University of Southampton - Ask Us Anything

I got an offer but Southampton in my backup choice. I live in London so I need accomodation but the letter I was sent says there is a deadline in June or July. Results day is in August so what do I do?

Hey I was wondering for Computer Science in particular whether you would say there's a good range of support available if you get stuck on the content? Do you also find the lectures engaging and useful?

I currently hold an offer for Mathematics with Actuarial Science and plan to make it my firm if I do not get into my first choice.
It says I will be eligible for 6 exemptions, does this depend upon what optional modules I choose?

Hello @iive!
Unfortunately, I'm not a computer science student but I can give a general answer based on my experiences studying psychology:

Thank you so much for the question and if you have any more, let us know!
Poppy - 2nd Year Psychology Student

Hello again, I was wondering how much travelling you do as a first year on public transport and whether it's worth investing in a Coachcard, bus pass, railcard, etc (probably not all three at once 😂 but which modes of transport are most commonly needed for Southampton)?
I was also wondering when to open up a student bank account and which ones you would recommend? I'm currently thinking of Santander soon after I turn 18 but I've heard of other ones like Natwest as well

How many teaching weeks do you have generally? Are semesters 1 and 2 the same length in terms of teaching time? Is it the entire terms or are there revision periods or reading weeks with no teaching? Thx.

Hi @iive,
For public transport the best thing to get would be a bus pass, which I would say is vital (at least for first year) as it makes it so much easier to get to the uni, home and to go food shopping since it's not all in the same place.
Southampton has an amazing bus network, with two different types of buses:
If you get one bus pass you can use it for both of these types of buses.
But saying this, if you are thinking of going into the University's accommodation for first year, a free bus pass will be given to you as a little bonus! However if you choose to not go into uni accomm, then there is also a student discount on the bus passes too (through Unilink).
Student bank accounts solely depend on what you want most out of it! Most people want a big overdraft and some don't cause they might be able to pay it back. I would recommend looking at Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert where you can see all the types of account you can get and compare easily their pros and cons - although it's for this year these don't usually change by much. I personally have a Natwest one and I haven't had any issues apart from you're not guaranteed the top amount of overdraft. I've also heard Santander is good cause you can get a free railcard. It's honestly up to your preferences what you want to get out of it.
Thank you so much for your questions! And if you have any more don't be afraid to ask 🙂
Lucy 2nd Year Geography Student

Would you recommend doing an EPQ? Or just 3 A-levels?

Hi,
EPQs are a great way to get an insight into how some assignments and essays are done at university as it is self-directed. This is similar to expectations at university for assignments and so an EPQ prepares you with the mindset that you can utilise at university. However, the EPQ contains far more independent work than your other subjects will be so often there is less guidence. At Southampton, we value the skills and midset an EPQ helps to develop and offer students who are able to acheive an A in their EPQ a lower entry requirement.
I hope this gives you some insight. For more insight, you can click here.
Matthew
Student Ambassador

Thanks, do you think a fourth A-level or an EPQ is a better decision, regardless of what grade I get?