Halls for September

Glen eyre and Wessex lane

Great choices!

Do you have any questions about them?

Matt
M.Econ Student

Which halls have you applied for in September?

Drop your answers in a reply below!

Not really about the accommodation but do you have any idea what kind of events are going to be run for freshers this year by the student union everyone on group chats is talking about the big club nights like icebreaker but I’m not sure if that’s my thing. Do halls normally have freshers events too so you can meet people who are living on the same halls site?

Hello!
Obviously with the current restrictions it's a bit of an unknown what events will be running come Freshers 2021, but there's usually a variety of things to meet everyone's taste (you definitely don't have to enjoy big nights out!). I'll be honest that my memory of living is halls is a little old now(!) but in the past for example there have been occasional pizza nights put on by the student life team. There's also usually at least one uni-wide freshers 'night out' event where you all wear t-shirts from your halls and go together. Restrictions allowing, you'll usually all meet for a welcome talk when you move in and a lot of people can meet just milling around in the crowd there together. If you join online groups for Southampton freshers on Facebook etc. (these are generally run by students and not the university but it's still a good place to meet people), people will usually be setting up group chats (e.g. on Whatsapp) for people moving into the same halls, etc.. People can meet on there and often organize events amongst themselves, which is always nice! I would say in general then that fresher events are generally uni-wide but there's lots of opportunities for socialising within halls too. And there's things to suit everyone's taste. Hope that helps a little but do let me know if you have any more questions
Amy (4th year student ambassador)

Thank you Do you know when we find out about what room we have got so we can set up the group chats?

Not really about the accommodation but do you have any idea what kind of events are going to be run for freshers this year by the student union everyone on group chats is talking about the big club nights like icebreaker but I’m not sure if that’s my thing. Do halls normally have freshers events too so you can meet people who are living on the same halls site?

Hi!

The freshers week events are brilliant and really varied. SUSU (our students union) are conscious not everyone likes club nights and heavy drinking so they put a range of activities on all week! I can't say for certain what the events will be for you in September, but during my freshers week there were breakfast events, sober roller discos, ping pong and pool tournaments, movie nights in the cinema, sport taster sessions and ice skating rinks on campus. An event during the day you'll definitely have is 'bunfight' which is where all the societies come onto campus and advertise themselves to incoming students! Its laid out like a big fair and it's a great thing to go to with you new flat mates! It runs all day (usually on the Wednesday of freshers week) so you can pop down when its quieter in the morning, or when its a bit busier later on!

In terms of halls, the halls life teams put on smaller events throughout the year, and during freshers week! We had dominoes pizza nights in our common room (I lived in chamberlain in Glen Eyre) and lots of movie nights! Throughout the year, some of the other events they organised included BBQs on the grassy areas, petting zoos, outdoor cinemas and gardening events.

I hope this eases your mind a bit that freshers isn't all about events like icebreaker nights! I found some of the day events were my favourite and made some of my closest friends through going to them!

Do any of the examples I've given sound like your sort of thing?

Lottie
Third year student ambassador

Yeah ping pong and stuff sounds good I know I’m gonna be super homesick so having lots to keep myself busy during the day is definitely going to help.

I'm glad it appeals!! I was really really homesick the first few months of uni, I found having set weekends when my parents were going to come and visit and weekends I was going to go home really helped me! But you do get used to it I promise, I feel nowhere near as homesick as I used to now!

Leaving home to go to university is daunting for everyone and whilst you might feel like one of the few people that are homesick, I can promise you you're not alone! After a few months of living together my flat all told each other how homesick we'd been in our first week, although none of us had realised the others felt like that! I think in hindsight it's definitely worth mentioning to your flat mates because like with me, they're probably feeling the same and you can all go and do something together to distract yourselves! Also, the student life team at UoS are brilliant with homesickness and host weekly workshops on how to cope with it, which might be worth looking into once you get here!

Have you got any other questions or concerns I might be able to help with?

Lottie
Third year student ambassador

Hi!

As a student ambassador you do all sorts of rep work! And any year can apply for the role!

Usually the work involves around Visit and Applicant Days for incoming or prospective students! You get to help out at events such as Degree Shows or talks by external speakers.

I can only speak from my limited experience so far from being an Ambassador during Covid, but it's a fantastic way to feel a part of the University!

Maeve, First Year Student Ambassador

Is mayflower a good place to stay? For my choices I chose 1) Mayflower standard en suite 2) Wessex lane enhanced en suite & 3) glen eyre standard en suite
Are these good choices? I don’t have the opportunity to visit the halls so I just chose with a friend’s advice, however idk whether I should put WL first over mayflower?