Living student life to the full, studying English and commuting to uni from home

Hello all! I'm Emma, a BA English Language and Linguistics student at the University of Southampton. Having just finished my second year and about to go into my final year, I have definitely lived the full uni experience in Southampton and am happy to answer any of your questions.
Since joining the University, I have been involved in societies/clubs, student ambassador events and socials, experiencing all aspects of uni life. I’m also a student who lives at home and commutes to uni, which is something many future students may feel anxious about. Choosing which university to go and what course you want to study is an overwhelming decision! I’m here to help as much as I can by answering any questions or doubts people may have, no matter how small you think they may be. Feel free to start commenting any questions, thanks everyone!
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Hi everyone, I'm Emma! I'm studying BA English Language and Linguistics at the University of Southampton and have just finished my second year. I’m from Southampton and live at home, so if anyone has any questions about the university itself, the location, accommodation, societies, etc, please feel free to ask.

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 1

Crazy fr0g

3

Why did you decide to live at home? How long was the commute to uni?

Reply 2

acehighventura

1

I'm still unsure if I want to stay in halls so I get the social life, or stay at home and save lots of money! If I change my mind on either option, is it easy for me to change? Thanks :smile:

Reply 3

Thisismyunitsr

20

Original post by acehighventura

I'm still unsure if I want to stay in halls so I get the social life, or stay at home and save lots of money! If I change my mind on either option, is it easy for me to change? Thanks :smile:

I would stay in halls (as someone who stayed at home). A poor social life and the regret this entails is not worth the small amount of money you will save from living at home.

You're going to be in debt for the next 40 years regardless of if you stay at home or not, so you might as well make the most of university and move out.

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 4

UoS TSRTalks

OP

1

Original post by Crazy fr0g

Why did you decide to live at home? How long was the commute to uni?

Hi @Crazyfr0g hope you are ok!

I think the main reason I decided to live at home was because I knew that commuting was easy (lots of students do it) and the fact that it also saves a lot of money. Initially I was worried that I wouldn't get the 'full uni experience' but this really is not the case. In fact, I'm able to stay at home and save money whilst also having a great uni experience and social life (the best of both worlds I think)! My commute to uni is around 40 ish minutes by car (traffic dependent of course). I have met lots of other students at University of Southampton that also commute and would recommend it, but it's all about personal preference and what people feel most comfortable with.

Thanks for the questions and I hope I've answered them okay! Let me know if you have any other questions :smile:

Emma, Second Year, BA English Language and Linguistics

Reply 5

UoS TSRTalks

OP

1

Original post by acehighventura

I'm still unsure if I want to stay in halls so I get the social life, or stay at home and save lots of money! If I change my mind on either option, is it easy for me to change? Thanks :smile:

Hi @acehighventura hope you are ok!

Thanks for the questions! Choosing whether to go into halls or stay at home is a big decision and it's important to choose what you feel most comfortable doing. Like anything, there are pros and cons to both and these will depend entirely on the individual. At halls you will experience meeting new people and living with other students, something which differs from living at home. Personally, I have found that whilst I do not permanently live at halls I tend to spend a lot of time at my friends' accommodation and still get to experience the social life.

At University of Southampton applications open for halls around the end of March/April time, before the September you start at the uni. As a first year student, if you apply by the 1st of July your accommodation will be guaranteed. If accommodation is applied for after this deadline it is not guaranteed. Students will have a short period of time to review the offer, to decide if they like to accept or decline. One thing worth noting is that accommodation is offered on a first come first served basis, if students decline their offer then decide to reapply their preferences for accommodation may be affected. Going to any open days is a great way of seeing what accommodation we have to offer and may help in making your decision whether to stay at home or not. I would also take a look at our accommodation page I have linked here for more information. To summarise, it may be a good idea to apply for accommodation just in case, as you will have a short period of time to review this.

I hope this has been useful and please let me know if you have any other questions, good luck with your decision!

Emma, Second Year, BA English Language and Linguistics

Reply 6

Noodlesoup!

I'm thinking on taking English Literature (not language) however I don't really read that much, will that matter? If so I may need to consider taking a different course instead..

Reply 7

UoS TSRTalks

OP

1

Original post by Noodlesoup!

I'm thinking on taking English Literature (not language) however I don't really read that much, will that matter? If so I may need to consider taking a different course instead..

Hi @Noodlesoup! and thanks for the question!

