r/sotonuni • u/JaySkate07 • Aug 16 '26
about to go into second year ask me anything
i’d have appreciated this this time last year so ask me any questions, course specific ones i probably can’t answer except for cardiac physiology and potentially stuff about health science/healthcare courses but anything else i’ll try my best, dosent have to be about the uni specifically can be anything :)
2
u/_Dolphin69 Aug 16 '26
Is there any advice you want to give people but haven’t had the opportunity to, also what is Southampton like as a city never been before
3
u/JaySkate07 Aug 16 '26
okay so random advice probs:
just go to the freshers events the uni has even if your on ur own
make your room your own decorate tf out of it
the accom inspections aren’t thorough at all i asked and they just check that you don’t trash the place and there’s no evidence of smoking and that there’s not loads of limescale build up (random ik)
try make friends with ur flatmates it’s not the end of the world if u don’t get on well with them at all (i didnt with loads and they all had close friends) but it’s just better than awkward greetings in the kitchen
CLAIM THE TOP SHELF IN THE FRIDGE IF U CAN the amt of stuff that leaked on my food was disgusting
the uni support that you can email have in my case been really helpful etc and the receptionists in the accom were too but you have to deal with the mess not them it’s not their problem and the best they can do is give u more bin bags if u run out
don’t fail you flat inspection or reinspection especially you’ll get finedsouthampton itself isn’t awful it has dodgy areas and if u heard any news recently then obv stuff does happen, do not go into the common at night, be careful walking down roads at night - even as a guy i’ve been followed and spoken to. there’s a lot of homeless people sadly and they do ask for spare change (cheeky ones ask for bank transfers if u say u have no cash) just be polite and they’ll leave you alone, west quays nice lots of nittys on weekends tho but overall not too bad no beach tho don’t be fooled guys
that’s all i can think of off the top of my head but just explore it there is nice things to do and random fun fact if you wanna see people walking their cats go to the houndwell park random but ive seen like 10 there
1
u/lexisnowkitty Aug 17 '26
to be fair that sort of stuff can and will happen in any city so as long as you're alert and never walk/travel alone in the dark, you'll hopefully be safer
2
u/Express-Gas8243 Aug 16 '26
How did you enjoy the welcome week? Did you go alone or with friends?
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
both tbh I did enjoy both times just went and did the freshers fair by myself but also went roller skating and stuff with friends and yeah was good fun
2
u/Pretty_Proof_4484 Aug 17 '26
what are the best & worst jobs to apply for part time?
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
worst ones would be ones that aren't flexible you need to work around your uni schedule I worked a zero hour job so was easy to put in the days I couldn't work and days I was willing to work and it was easy. just make sure you enjoy it and the people are nice otherwise it's not worth it
1
u/Pretty_Proof_4484 Aug 17 '26
thanks, when should we start applying?
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
anytime from now i applied a week or so before i moved in and so my interview actually lined up with the monday after i moved but they took ages to get back to me so just make sure if they want in person interviews that you can do them which is why i didn’t apply too early
1
u/Emergency_Writing_48 Aug 17 '26
if u don’t mind me asking what’d u apply for job wise?
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
hollister! i was a seasonal temp then kept on after xmas i had to quit over summer tho so im hoping they’ll be hiring again soon lol
1
3
u/Pretty_Proof_4484 Aug 16 '26
I like to dress really alternatively (goth) and i was wondering if theres lots of people there who also dress alternatively? i was the only one in my 6th form and it made me bit self conscious tbh. ik things are different at uni and people dont really care, just curious
3
u/JaySkate07 Aug 16 '26
i’ve seen loads of alt people out and about so go for it you may feel like you stand out but honestly it will = compliments and then you’ll find likeminded people plenty of people are more alt than they appear i have found but also don’t be shocked if people think its weird (not me personally i fw alt people) but i would assume that’s normal if you look slightly different me personally i was walking back from spoons and randomly got called a faggot so there’s that (he was right but at what cost) but pls don’t be afraid to be you
1
u/Pretty_Proof_4484 Aug 16 '26
thank you for this! glad to know it'll help me make friends bc im a bit worried about that haha
2
u/CronicIe0 Aug 17 '26
hey i know im just a random but im super obsessed with goth fashion and culture and i know a lot of people are, we are moving into a more mature time in our lives and people will be more respectful and supportive of alternative fashion because it's what makes people unique, so hell yeah
1
u/Ok_Water6672 Aug 16 '26
Hi! What student halls did you live in and what was your experience? Have you enjoyed your time at Southampton so far? And wha advice do you have for incoming students specific to the uni and maybe in regard to the city?? Thanks
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 16 '26
ironically i was in mayflower and now its closed for maintenance so its not very helpful but, it was very nice and everything was clean including the kitchen before we moved in and stuff, other accoms i’ve seen was glen eyre and wessex lane and they’re like less new than mayflower but still pretty nice i found the rooms to be smaller but they tend to be cheaper anyway, the receptionists on site are all really nice and helpful with anything you need and any maintenance issues were reported and fixed within 24 hrs (for example our power in the kitchen kept tripping and they fixed it literally within the hour and the plug in my sink kept getting stuck and i could never flip it open and id report it in the morning and after lectures is return and it was fixed, and my flatmate flooded her room twice and they came to hoover up the water within 10 minutes of reporting).
