With deadlines on the horizon, our Marketing and Communications crew member, Guillemette, talks about how to survive studying over the holidays…

Warm houses, bright lights and more food than a famished student could dream of; who doesn’t love Christmas? After a first semester made long by the absence of a half term, we are all looking forward to rushing back to home and its comforts.

But a cloud darkens the Christmas lights: exams and deadlines. Lecturers seem to forget that holidays are for relaxing and have laden you with coursework as well as the threat of January exams or deadlines … Read the rest

Hi guys! My name’s Flora, and I’m your current Halls Officer. My job is to help run all of the Halls Committees to ensure that your time in halls or Private Rented accommodation is as fun and productive as possible!

Last year’s Freshers’ was bigger and better than ever, and a large part of that was due to the amazing team of Fresher Reps that worked alongside the Halls Committees to help you all move in, get to events and introduce you to life here at the University of Southampton. We want to make this experience even better for 2016, … Read the rest

Check out the first guest blog from our Community Engagement Officer, Ben Yarnall, who is a member of the Postgraduate Research Committee…

Great news everyone! This weekend marks the first attempt, in my stay at the University of Southampton, of an open postgraduate event.

The presence of a postgraduate society for biological scientists was a great help to me in the first year of my PhD. I did not study here for my undergraduate degree and had no existing friends in the area. Having people to play socialise with from the word go at least distracted me from the daunting … Read the rest

We asked postgraduate student Zoe M. Harris to write a post to give students some advice for new and current PhD students. She has done just that and some of her gems of knowledge may be useful to undergraduates as well! This is Zoe’s final post in a series of tips and advice covering the PhD and the job hunt and now: your life. 

After handing in my thesis and waiting to viva (this is an oral examination for those that don’t know!), I was applying for jobs and working as a research assistant writing papers from my PhD. I … Read the rest

We asked postgraduate student Zoe M. Harris to write a post to give students some advice for new and current PhD students. She has done just that and some of her gems of knowledge may be useful to undergraduates as well! Zoe’s advice will appear in a weekly series following on from last week’s post with tips on the PhD. Stay tuned for next week’s post with more general life tips.

After handing in my thesis and waiting to viva (this is an oral examination for those that don’t know!), I was applying for jobs and working as a research … Read the rest

We asked postgraduate student Zoe M. Harris to write a post to give students some advice for new and current PhD students. She has done just that and some of her gems of knowledge may be useful to undergraduates as well! Zoe’s advice will appear in a weekly series starting with this post with tips on the PhD. Stay tuned for next week’s post about the job hunt.

After handing in my thesis and waiting to viva (this is an oral examination for those that don’t know!), I was applying for jobs and working as a research assistant writing papers … Read the rest

We caught up with Kirsty Bolton, a Postgraduate student studying a PhD in Medieval Literature, to talk about her life as a Student Parent at the University of Southampton. Here’s what she said:

My daughter’s Pre-School teacher pulled me aside at collection time the other day to tell me that they had been talking about what jobs the children’s parents do.  “She told us that you go to university to read and study bugs?!”  Well, I don’t study bugs (I think that she meant books), but it makes me really happy to see how proud my daughter is of what … Read the rest

We caught up with Ryan Notman-Watt, the new elected WSA Campus President to ask him about his new role, his plans for the year and his message to WSA students.

Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background.

My name is Ryan Notman-Watt, I’m a third year Fashion Marketing/Management student. I’m half Brazilian, half English, and was born and spent my childhood in Dubai, UAE.

What does a WSA Campus President do?/What does the role involve?

The new WSA Campus President role has combined the roles of academic president and a social chair (a role that hasn’t … Read the rest

Hi, my name’s Mike and I’m the Postgraduate Research Student Officer (PGR) for the Students’ Union.

Whether you’re a new or continuing PGR this year, I’d like to welcome you back to Southampton and hope you had a great summer¹. It’s my job to represent PGRs, so please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions, suggestions, praise or criticism² regarding our provision for you. The Union is planning a number of initiatives related to postgrad engagement and representation this year and your participation and feedback will be both needed and genuinely appreciated.

The Union is … Read the rest