Ashleigh Toll, 3rd year English Literature and History student, and editor of the Wessex Scene gives us the inside track on student life at Southampton.

Being a student in Southampton

Once described as ‘the gateway to the world’, Southampton is famous as the city from which the ill-fated Titanic set sail in 1912. Many of the worlds largest cruise liners continue to appear on the Solent horizon, reminding both inhabitants and those passing through, of the city’s cosmopolitan ambience and rich maritime past.

Southampton is also a stop off point for around 30,000 students who choose to study at one of the two universities here. It is very much a student-orientated city, with four Southampton University campuses spanning the centre. Winchester School of Art is also a short journey up the M3. The award winning Uni-Link bus service connects each campus to destinations across the city, including the train station and airport. A single ticket costs £1.20 and a day rover is just £2.

Much of the city was destroyed in World War II, and many of the present 1940s era buildings are a little insensitive to the city’s heritage. Some complain that Southampton is devoid of an identity, but its diverse landscape and cultural offerings are the very elements that make it such an invigorating place to spend your student days. A regeneration programme has seen recent proposals for a multi-million pound arts development, and the construction of the West Quay Shopping Centre in 2000, which has all the typical high street shops.

The city unfortunately lacks quirky boutique shops, but Beatnik Emporium is a haven for vintage pieces, as is Oxfam Retro. With its fusion of cheap pubs, restaurants, supermarkets, banks, grocery stalls, and abundance of charity shops, Portswood is a Mecca for students. October Books is also here, stocking all the essential course texts at good prices. Just a ten minute uphill trek to Highfield campus, most students find Portswood the ideal location to live after leaving halls. The city is essentially a safe place but there are always risks so it is important to avoid the common after dusk, and to stay together when walking home at night.

Study Time

Southampton is a Russell Group university and is also one of the UK’s top ten research-intensive universities. The Engineering department is one of the best in the country, and many other disciplines across the board regularly achieve full marks in assessment exercises. The University prides itself on being a challenging and highly stimulating environment in which to study, and independence is very much encouraged by lecturers.

Dating back to 1910, Hartley Library is the main library situated on Highfield campus, and is home to a vast archive of books, journals, electronic resources and a special collection. The five floors and miles of shelving make it feel infinite and a little daunting, but the staff are very knowledgeable, and will always point you in the right direction. The most sought after books tend to be on the three-hour loan system, but generally, loan periods vary from 24 hours to 3 weeks. All searches and enquiries are navigable on the Web cat system and each of the School libraries has a wireless network and adequate amounts of computers. The library website is www.soton.ac.uk/library.

The Southampton academic year is divided into two semesters which are arranged over three terms and exams are taken at the end of each semester, in January and June. Assessment methods vary greatly between disciplines. Humanities subjects tend to be weighted heavily towards coursework essays whereas the sciences are dependent on a variety of assessments. Contact hours also differ depending on the subject and which year you are in. All students are expected to manage their time adequately, and personal tutors monitor performance. It is likely you will meet with them once a semester. You won’t see your lecturers much beyond the lecture theatre, but all hold regular office hours around assessment times and they are very responsive if you send them a quick email.

Play Time

The Students’ Union (SUSU) building is situated on Highfield campus and really will provide the soundtrack to your life as a Southampton student. Refurbished in 2002, SUSU is home to a 400 capacity cinema and The Cube – a two storey, 1,700 capacity nightclub, where a ticket to Kinki or Fat Poppadaddy’s club nights will cost you £2 in advance. You can find more information about SUSU events by visiting the website, susu.org.

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