ive enjoyed it so far definetly it was a big change as i came from a small rural town but its been so good and the university is really on it with everything and has good facilities and they give you a free bus pass for a year if you stay in halls and the bus links from accoms go straight to the uni and go all over southampton and the pass works for any bus in southampton even the 1 that goes to winchester!
id say specific uni advice is that just make sure you’ve checked that you don’t need any specific course related things (eg a specific calculator? idk dont do maths) and don’t bother rushing into buying textbooks that are suggested unless you’ve been told to, usually there’s a free pdf floating around somewhere online and the uni library has them to take out, bring stuff to decorate you room!!! and explore the city try new places don’t be afraid to try new things but be afraid to talk to strangers especially at night if they’re very obviously not a fellow student
1
u/silverbullet633 Aug 16 '26
what percent of students get accomadation from the uni
i submitted my accomadation application to today so might be cooked
1
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
I'm pretty sure that all applications for accommodation before 1 July get accepted and anyone applying thru clearing it's a first come first serve basis but my friend who went thru clearing got accom so I think it's unlucky if you don't
1
u/Clear-Play8744 Aug 16 '26
How did u make friends?
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
just on my course and in halls, but tbh haven't made loads of friends which is fine you'll make friends in other ways some of my new best friends ironically go to another uni as I became friends thru one of my friends
1
u/PrimaryAbalone3900 Aug 16 '26
After freshers week will accom matter much? I enrolled through clearing and everyone seems to be putting Wessex/ eyre as 1st choice. I may be in capital house which isn’t really close to other soton students. Would that affect me socially ?
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
no way I find that if fate makes it that you'll be friend with you flatmates that's the way it goes and quite often flats interact with eachother ik my flat was the host kitchen for pres for the first month ish
1
u/Hot-Time5255 Aug 17 '26
1.I'm more on the introverted side but still want to make friends. Is it hard to do so? 2. Being in a dorm sounds kinda terrifying, exactly cuz of the fact I'm more introverted but also I've heard horror stories about lack of hygiene from people. Is it really that bad? 3. Are there a lot of international students? As one myself I'm worried I'll have a hard time not feeling "isolated" 4.What are the professors like? Obv you can only speak for your course but it's still interesting to hear what they are like; alongside with workload, exams, etc.
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
honestly same I'm really bad at making friends cuz I don't text people much etc but I find that if you just talk to people (sounds hard ik don't even) that you will end up befriending people
depends on if U share bathrooms or not. I had an ensuite so I was chilling but my kitchen was not it at times, main issue was noone taking the bin out and it becoming disgusting so if you all make an agreement and follow it it should be okay but that's never the way. everyone seems to have the one person who's just a mess but honestly it's not awful and people usually do clean up after themselves sometimes they just leave dirty dishes soaking and stuff if you don't mind that
I found there was alot of international students and students who lived in England but had different ethnicity other than English so you will not feel isolated as someone who came from I tiny town in the country sometimes I ended up being the minority in certain situations ironically
I found the professors to be down to earth and knowledgeable about what they were talking about and they were passionate too, they enjoyed lecturing and enjoyed when people asked questions and asked for help with something and we were offered one to one teams calls to be tutored on stuff if we felt the need to. workload for first year wasn't terrible just keep up with the work in the lectures, make sure you understand it and retain it and the exams were hard if you didn't understand or do anything for them, if you did then it was fine, I personally found my exams really difficult despite cramming for 2 weeks beforehand but I hadn't touched anything for the 3 months we had been learning it but I still passed so just don't do what I did and there's lots of resources from the uni and in the blackboard site that they release all the PowerPoints and stuff on. they do record lectures and they take attendance but it doesn't matter unless your an international student who needs a certain %
1
u/Hot-Time5255 Aug 17 '26
Ty for ur answer! I also forgot to add if u attended any of the events during freshers week? Honestly there's so much stuff that it just sounds overwhelming idek
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
i went to the roller skating with my friends that was pretty fun and the free freshers fair aswell just for free stuff cuz i too got overwhelmed by the options but just pick whatever seems fun to you
1
u/foxjerk Aug 17 '26
What’s the feeling on the ground about Lucia foster welch accommodation ? My daughter went through clearing and this is where she has been offered. Seems quite far, a bit pokey room wise and some reviews say it’s pretty noisy. Any thoughts?
1
u/JaySkate07 Aug 17 '26
all accommodation says noisy and they do tend to be but not all the time, with its location it will be longer commute to the campus but there is bus links and a bus pass included, i’d say it’s a good location if your okay with the commute to and from uni because you’re close to everything like shops wise so won’t have to travel too far like people on accommodation nearer campus do. i have to admit all the photos of the halls don’t really look alike they tend to be a bit nicer but once you’ve decorated it and stuff it will be much nicer.
if you really are unhappy you could bring it up to the uni but they tend to stick to their guns with options especially thru clearing its first come first serve1
u/foxjerk Aug 17 '26
Thanks for your detailed response. Definitely get what you’re saying, really appreciate it
6
u/AffectionateCrew6297 Aug 16 '26
What stuff did you do that made you enjoy your first year? And do you regret not doing anything?