and the audiences, all behind us in our battle against sleep deprivation, seemed to love it!
It also proved a brilliant way to say goodbye to performing in Southampton. From a personal perspective, in what’s due to be my final show at the Annex Theatre, on Highfield Campus (a place I’ve probably spent way too much time for my degree’s health!), I was lucky enough to be given a quite unique part: the show’s narrator, with monologues galore and plenty of chances for over-the-top and cheesy characterisation.
However, whereas usually people have to find unique ways of smuggling scripts and line hints (as with no sleep, there’s no way of possibly learning them all!) on stage as part of props or by other inventive means, I was given a script on stage and asked to sit there throughout, raised above the show, with the ultimate goal of keeping it all on course – despite many an accidental attempt to knock it off kilter by confused cast members!
This meant that whenever my fellow actors and actresses struggled, I had the fun of trying to invent a new, but not too obvious (although the audiences guessed my role very quickly!), way of prompting them to keep things on track – my favourite being when a cast forgot they had to take off their jacket, so I had to quickly narrate “Of course, his coat was very wet as well!”. I was even granted the power of restarting an entire song if things went sufficiently awry – and I was delighted to have the chance to do so in the second show, when a number spectacularly collapsed in the first twenty seconds and it seemed the only thing to do!
It was a brilliant and truly memorable way to bow out of SUSU Showstoppers and Performing Arts as a whole alongside many a friend and talented performer alike, and I’m hugely grateful for such an amazing opportunity. The fact that it was all for the incredible Solent Mind charity was just an added bonus, and hopefully we can be proud of the great total we raised for them in having such a lot of fun at the same time – thanks to all involved!
The cast, band, production team and crew of the hectic 24 Hour Show 2015 – thanks guys! Credit: Claudia Ashken
So with performing in Southampton over, I’ve also been working on planning ahead with a goal of having a third and final trip to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, as well as tying up loose ends on the Southampton bucket list I put together at the beginning of the year.
To this end, I had a great time in ticking one particular thing off it quite recently when I finally got the chance to go sailing on the Solent for the first time in four years here, which was a great reminder of how beautiful the city of Southampton actually is. Having said that, my girlfriend and I were on a Jet Viper speedboat at the time, so it was difficult to tell through the spray of the water and the pretty hefty winds hitting us in the face – definitely an experience I would recommend!
Seeing the city from the perspective of a speedboat was a new – and pretty enthralling – experience!
All in all, it’s been another fantastic week or so of celebrations in Southampton, enjoying some memorable final adventures in the city, all the while looking to the future.
So fingers crossed for everyone receiving news soon, be it today (for finalists), next week or even August – I hope you attain the fantastic results you deserve, and we’ll have even more to celebrate in the near future!
Those of you who have read my blog posts in previous years will know that there’s one particular time of the University year I treasure above all others: that pressure-off, sunshine-laden, post-exam period!
Too close to feel like you’ve no longer an excuse to celebrate, but too soon to really start worrying about the future in earnest (although the terrifying activity that is job searching is still well underway!), the couple of weeks after the end of term always proves a great opportunity to sit back, relax, and appreciate the company of your University friends without that nagging suspicion in the back of your mind that you’ve an assignment due sooner than you thought.
This has always been the case in the past but this year, knowing that this is the last time I’ll be in such an incredible situation in Southampton (as an undergraduate student, at least!), I’ve been determined to make the most of it, heading along to as many of the leavers’ events that have been put on in order to bid a celebratory farewell to some of the magnificent friends I’ve made. I just hope it’s a temporary farewell and I get the chance to come back every so often!
To that end, I write this off the back of one of the most incredible weeks of both social, but also personal, value that I’ve experienced during my four years here, and one which demonstrates just how much there is to do in Southampton, both within and outside of the University. They say that the University years are the days of your lives – and from what’s just happened, I think they must be right!
Wednesday 3rd June – Sports Day & Cabaret
As someone who’s been lucky enough to really grow to love and participate in both the University’s Students’ Union’s Theatre Group (normal plays) and Showstoppers (musical theatre) societies equally, having been on the committee for both, I’ve made plenty of friends across both groups. But I’ve also experienced the friendly (albeit occasionally fierce, for comedy’s sake!) rivalry between them from both sides of the fence, and so today both groups came together to battle on various sporting fields amidst a backdrop of picnics and glorious sunshine on the Southampton Common (a brilliant public stretch of grass in the middle of the city, where many a summer day is spent)!
