{"id":1310,"date":"2018-06-18T10:33:33","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T09:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/?p=1310"},"modified":"2018-06-18T10:33:33","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T09:33:33","slug":"energizing-my-year-in-southampton-as-a-fulbright-scholar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/2018\/06\/18\/energizing-my-year-in-southampton-as-a-fulbright-scholar\/","title":{"rendered":"Energizing: My Year in Southampton as a Fulbright Scholar"},"content":{"rendered":"

This month Fulbright scholar Brian Cully has\u00a0been\u00a0reflecting on his year at the University of\u00a0Southampton.<\/em><\/p>\n

My time at Southampton has been life-changing. From my academic program, to my new life in the UK, I\u2019ve become a smarter, more cultured person who is confident to take on new challenges and experiences.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photography trip to the New Forest. [Credit: Southampton University Photography Society]<\/figcaption><\/figure>I studied at the United States Naval Academy and commissioned as a submarine officer in May 2017. Later that fall, I moved to Southampton to begin a master\u2019s degree as the university\u2019s 2017-2018 Fulbright Scholar.<\/p>\n

After studying aerospace engineering at the Naval Academy, I wanted to expand my engineering knowledge and use it to solve the sustainability challenges we will face over the next several decades. I searched for programs that weaved together my technical background, passion for sustainability, and future naval career. Southampton\u2019s MSc in Sustainable Energy Technologies could not have been a better match.<\/p>\n

After settling into the degree program and meeting its faculty, I looked forward to the other fun features of student life. But how does a Navy guy fit into a more relaxed university atmosphere? Joining numerous societies on campus allowed me to pursue my hobbies with new people\u2014and ultimately new friends\u2014who shared my interests. After the first week of lectures, I was already indoor skiing with the ski and snowboarding club, photographing horses in the New Forest with the photography society, and playing a water polo game in Bath with the water polo club. Southampton\u2019s various societies not only allowed me to practice shooting film cameras or listen to Big Shaq before a big water polo match, but they provided a strong sense of community with my fellow students that has lasted the entire year. Joining a few societies is easy to do, as Southampton offers scores of diverse options, and is a must for any new student wishing to settle in quickly.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Southampton Water Polo Club after a victory. [Credit: David Evans]<\/figcaption><\/figure>So it was unsurprising that there was seldom a day in Southampton when I was bored. In addition to student groups, I met many of my best friends on the first day of school at different welcome events. And my academic program not only yielded lectures which worked my brain in new ways, but also new friends who joined me for pints at the pub and (mostly) weekly breakfasts at my flat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Fulbright program further enhanced my educational experience. As a Fulbright Scholar, I was able to tap into some serious British intellectual capital. A significant portion of my personal growth has simply been the result of interactions with my fellow Fulbright Scholars. Southampton is a quick train journey away from central London, home to many scholars in my Fulbright cohort, and I\u2019ve shared a strong sense of community with them and the other scholars in the South. I\u2019ve hosted them for Easter weekend and summer barbecues, and they\u2019ve reciprocated with couches to sleep on after various events in the city (dinners, lectures, West End shows, and a ballet recital to name a few). I\u2019ve also travelled with Fulbrighters to other cities such as Oxford, Manchester, and Belfast.<\/p>\n

Southampton\u2019s location also lends itself well to exploring the rest of the United Kingdom. It\u2019s close to iconic items on any tourist\u2019s checklist (Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Jester\u2019s Nightclub) and other local gems such as Winchester, Bournemouth, and the Isle of Wight.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Southampton friends in Winchester on Guy Fawkes Day. [Credit: Brian Cully]<\/figcaption><\/figure>For future Fulbright applicants, I recommend thinking deeply about the connection between you, your studies, and the greater American-British context that they fit within. Know why you want to study in Southampton, and the United Kingdom in general, rather than any other place in the world. By understanding those ideas, your passion should show itself plainly in the application and interview, and you may end up in my shoes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Fulbright friends enjoying a picnic in Hampstead Heath, London. [Credit: Sara Dada]<\/figcaption><\/figure>The cultural exchange between the US and UK has been an incredibly interesting aspect about studying across the pond, and these experiences have made me a more well-rounded naval officer. I\u2019m incredibly grateful for Southampton and the Fulbright Scholarship for providing this opportunity. After earning my degree, I will return to the United States and service onboard submarines as a naval officer. I look forward to entering that role equipped with the lessons this year has taught me.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Visiting Giant\u2019s Causeway in Northern Ireland with other Fulbright Scholars. [Credit: Brian Cully]<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"\"
Overlooking Edinburgh, Scotland, after New Year\u2019s Hogmanay celebrations. [Credit: Brian Cully]<\/figcaption><\/figure> <\/p>\n

The University of Southampton partners with the Fulbright Commission to offer a fully funded scholarship award each year for a US citizen to study a Masters programme. To find more, visit our International Funding Partnerships page<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This month Fulbright scholar Brian Cully has\u00a0been\u00a0reflecting on his year at the University of\u00a0Southampton. My time at Southampton has been life-changing. From my academic program, to my new life in the UK, I\u2019ve become a smarter, more cultured person who is confident to take on new challenges and experiences. I studied at the United States […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":193,"featured_media":1319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[76,30,49,3,26,78,77],"class_list":["post-1310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-scholarships","tag-fulbright","tag-international-student","tag-masters","tag-scholarship","tag-student-life","tag-sustainable-energy-technologies","tag-us"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/06\/bpcully_20171104_2365_LR.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/193"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1310"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1341,"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1310\/revisions\/1341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southampton.ac.uk\/blog\/internationalvoices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}