Searching for private accommodation

In July I made the decision to move to the Big Smoke.

Granted, my move from Southampton to London is only a temporary necessity for an internship. An everyday commute to the capital would’ve been impractical and I’ve found myself settling in just fine in my double life as a metropolitan woman.

So today I thought I could tell you about my experience as a Southampton student looking for private accommodation in both cities. The comparison may be helpful for you one day!

Obligatory Big Ben photo 

Finding a room in London

The first step was a room search. I found my London room through a free house search website. The website allowed me to post an advert of myself which meant landlords were able to contact me themselves. This was probably a more efficient way of letting people know I was looking for a place – landlords are always looking to fill spare rooms. I went to about six or seven viewings and most rooms were decent sized with utility bills included in the rent. I was even able to customise my search based on my maximum budget and other preferences - look out for the ‘advanced search’ option when you go on these websites to do this!

For students with internships, house shares tend to be the cheapest way of getting accommodation. However there are other types of accommodation too; from bedsits to studios or one bedroom flats. It goes without saying that you must always go with someone you trust to these viewings or meet with whoever is showing you the place at a public area.

I was fortunate enough to find a room fairly quickly. The problem was that I was also unfortunate enough to get a room that suddenly became unavailable three days before the big move! That was pretty devastating. If, like myself, you get some work experience in the city and become unlucky in your accommodation search, there is never any harm in speaking to your manager about starting after you’ve secured yourself somewhere to live. The most important thing is that you find a place that is safe, comfortable, and within your budget.

The University has some valuable tips for those looking for private accommodation, wherever it is you're moving to. Looking through them really did help so you may want to check it out!

Monday morning motivation - courtesy of Transport for London! 

What to pack? 

The most challenging thing about the move was traveling with all of my things. I had to travel via coach so I stuck to the bare minimum. So I packed my clothes and shoes for work, pots and pans, a pillow and my alarm clock. I was surprised I managed it myself!

My entire life packed into two suitcases.

How different is the search for accommodation in London compared to Southampton? 

The University has plenty of advice outlets for students who need help in their search for accommodation in Southampton. The Students' Union also have a Housing Advice team to support you.

Southampton even has SASSH – a university-accredited student accommodation search engine. Made in collaboration with Southampton Solent University and Southampton City Council, it lets you search for student houses, flats and lodgings in Southampton. You can get in touch with the landlords themselves if you prefer not to go through an estate agent. It even lets you search for rooms in other towns and cities.

My student house in Southampton for this year, found through the SASSH website. 

A similarity between the two cities is that a deposit will almost always be required whenever you move into a new place. It is a good idea to sign a tenancy agreement between you and your landlord or whoever is letting you the room before you hand over any money to them.

It is a universal truth that moving homes is quite possibly one of the most stressful things we have to go through at one point in our lives… but this needn’t be the case! If you plan in advance and go to some viewings you are guaranteed to find yourself a nice place to live in regardless of what city you may find yourself in one day.

Stay safe and best of luck in your search!

Rylyn

Results day advice

I will remember the day I received my results for my entire life. I stayed up until 2am checking UCAS, despite their assurances that results wouldn’t be available until that morning, before succumbing to inevitable sleep.

When I woke up, there it was, unbelievably (Southampton required higher grades than I had been predicted) I had done it and I was going to my first choice! My Facebook feed was filled with my friends posting which university they were going to, and the feeling at my school when I went to collect my results was one of elation.

It was some time that afternoon when the excitement calmed down that the reality hit me: I was actually going to University. Before then it had seemed like a pipe dream, something that I was desperate to do, but before then it had never seemed real. And when it hit me that it was all actually going to happen I panicked. I didn’t have anything for University, no kitchen supplies, no bedding, I could only cook pasta, and then that wasn’t even very good pasta…

I couldn’t cook, but I could bake. I could live off home-made treacle tart… right?

