Alistair Bailey BEng Civil Engineering with Foundation Year

PhD Cancer Sciences, University of Southampton

Hi, I'm Alistair Bailey and I studied BEng Civil Engineering with Foundation Year within Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton.

Southampton was both the friendliest and most realistic in the advice they offered me: my interviewers recommended I did the Foundation Year here prior to my undergraduate degree, which turned out to be very good advice. I also wanted to have a more unified university experience of the type available here, rather than to be at a London university with their scattered campuses.

What did you enjoy about the course?

I’d highly recommend the ESM [now EPG] Foundation Year to anyone who feels they need preparation for undergraduate study, both technically in terms of the level of difficultly of mathematics and physics one is asked to do and also in terms of developing the study skills that it takes to become a successful student. I really enjoyed it and just as importantly, it helped me pass my degree. The degree was hard work, much harder than any job I’ve ever had, as I was never allowed to get into a comfort zone. What I can say is that for me it is the people that make a place and in the department they were unfailingly helpful and approachable which made doing the hard stuff possible.

What’s Southampton like as a place to be a student?

The university itself is an extraordinary resource, both in terms of people and infrastructure. The library has access to more materials than one could possibly find time to make use of, everything from specialist engineering journals to DVDs from the Art School of old silent films. The campuses have good facilities for sports. Transport connections are excellent and most people are able to live within a few minutes of where they are studying. This all helps make for a strong sense of being part of a community.

Tell us about your current job

Having completed my degree, I’m moving departments to take on an interdisciplinary role doing a PhD as part of the School of Medicine. This is to do with using a new computer modelling technique as part of ongoing research into treatment for cancer. It’s a really exciting and unusual opportunity to work as the junior member of a team already consisting of an Immunologist, a Physicist and a Computer Scientist. I’ll be required to work across all three disciplines. This is partly the result of studying at Southampton in an environment that provides opportunities to meet a wide range of people. I’ve always wanted to do something that I could consider as both interesting and useful, and this ticks both boxes for me. I may yet return to engineering in the long term though.

What advice would you give to a student starting out on a Civil Engineering degree at Southampton?

If you get stuck, ask for help, there is plenty of it available both inside and outside the department, so don’t be embarrassed. And finally, to steal a line: while it’s good to have a destination, it’s the journey itself that’s most important.

Why did you choose Civil Engineering at Southampton?

Having looked at Imperial and UCL I decided on Southampton for a couple of reasons: firstly, they were both the friendliest and I felt most realistic in the advice they offered me. My interviewers recommended I did the Foundation Year here prior to my undergraduate degree, which turned out to be very good advice. Secondly, I wanted to have a more unified university experience of the type available here, rather than to be at a London university with their scattered campuses.