Joanna Fairey BSc Psychology

2nd year student

Out of all the universities I visited, Southampton was the one I felt most comfortable at. The lecturers I met in my department on the open days were so enthusiastic about their subject that I felt like it would be an environment I would really enjoy studying in.

Why did you choose to come and study at Southampton?

I knew that I wanted to study at a university that was teaching current and up to date information, so studying at a Russell Group university was really important to me. Out of all the universities I visited, Southampton was the one I felt most comfortable at. The lecturers I met in my department on the open days were so enthusiastic about their subject that I felt like it would be an environment I would really enjoy studying in.

What’s it like studying here?

The facilities the university has to offer are great and are constantly evolving due to student feedback. The library provides a quiet and relaxed place to study, where you have instant access to all the textbooks you would need. As well as this, it offers many different services to help you with your studies – whether it be developing your writing skills, updating your CV for interviews or just general IT support. There are many classes, helpdesks and resources in the library that can help.

What are you enjoying most about your course?

I am currently really enjoying my statistics module, which is really surprising to me as I was very apprehensive about the maths element of Psychology before I started. All of the additional workshops and classes the department offers for statistics have really helped me get to grips with the basics I needed to do well in this module. I would definitely encourage anyone who is nervous about this element of the course to really get stuck into it and attend all the lectures because it really isn’t as bad as you think it will be!

Do you have the opportunity to study modules outside of your core subject area?

Yes, and I have chosen to do a university wide module in my last year – Living and Working on the Web. I feel this module will help me to look at my degree from a different perspective and interact with the material in a different way, which I think will be very helpful in preparing me for postgraduate study.

I plan on taking the MSc Marketing Management masters that the University of Southampton offers after I complete my degree and I don’t feel like I would feel confident enough to do this if it hadn’t have taken UOSM modules.

What have been your Southampton ‘highlights’ so far?

My highlights so far have definitely been winning trophies with the Novice Tap Dance squad in my first year and becoming Academic President of Psychology in my second year. Taking part in a society at university is a great way to escape studying for a few hours and make friends with people outside of your halls and course. Being academic president in my second year has been so fulfilling. I have really enjoyed getting to know lots of people on my course and communicating their feedback to the faculty. It’s such a rewarding role being able to see all the positive differences you have been able to make in the department and I would really encourage anyone to give it a go.