So for anyone facing the crazy idea of leaving home for some strange city that you may have only been to once, I have a little advice:

Calm down, and enjoy your day, you deserve it! Remember that you have absolutely bags of time before you move.

When shopping, for those of you who don’t want to break the bank, supermarkets catch on to the ‘Going to Uni’ craze and offer loads of discounts on essentials such as duvets, sheets and kettles.

For anyone that hasn’t made it into their first choice, or isn’t sure how to handle the clearing process, again, don’t worry! If you’re not sure what to do, try phoning admissions at the universities you applied to, they are always more than happy to explain the clearing process, and how they deal with it, and what you should expect. Since every university does things a little differently, phoning or emailing them is a great course of action. Southampton has all of their Clearing information online too.

For those lucky people that have discovered they will be joining us at Southampton in September, welcome! From now on, keep an eye on your email, as the University will use that to contact you with vital information about what to do next. You can also visit their website for Welcome information!

If you have any concerns about things like accommodation, paying your fees, or anything else, just get in touch with the University or ask them on Twitter or Facebook! If you are stuck on any part of the process over the next month, feel free to leave a question below – we’re always happy to help too.

Congratulations to everyone on their results and I look forward to seeing the new Southampton Freshers at the Bunfight and Freshers’ Week events on campus!

Emma

How to save your summer

Regardless of whether or not the weather chooses to recognise it, we are currently experiencing what scientists have referred to in the past as 'summer'. To some this means nothing more than a supposed increase in temperature, but to university students such as myself, it has a whole other meaning.

For students, the summer period is entirely what you make it. Almost three months of un-timetabled, un-scheduled blank space to fill with whatever you see fit. Obviously this can come in many, many forms; from work placements, to travel adventures, to simply kicking back and catching up on some much-needed sleep. I’ve been spending the past six weeks trying to mix and match and find the perfect combination of all of the above, but it has definitely proven to be a far trickier task than I first anticipated.

Being away from Southampton was a little jarring at first - a shorter housing contract may have saved me a lot of rent in the long-run, but without a place to stay in the city, I had to head home to Essex until September. Jumping between two very different lifestyles can be quite difficult, and so, to avoid that rather soul-crushing state everyone will recognise as 'boredom', I’ve set out to try and conquer as much as humanly possible.

Taylor Swift was kind enough to help me avoid boredom by performing nearby in Hyde Park.

Whilst many of my friends have stayed in the city and opted for getting themselves a work placement of some sorts - from marketing internships to social media training through the University’s Excel placement scheme, I instead looked towards placements nearer to home. Luckily enough, through The Edge’s connections, I managed to secure a week working with The National Student, a far-reaching entertainment and opinion website based in London. And so, as you read this, I will be joining the ranks of the capital’s army of commuters and I couldn’t be more excited!

However, as important as work is for future experience, the summer still has plenty more to offer. With the University accepting students from all over the globe, I’ve found that even just visiting friends over the summer months can be something of an adventure in itself, giving me the opportunity to explore places I had never been before.

Thanks to my student railcard (an essential tool that no young traveller should be without), I’ve been able to parade up and down the country on any number of trains for a surprisingly affordable price. June took me to Nottingham, whilst this past weekend has been spent on the (not at all) sunny shores of Liverpool.

Catching up with friends on an adventure up to Liverpool has certainly been a summer  

Whether it be one friend or a whole group, travelling up to visit them has proven to be a great way to spend odd weekends and keep in touch whilst separated by the holidays.

Obviously, it’s not all running around though. As fun and thrilling as it was, second year proved to be one of the craziest years to date, so taking some time off to just sit and relax seems entirely reasonable. Catching up with local friends and binge-watching Netflix has helped to slow my brain down to a far calmer pace, and I’m now far more able to look forward to the year ahead and start planning life back in Southampton.

Getting a kick-start on the reading for the new academic year has definitely kept me in check - Hartley Library’s huge collection of e-books has certainly proved useful - whilst continuing my work with The Edge over the summer has allowed my creative juices to keep flowing smoothly.

