Matthew Gorvett MEng Civil Engineering, 2017

Graduate Engineer, Tony Gee and Partners LLP

My highlights at university were the practical opportunities I was offered as part of my course, such as the Constructionarium at the end of my first year and the projects I completed in my final two years.

The engineering faculty at the University has a world-class reputation, which attracted me to study at Southampton.

I enjoyed the amount of time spent doing practical work as this provided a snapshot of the technical aspects of work in the industry, and a great balance between theoretical and practical work.

Through SUCCESS, the civil engineering scholarship scheme, I completed three summer work placements at Tony Gee and Partners LLP. I now work for the engineering consultancy as a Graduate Engineer. The SUCCESS scheme allowed me to apply the material I learned in lectures to real-world problems and gave me invaluable experience in industry.

During my summer placements, I was involved in a number of high profile projects, including the construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel and development of the ports of Dover and Liverpool.

Whilst I was at university, I joined the Institute of Civil Engineers as a student member.  They frequently host lectures in their London headquarters (and sometimes in Southampton) on a wide range of topics. I have found these instrumental in giving me a deeper understanding of the industry.

During my time at Southampton I was involved in a wide range of societies, including canoe polo and sailing but most notably the University’s student run cinema, Union Films. I was the Publicity Manager for three years, during which time I made many close friends and enjoyed numerous trips to Thorpe Park.  My time spent at Union Films undoubtedly taught me invaluable transferable skills that complement those I learnt as part of my course.

The best way to meet people and make friends is to get involved in extra-curricular activities. It doesn’t matter if they’re old hobbies or activities that you’ve never heard of before, there’s a whole community of students who are interested in everything and anything you could think of.