Vanessa Phan MSci Geology, 2016

Undergraduate student

Choosing MSci Geology was definitely the right decision and I have loved every part of it! I chose Southampton because of the atmosphere; the friendly vibe at the open days was definitely the deciding factor for me. I’d never felt so relaxed before and the lecturers and students were so welcoming!

One of the things that makes a Geology degree at Southampton stand out is the fact that we go on so many field trips. I particularly enjoyed the Tenerife trip as part of the third year Volcanic and Mantle Processes! The lava flow exposures were really great to see and of course, the weather was lovely to work in!

I love the fact that I study at the NOCS (National Oceanography Centre Southampton). Everyone knows each other and it’s not hard to build a good rapport with the teaching staff who you bump into almost everyday. The labs in particular are excellent! The fact that it’s also a research centre means students can take advantage of the labs and facilities there, which is particularly useful for fourth year research projects. It’s also helpful because if you wanted to specialise in a particular field within your degree, chances are, there’s someone at NOCS who’s already researching it!

I’ve really benefited from the opportunities available outside the classroom. I joined the Salsa Society and absolutely loved it; it gave me such a big confidence boost and there was something very freeing about dancing. After being too scared to try anything new in first year, I used the second year to really push myself out of my comfort zone and somehow found myself taking part in Pure Dance. I don’t regret any of it, I’ve met some great people and even had a chance to run a society.