It seems that even when I’m away from Southampton and the University physically, there’s still plenty to be getting on with!

Ben

Summer throwback

With it already being mid-august, my summer holiday has gone past a lot quicker than I expected it to.

Although I actually have over a month left, I am now back in Oslo and with grey skies everyday the summer feeling is slowly drifting away.

I don’t know if it’s a particularly British thing that summer holidays are so long at university, but I guess it’s more of a Norwegian thing that summer holidays are shorter. Apart from our last year in high school when we finish rather early, we usually finish around the end of June and school usually starts the third week in August. Universities in Norway actually start this week!

This year I was lucky/unlucky enough to have all my exams within the first week of the exam period - meaning that by Friday 22nd May I was free from university work until the new term starts in late September. As nice as it was to finish my exams, I was the first one in my flat to be ‘free’ from exams, and this obviously led to a lot of spare time.

The weather forecast for Southampton said sun, sun and more sun, and the Oslo forecast was saying rain and low temperatures, so I decided to not go home straight away and instead explore a bit of the south coast of England.

Thanks to living at the new Mayflower Halls, located around two minutes away from Southampton Central station, I basically just had to pick a location and go! I would really recommend arriving in Southampton early before term starts, or staying on late once term ends, so that you can explore. From Southampton Central there are direct trains to Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Brighton, Poole and other local places on the coast.

As soon as my flatmate Miranda finished her exams, we went on a day trip to Bournemouth.

We enjoyed Bournemouth so much we already know we are going back!

However, since I hadn’t ordered tickets back to Oslo until the 12th of June, I also had a lot of time to explore more of Southampton, and just go to places I usually don’t have the time to go to during term time. This included loads of trips to the docks and parks.

Celebrating my flatmate Milly’s birthday at Banana Wharf, Ocean Village.

Then the time came for me to leave Mayflower Halls and England…

Coming home and seeing my friends and family again was obviously really nice, especially since Oslo decided to stay sunny until I left for Bucharest!

 

I went on a Cabin trip to a place in Norway called Fredrikstad with these lovely ladies. (They will get very angry if I don’t refer to them as “beste chicksa” so, beste chicksa!)

Oslo sunset at … 10.30pm?! Yes, we get some long days here during the summer!

Boat trip on the Oslofjor.

My best friend Ina’s boyfriend came all the way from Minnesota, USA to Oslo! 

Cycling with my dad to the “beach” at Bygdøy here in Oslo.

And finally, a month well spent in Romania with my mum!

This pretty much sums up my summer until now! I hope you have had a lovely summer so far.

If you are starting at Southampton in September my next blog post will have some tips about our Open Days in September. Stay tuned!!

Alexandra

The best thing about university is...

With a hand on my heart, the best thing about going to university is that you can never really know what you may find yourself doing at any point in your time here.

Since starting my studies at the University of Southampton, I never thought I’d be able to have the chance to do the things I’ve done, overcome half of the things I have challenged myself to, and never did I think I can become a blogger – but here I am!

And thus, here it is: my very first blog post.

I would like to introduce myself, if I may. I’m Rylyn, I’m a second year Politics and International Relations  student and by the end of my time here, I hope to better convince you why life at Southampton is, indeed, wonderful.

So… why Southampton?

In essence, it ticked all the right boxes!

Firstly, as a research intensive institution, my course in Politics and IR means I am around lecturers and professors at the top of their field. Not only that, but flexible learning means I have the freedom to pick modules that are incredibly interesting.

Secondly, the city itself is beautiful. It is big enough for you to always have somewhere to go and small enough for you to not feel alien to it. For example, WestQuay, one of the biggest shopping centres in the south with over 100 shops across 3 levels, is less than a 10 minute bus ride away. Its southern location means you get the best of British weather whilst being able to get on a direct train to the heart of London in an hour and a half! The proximity to the coast is also a plus!

A spontaneous trip to the beach!

