Jennifer Crunden MEng Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2016

After leaving Southampton I plan to be an RAF pilot, and the University has helped no end with this. I became part of the University Air Squadron, and through that I’ve learnt to fly and developed leadership skills that I’ll need to be in the RAF.

I wanted to study at the University of Southampton because I knew it was one of the best universities in the country for the course I wanted to do. After coming to have a look around, it seemed like a great campus and the professors were really friendly.

I wanted to study Aeronautics and Astronautics because, ever since I was a child, I’ve been obsessed by aeroplanes. I’ve always wanted to understand how planes fly! So Southampton was a great place to come for that.

After leaving Southampton I plan to be an RAF pilot, and the University has helped no end with this. I became part of the University Air Squadron, and through that I’ve learnt to fly and developed leadership skills that I’ll need to be in the RAF.

Being a female in engineering is not as bad as it sounds – in fact, it’s been absolutely brilliant! I think if you’re a female in engineering, you hold all the cards. You have the opportunity to show everyone exactly what you can do. Sometimes people will doubt you, but you just have to show them that they’re absolutely wrong!

I have loved Southampton! I love the city, and it’s a really diverse place. You meet people from all sorts of backgrounds, and there’s something to do for everyone here. I have friends who study all different subjects, but we’re interested in the same pastimes. It’s a brilliant place.

My advice to any prospective students would be, even if you feel you might not up to the challenge, just give it a go. Keep at it, keep studying, and it will definitely be worth it.