what is southampton uni like?

14t

is it a nice place to live? what’s it like socially?

Reply 1

Gidray

Original post by 14t

is it a nice place to live? what’s it like socially?

Hi, I am from University of Southampton. The place is quite nice. I really liked the halls of residence when I lived there in my first year. I lived in Glen Eyre's halls of residence and I loved it. It is only about 5-10 minutes away from campus, so it is very close and surrounded by trees and greenery which is another thing that I really liked.

As with any university, there's social events being held every year and they have 269 societies for you to get involved in. Ultimately, it is more about what you make of it. I ended up living with nice people in my first year and they were all very friendly. Never had any problems with anyone.

University of Southampton

Southampton

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Reply 2

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

Original post by 14t

is it a nice place to live? what’s it like socially?

Hi @14t

It's great to hear you are interested in Southampton University!

Personally, I have found Southampton a very friendly student city. As well as Southampton University there is also Solent University so there are students at every corner and a great nightlife as a result. There are a wide variety of bars and clubs both close to the University down Portswood and also within the city centre. There are frequent UniLink buses into the city and they are not expensive either so it is really affordable to go and explore wider Southampton. Within the city there is also a huge shopping centre (West Quay) and many other activities you could get involved in from escape rooms and the cinema to bowling. Opposite the city centre, there is also the marina and docks (Ocean Village) which you may be interested in, especially if you enjoy water sports. In addition, Southampton has great transport links to London as well as the New Forest and Winchester which make for a great day out.

If you are on a night out and find yourself stuck, the Students Union also put on a Safety Bus which will take you back to your halls/house https://www.susu.org/support/safety-bus.html.

The University also has many opportunities for socialising with 270 societies which range from sports to faith and enterprise. Many courses will also have their own society which is a great way to meet more people on your course. Here is the link if you want to explore the societies further: https://www.susu.org/opportunities/societies. You do not have to be a pro in an area before joining a society - I joined Mixed Lacrosse with no experience!

What societies are you most interested in trying out? :smile:

Lauren
(BSc Biology with Year in Employment)

Reply 3

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

Original post by 14t

is it a nice place to live? what’s it like socially?

Hey hey @14t,

Nice to hear your interested in studying with us!

Southampton is a city with lots to do and enjoy! It’s great because it has access to all the places you may need when living the uni life plus the added benefit of Highfield campus where you will likely be studying the most. This is where societies (around 300 of these!) and events are held often too! If you live in Glen Eyre Halls, you will be a 5-10 minute walk away from campus!

Like others have mentioned, Southampton is very student friendly with lots to do day and night! It also has easy travel to cities and places outside of Southampton like London and The New Forest. I visit these often as you can often find cheap prices during off peak! There are frequent UniLink buses into the city and they are relatively cheap, so it is affordable to go and explore the wider Southampton. Below I have given you a list of things to do when living as a student in Southampton.

Shopping!
Great variety of shops in Southampton. West Quay is the perfect place to head for a day’s shopping and food with your mate, hosting a variety of high street brands. There is also a huge IKEA, which is handy for all the uni supplies!

Clubbing!
Southampton has a variety of clubs, bars and many that host really good events for a big night out. Switch is perfect for events, there’s almost always a good event on every week, no matter your music taste. Orange Rooms is perfect for a bit of everything, friday nights are bottomless Pornstar Martini nights for two hours – solid stuff! Other great and throwback club nights take place in Edge bar and nightclub and Trilogy nightclub (which has more then one room for variation etc)

Cocktailing and drinking!
Always a good idea, especially after a long day at uni! Stags is the Highfields campus bar, proper student-y atmosphere -it’s always busy, cheap and one night of the week they do karaoke. In the centre, you have Turtle Bay, Grumpy Monkey, and Slug and Lettuce for nice, usually 2-4-1 cocktails. Also, The Bookshop which turns into a bar at night, Spoons, Shooting Star (Great student prices) and the Hobbit pub -there’s always somewhere to go and grab a drink.

Cafe culture!
There are many cafes for your instant caffeine boost! Central has all the chains, however, there are some really simple and cute independent places. These include Miss Ellie’s Café, Docks Coffee, Café Thrive, Josie’s and Highfields own student restaurant and café up on campus (I study here sometimes -a perfect place to go to if waiting for a society to start or chill and study with coffee!)

Pizza!
Lots of good pizza places in Southampton! The Stable, Smokey pizza takeaway, Franco Manca, Zizzi’s and POPSI’s are definitely shouts!

More Food!
There are many options for food and drink in this city! In the city centre, there is a large variety of places such as Nando’s, Bella Italia, Bills, All Bar One and various chains. Portswood (which is the main student area for second and third years) has some awesome independent places if you’re happy to venture out a lil. La Baronia which is an amazing Mexican restaurant with great cocktails, 7Bone Burgers which does great burgers at student prices, Baboo ji Vegetarian kitchen, Trago lounge, Mango Thai Tapas bar and restaurant, Noodle 8 plus many many more, takeaway included.

Galleries!
The Southampton City Art Gallery and The John Hansard Gallery are two large and fantastic galleries to visit online or in person! I would definitely recommend visiting as frequently as you can whilst at uni. Both are perfect galleries for contemporary inspiration, and it makes for a great day out plus bonus sources for those bibliographies!

Small events!
‘ABODE in the Park’ is a great event that has DJs such as Solardo, if you enjoy tech house music, and the day after is usually ‘On A Mission’ which is more drum and bass. Both happen in Hoglands Park in Southampton over one weekend - such a fun way to spend the weekend with your friends! The Chinese New Year ‘Festival Parade and Lantern Parade’ is also one to go to each year! It is a spectacular event, celebrating Chinese culture and traditions. It’s full of colour and celebration, bringing everyone in Southampton together!

Finally, Southampton Common near Highfield campus, is a large green space to hang with friends on a lovely day. In the summer, it is host to Hijack Cinema, which is an outdoor pop up cinema. As the evenings get warmer, it’s an ideal way to spend time to celebrate finishing uni -take a picnic, a couple of drinks and just spend a nice chill summer evening.

Hope this helps!

What are you thinking of studying?

Olivia (University of Southampton ambassador)

(edited 2 years ago)