Thirdly, Highfield Campus. Irresistibly lush with greenery and everything all in one place, you could sit outside and enjoy a cool drink from The Stags (The Students' Union's pub) in the summer, be there on time for your next lecture and enjoy a gym session to end your day. If you’re hungry there are many restaurants and shops on campus for you to choose from. You could enjoy a sit down meal at The Bridge or pick up a sandwich from The Shop. Not to mention other food establishments on campus like the Café, Piazza, and a street full of many more nearby!

A tour of Highfield Campus from the University's YouTube channel - useful for finding your way around!

Having spent my gap year working, volunteering, and deciding if university really was for me, I was sure I wanted academia to be a large part of my life. But moving to Southampton was initially daunting. I did find myself overwhelmed especially during Freshers' Week. For those who don’t know, Freshers' Week is the first introductory week of university where you move get the chance to meet your fellow first years, join societies, explore your new city and in general get accustomed to what your new home offers.

 Moving into my room at Connaught Halls at Wessex Lane

It is effectively when you are around new people 24/7.

You may be surprised to know that feeling overwhelmed is actually normal! I soon found myself enjoying the company of strangers who will soon be the closest friends I have ever had. The key thing to do here is to make the most of what’s out there for you. Just check out countless events listed on the SUSU (Students' Union) website.

But that doesn’t even encompass the limitless things Southampton has to offer in your coming-of-age.

It’s been two years since I started uni but I have found myself maturing beyond anything I could’ve expected. I have a small but dependable group of friends, know that my course is really what I wanted to do, and have a clearer vision of what my skills are. I’ve spent hours in the library after lectures and actually enjoyed it!

 A big hello from everyone here!

From workshops helping you plan the first steps towards a career (brilliant if you have absolutely no clue what you want to do with your life after university) to a large number of societies to join, university life thrusts you into getting to know yourself. In fact, one of the few things I wish I did during first year was go to the employability workshops hosted by the Careers team.

University is like a playground; an unpredictably wonderful playground with lots of smart people like you. Growing as a person in such an environment is something money cannot match.

Rylyn

A fabulous occasion

Graduating from the University of Southampton was one of the most striking and wonderful events of my life, and not one I shall ever forget. On the 22nd July I graduated with a First Class Honours in BSc Population and Geography, it was my proudest moment.

Three years of hard work, and the most fun I have ever had culminated in shaking the Pro Vice Chancellors' hand on stage in front of my family, my course mates and their families. My entire family, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and one cousin descended upon the Pimms tent on campus to celebrate with me. One thing the university does well is a grand occasion.

There were marquees, photographers and course specific receptions where parents and lecturers could mingle with free champagne, strawberries and cream!

So what am I doing writing for the University's student blog then, if my very first post is all about how I've just finished?

Well, I'm not quite ready to leave the University just yet, and have accepted an offer to study MSc Global Health within the department of Social Sciences, Statistics and Geography, prolonging my University experience by another year!

About me? It is an incredibly difficult task to sum yourself up in a few short sentences. Go on, think about what you would write - how you would describe yourself - without it sounding as though you have just copied the introductory sentences from your CV. What isn't on my CV, then, is that I love to sit (preferably in the sunshine) with a good book and an ice cream. My perfect night in would be spent with takeaway pizza, playing chess and scrabble with my best friend and then watching some TV.

In a former life I think I might have been a cat, as I am a firm supporter of having my back rubbed and taking naps in the afternoon!

During my time at Southampton I have been part of the Kickboxing Society, the Rifle Society and fundraised for the charity Marrow, another reason why I was so reluctant to finish my university career after three years!

During my time with Life at Southampton I hope to write about things relevant to postgraduate students, services available at the university, things going on in Southampton

...Like the time Mr B came to town ….

...Or the Carnival on the Common with £1 rides...

 ...internships and the great graduate job hunt, technology tips, and anything else that comes to mind.

I am incredibly excited about joining the student blogger team, and look forward to being a part of it for the next year!