I know that for the course I do (BA English Language and Linguistics) there is a lot of reading. For example, I do four modules per semester and for each module I get set reading every week. The amount of reading is usually one or two chapters taken from different sources eg books/articles/journals etc, but the amount of reading will depend on the module itself and the topic of that week. For essay assignments you are required to do a lot of reading to widen your knowledge of the essay topic and to also use these sources as references. The amount of reading in general increases from first, second to third year also.

In terms of English Literature, the amount of reading required would be the same and may be even more than English Language. I would say that for most courses in humanities reading is really important and you will be required to read a lot each week. It doesn't matter if you read outside of uni (I don't) but as long as you're happy reading a wealthy amount per week and for assignments you'll be fine.

Please let me know if you have any other questions at all!

Emma, Second Year, BA English Language and Linguistics

Reply 8

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by Noodlesoup!

I'm thinking on taking English Literature (not language) however I don't really read that much, will that matter? If so I may need to consider taking a different course instead..

Hello,

I've just finished my third year of university last month in English Literature (and Creative Writing) and one thing I can say for a fact is that there is a lot of reading. At my university there was a book to read a week for each module. If it was a longer text it would be split over two weeks but there is a relatively large amount of reading you must do as a literary student. It comes with the degree that you'll be studying most of it independently, reading things within the course and around the areas you enjoy most. External reading outside the course is also mandatory for your essays as you will be required to cite multiple different interpretations as well as contextual analysis and theoretical discussion.

I know this sounds like a lot but it really is a fun course. At my university you aren't required to read every novel and optional books they throw at you to get a top grade. Really focus and find what area of literature you enjoy and stick with it; find the books on the course that really define that interest. There will be a question in your coursework or exam that'll reflect your interest in some way. University is much more open than A levels or GCSEs as it is an experience in true independence. For example, I found body discussion and spatial theory in relation to death to be the areas of the course that fascinated me most and I stuck with those things throughout my degree. I'm now moving onto an MA at the same uni!

Hope this helps you make a decision.

TLDR: Yes, there is a lot of reading, but with time management and researching what you enjoy, there isn't as much as there appears to be.

Dom,
Third Year English Literature and Creative Writing Student Ambassador at Lancaster University

Reply 9

icy storm

1

i've signed up to join halls this year but if i don't like it or can't afford it anymore would it be easy for me to change my mind and commute from home instead, or will I be locked into a contract?! Vice versa as well I guess, is it possible to join halls later on in the year as I don't want to feel like i'm missing out
cheers

Reply 10

jonathanemptage

21

Original post by UoS TSRTalks

Hello all! I'm Emma, a BA English Language and Linguistics student at the University of Southampton. Having just finished my second year and about to go into my final year, I have definitely lived the full uni experience in Southampton and am happy to answer any of your questions.
Since joining the University, I have been involved in societies/clubs, student ambassador events and socials, experiencing all aspects of uni life. I’m also a student who lives at home and commutes to uni, which is something many future students may feel anxious about. Choosing which university to go and what course you want to study is an overwhelming decision! I’m here to help as much as I can by answering any questions or doubts people may have, no matter how small you think they may be. Feel free to start commenting any questions, thanks everyone!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hi everyone, I'm Emma! I'm studying BA English Language and Linguistics at the University of Southampton and have just finished my second year. I’m from Southampton and live at home, so if anyone has any questions about the university itself, the location, accommodation, societies, etc, please feel free to ask.

It sounds like you did quite a lot but I hate to beak it to you you did miss out livening in halls or a house entails so much that you just didn’t experience I know you’ll disagree but “you don’t know man you weren’t there”.

Reply 11

UoS TSRTalks

OP

1

Original post by icy storm

i've signed up to join halls this year but if i don't like it or can't afford it anymore would it be easy for me to change my mind and commute from home instead, or will I be locked into a contract?! Vice versa as well I guess, is it possible to join halls later on in the year as I don't want to feel like i'm missing out
cheers

Hi @icy storm and thanks for the question!

Apologies for the delayed response, I wanted to check this information with the accommodation before replying. In terms of contracts with accommodation, you are bound to a contract in halls but students can contact the Student Hub and explore a change request due to financial reasons. Equally, you can apply for accommodation later on in the academic year (after the deadline of the 1st of July) however these places will not be guaranteed. Offers submitted after this deadline will be solely dependent on availability and places are not guaranteed as a result.

Please let me know if you have any other questions and I hope this response has been helpful. Good luck!

Emma, Second Year, BA English Language & Linguistics