What our students think

I chose Southampton because I liked the layout of the course and the topics covered. The department also seemed to genuinely care about their students' employability after university, with a high percentage of students getting jobs in the environment sector. The course at Southampton also gives you more practical experience of working in the field than other universities I looked at.

My time at Southampton has made me more confident in my subject area and ability. I appreciate the wide range of knowledge that geography offers, and I like that there’s so much opportunity to learn.

My dissertation was based on the lionfish invasion in the Caribbean and focused on analysing the feeding ecology and preferences of lionfish. The most important thing I gained from this dissertation has been the experience of successfully conducting my own research in a remote location and being able to respond efficiently to any obstacles I encountered.

The lecturers are always incredibly engaging and it is clear they are truly passionate about their subjects. This makes a big difference to the lecture experience.

One of the best things about the Veolia Graduate Development Programme is that I get to move location and sector every 6 months, so in my next placement I will be working within either Energy or Water.

What I learned was how to truly apply the theory I had learnt during my degree, and know how it would be used in a real future employment situation. I really believe that is the strength of the course here at Southampton and sets it apart from other courses as it has great emphasis on how to apply the theory from lectures and give you really important career development skills.

The best resource the university has provided me throughout my degree is a platform to connect with other like-minded individuals. This has allowed me to pursue a range of different subject areas within the environmental science field and given me far clearer direction for my future career.

The Geography department and combined Oceanography department were very strong, particularly in terms of research, which I thought would give me a fantastic platform for my academia alongside the opportunity to become involved in extracurricular activities.

I am now an Assistant Manager for one of the environmental schemes known as the 'Feed-in Tariff Scheme' which is designed to provide incentives to promote the uptake of small-scale renewable electricity.

All of the lecturers in environmental science are really enthusiastic and supportive – I receive constant encouragement to pursue both my studies and extra-curricular activities further.

My joint honours degree incorporated and allowed me to do 50 per cent of my modules at the National Oceanography Centre, giving me experience in the geological field.

The highly specialised course combining both Geography and Oceanography was a major draw, as was the option of combing my course with a language to develop skills in two areas.

Friendly lecturers who deliver good quality education. The course also offers many opportunities for shaping the focus of your education within environmental science.

My lecturers challenge me and they keep me on my toes; but, most importantly, they inspire me. Motivating yourself to get work done is easy when you're so often inspired by the great research and people around you.

There is a lot of option in the course so you can tailor your course to you.

Highlights of my time have included the second year field trip to Amsterdam where we were able to conduct our own research on topics of our choice. We also had the opportunity to experience the city and visit the Anne Frank Museum and cycle round the city. All paid for by the course!

I felt Environmental Science was a better course for me because of the variety of modules I could take

A highlight was meeting all the incredible people I worked with

I had so many highlights from Southampton that made it memorable for me and the best three years of my life so far. The fieldtrips to Amsterdam and Berlin were highlights as I love to travel and doing that with such a large group of people was something I hadn’t done before.

When I first saw the Environmental Science course, I knew it was the perfect degree for me. It combines many different disciplines, which makes your module choices much broader than in other degrees.

I love how varied my course is, as I can explore many different areas of Environmental Science and find out more about different industries. This is very useful for improving my employability as there are many different opportunities available to me when I graduate.

Southampton has provided me the opportunity to travel; be it as part of the Study Abroad exchange programme, the many diverse field trips within my course in BSc Geography or those offered from various societies across the University.

Southampton doesn’t just churn out students with a degree; it gives you the capability to stand on your own two feet with applicable skills to start a career and the contacts to get one.

I was involved in several extracurricular projects, with the pinnacle being the 2017 Dragon’s Den event organised by Future Worlds, where two Dragons decided to invest in our startup – FuseMind.