Emma

New beginnings

This may well prove to be the most awkward blog post I ever write and that you ever read, but please, do bear with me. Everybody needs some sort of introduction, so I guess here’s mine.

As the little picture to the left has no doubt already pointed out, my name is  Ben, and I’ll be one of the new student blogger elite (the ‘Fantastic Four’ if you will) taking the reigns of this here blog. Obviously saying goodbye to James, Robin and Kristin can’t be easy -  they’ve kept you all informed and entertained for the past year-or-so, but with this new team comes a new beginning, and I can guarantee that we’ll do our very best to be just as enlightening and entertaining!

So without much further ado, I suppose we should be jumping to it. I am an undergraduate student on the verge of pouncing into my third year, studying my one true love: Film.

Before my days in the South, I originally hailed from the commuter-town metropolis that is Billericay, Essex; a small and pretty empty place that was weirdly put on the map by the BBC comedy series Gavin & Stacey some years ago. Life in my home-town is still fun, and offers plenty of opportunities with London just on the doorstep, but when UCAS came knocking I realised I had to escape to somewhere a bit more exciting.

But why Southampton, I hear you ask? Forgive the next few sentences for sounding a bit too much like a tourism advert - I can assure you they’re all entirely true. Southampton is a city steeped in culture, offering not only the best nightlife I had seen from any end of the country (Jesters alone is worthy of my place here) but also the most eclectic mix of shopping spots and cinemas. For an aspiring Film student, finding somewhere with a Picturehouse cinema and a gigantic IMAX was something of a godsend.

 

The amount of time spent within the walls of the cinemas in Southampton cannot be exaggerated. 

Not to mention that the University itself ticked all of my boxes too. Situated just far enough away from the city for some peace and quiet, but just close enough to enjoy its many opportunities, the main Highfield Campus is green and inviting and Avenue Campus, largely inhabited by Humanities students (where I now spend the majority of my time) seemed to give me very much the best of both worlds - proving small and easy to navigate.

Then there was the course itself - content-wise, the most expansive and varied academic Film degree I could find.

 Even on a Film course, there’s plenty of books to get stuck into!

As much as it may sound like a degree focused around simply watching films all day every day, that isn’t necessarily true. The University’s Film department has an incredible bank of expert staff, the course itself is just as much about reading as it is watching (all those long nights perusing the shelves of Hartley Library can stand as my proof) and, rather neatly, Film at Southampton was just ranked #1 in the country in The Guardian’s 2016 University Guide. Rest assured, no laziness here!

So to move away from my role as marketing whizz/travel agent extraordinaire... other than slaving over essays and trying my very best to understand foreign art cinema (Jean-Luc Godard, we will never get on), my time is usually split between hanging out with my rather glorious team of housemates and attempting to get involved with as much on campus as humanly possible.

As of June this year, I was elected in as the new Film Editor of the University’s official student-run entertainment magazine The Edge; a move that - as cheesy as it may sound - proved to be something of a dream come true after being involved with their writing team since first starting here in Freshers’ Week 2013! On top of this, myself and four friends have formed our very own topical Film panel show for the University’s award-winning TV station SUSUtv, entitled ’Reel Opinions’, which publishes weekly content in a number of different forms. As fun as it may be, it certainly is a busy life!

The Edge’s new committee is ready to roll! 

Now,  in-between juggling these many projects, my degree and of course, enjoying Southampton itself, the next year will also see frequent updates from me on this blog.

Third year seems a little daunting, with dissertations and final assignments lingering just out of shot, but it’s certainly my every intention to make it the most fun-filled and exciting year yet. So it seems rather ideal that I’ll be taking you all along on this journey with me!

I hope these posts prove to be as insightful as humanly possible, and that my life at Southampton works as something of an adequate representation of how student life genuinely is, both down here and around the country.

Now, I could make some feeble Titanic reference, or start quoting Willy Wonka to finish off, but instead I think I’ll just save them for another day. The new beginning starts here, and I hope you’re just as excited as I am - it’s going to be a great year.

Ben