Of course, the real fun of the day came in the realisation that none of us were actually very good, so we just enjoyed ourselves! I opted to go for Showstoppers – a year as President for them won out over a year as Webmaster for Theatre Group! – and received fitting amounts of joking abuse when I inevitably tripped over. After some fierce competition in games such as Rounders, an Egg-and-Spoon race, a Ninjas tournament (a classic drama combat game!), Football and Ultimate Frisbee, both groups were left thoroughly exhausted, so we called it a draw!
It was this lack of competitive edge, but presence of friendly rivalry, which made the experience so brilliant, and a reminder of one of an ethos I’ve found across my time at University – we were all there for the fun experience of it, and we all got plenty of it.
The fantastic Promotions Officer for Showstoppers, Charlie, put together a great highlights package of the day – it was one to remember:
In the evening, we then all headed to The Bridge in the Students’ Union building for an evening of songs from musical theatre shows far and wide, as part of our Edinburgh fundraising efforts. Once again there was no pressure to perform well, just to have fun in doing so, and the event was a massive success with us all enjoying some great songs and one another’s company in the excellent venue of the Union. Such relaxed, fun opportunities come around very often indeed in Southampton – so it’s definitely worth heading along and, if you’d like to, giving such things a go!
My friend Ben and I performing an excerpt from The Producers as part of the fundraising effort – it was an awesome evening! Credit: David Aggus
Thursday 4th June – A First Leavers’ Meal…
Having spent the morning meeting the brilliant new Life at Southampton blogging team, I then prepared to go to the Theatre Group Leavers’ Meal at the swanky restaurant 'The Vestry' in town, serving food which was a far cry from the usual beans on toast at home! With Theatre Group being the society I started with in the Performing Arts, this was very much a chance to say goodbye to my ‘year group’, and as a result some of the closest, friends I’ve had the pleasure to have met here. I’m sure it would’ve been a more emotional evening if we hadn’t made ourselves laugh so much, but regardless, it was certainly a great one!
The Theatre Group Graduates 2015 – somehow I don’t think it’s the last I’ve seen of them! Credit: Billie Naudeer
Friday 5th June - … a picnic, then a second!
There was no rest for the wicked in the social calendar as, the day after the night before, we were back on the Common for the traditional Theatre Group picnic. This is where the year’s awards are handed out and everyone enjoys the great combination of sunshine and good company, occasionally kicking a football around – although we were too tired after the previous few days to play a proper match!
The Theatre Group picnic was yet another hugely memorable occasion this week! Credit: Joe Buckingham
Immediately afterwards was the turn of the Showstoppers’ Leavers Meal, also at the Vestry – same place, different society, equally amazing evening (although I accidentally made the mistake a few weeks ago of accidentally ordering the exact same meal for both – luckily it was delicious twice)!
Showstoppers awards were also handed out, celebrating the magnificent achievements of various individuals and shows, as well as, this year, those of all the members graduating, which was a great touch by the social secretaries. Personally, I was very much humbled when I was granted ‘Best Director’ for The Drowsy Chaperone and, even more amazingly, ‘Services to the Society’ (particularly given the amount so many other people have contributed to the group), for which I can only thank everyone who voted for me; leading the group was such a rewarding experience, and for no reason more so than because of the effervescent people it encompassed!
It’s been a true privilege and honour, and if there’s one thing that both meals showed me, it’s just how much I owe those whom I’ll be leaving behind when I graduate – visits back are a certainty!
Some celebratory champagne to see off a University career in style!...
...Then back to the Vestry to bid a fond farewell to another set of incredible friends!
Saturday 6th & Sunday 27th June– The 24 Hour Show
A final, final show in Southampton – and what an experience it was! I’ve written in previous years about what this entails, but it always provides stories and memories aplenty, so to do it full justice I’ll write about it in more detail next time. Sufficed to say: what a weekend, and what a way to bow out in the Annex Theatre on Highfield Campus, a place which has often felt like a second home! If you’re attending Southampton next year, you really have to audition for this show next year!
Monday 8th – Grad Ball
Last, but certainly by no means least, the night of the year to look your sharpest! I was lucky enough to attend last year with my first set of housemates, so knew a fantastic night was in store, but couldn’t have imagined just how much fun I’d have this time around, celebrating four incredible years with some great friends, reminiscing about the experiences we’ve shared, and all in the company of acts such as, B*Witched and Basshunter – and fairground rides aplenty!
Yet another occasion to be suited and booted, and enjoying the company of departing friends!
And so, following all of the above, I find myself writing in bed, having collapsed with exhaustion, but knowing I’ve certainly made the most of the post-exam period and a week of fun and farewells.
It’s befitting that such a week should see off the end of my academic and performing career here in style.
After all, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt here, it’s that Southampton never fails to give you something to do, see or experience for the first time, and in this way, it’s the people here that truly make the place. – I’m going to miss both hugely!
