Hannah Mitchell BSc Occupational Therapy 2017

Hi, I am Hannah Mitchell and currently studying BSc Occupational Therapy.

"I chose Southampton because they seemed to offer more opportunities to assist our learning such as labs in first year and charity projects throughout the three years to engage with service users outside a placement setting"

What made you choose to come and study at Southampton?

I chose Southampton because they seemed to offer more opportunities to assist our learning such as labs in first year and charity projects throughout the three years to engage with service users outside a placement setting. 

What were you anxious about before coming to Southampton,

Before coming to university, I was anxious about being able to keep up with all the work. My tutor was good at giving advice on how to stay on top of it all and it was a lot easier to organise my own time than I expected.

What is it like studying here?

I’m really enjoying studying at Southampton. Most lecturers are very supportive, especially my tutor. I can always ask for help or meet with her if I need to talk about how things are going. Lecturers are very good at providing resources such as PowerPoints for the lecture and other resources needed for assessments, which makes assignment deadlines a little less stressful.

How do you rate study facilities at the University, such as the Library?

The library is especially useful during exam time, resources are easily accessible and library staff are helpful when you can’t find what you’re looking for. The study spaces are great for group work and for when you get bored of studying in your room.

What have been your Southampton ‘highlights’ (best experiences) so far?

I have really enjoyed doing projects with charities around the local area- I was able to go to a young people’s hostel to run a few cooking sessions as part of my course. I found this experience really eye-opening to what a difference an Occupational Therapist could make in settings we don’t currently do much work in.

What other activities have you taken advantage of while at University?

I was given the opportunity to go to a primary school with a group from my course to promote Occupational Therapy as part of an assembly. I found it really enjoyable to be able to share with the children what our degree is about and get them involved with a design project we were doing.

I have joined societies such as the Christian Union which has been a great way of meeting like-minded people and get to know many students from all over campus.

What are you enjoying most about your course?

I enjoy the wide range of topics that we learn about, I particularly enjoy learning about how Occupational Therapy can help in a mental health setting. I love that our modules often have practical applications such as charity projects where we can apply the skills we learnt throughout the term. My course constantly challenges me, which has helped me to grow as a person as well as a professional. 

What networking, employment and work experience opportunities have you undertaken and how have they enhanced your undergraduate experience?

Practice placements have given me clinical experience which has helped me to develop as a professional and increased my confidence in my ability to be an Occupational Therapist in the future. Practise placement can also lead to employment opportunities after graduation.

Do you have any idea of what you would like to do in the future? Have the opportunities you have taken up while at the University helped you have a clearer idea of what you might like to do?

I’m considering working in an emerging Occupational Therapy role such as in a hostel working with homeless people. Among many other charities the university offered an opportunity to work with St James’ society and run a project as part of a group with young homeless people. This further inspired me to possibly pursue working in that setting in the future or another role emerging setting; being provided with opportunities like these help to make those aspirations feel more achievable.

Did you stay in University accommodation?

I stayed in halls for my first year, which is where I met my friends that I am currently living with.

Do you like living in Southampton?

I like living in Southampton, the common is a great place to spend free time in the summer. I have also found traveling to the New Forest or Bournemouth beach for the day is really great and easy to do from Southampton.