Tell me about Southampton

[MotherOfSoupDragons]

DS is considering Southampton uni. We went to an open day but didn't see an awful lot of the city (we were at the oceanography site) and what we did see didn't impress him. We're too far away for another visit unless we absolutely have to. If anyone knows the place, what do you think?

What do you want to know? I live in Southampton, studies at the uni and now work there...

What's the vibe, the night life for students, is there an old part, what do you think of it as a place to live?

I live in Southampton, to the east of the city centre. I love it here but appreciate I'm at a different stage of life as your DS! We have 2 unis here (Southampton and Southampton Solent) so loads of student accommodation and bars / clubs in the city centre. Great shopping and leisure stuff too. The older part of the city is the walls, by the IOW ferry terminal which has a few nice restaurants and bars but not as much as the main centre. If there's anything specific you want to know, just ask.

Fantastic uni and nightlife for a student.

The nightlife will depend on what your DS is used to. There are lots of clubs, but it doesn't compare to places like Manchester and Newcastle.

The uni can feel a bit remote from the city centre, but anyone in halls gets a uni link bus pass. A bike is recommended, but make sure your son has a sturdy lock.

There are medieval parts of Southampton, but it's obvious that it was badly bombed. There has been a huge amount of building work done in the last 20 years that has helped to modernise the city. If you like history then Winchester and Salisbury are quite. Near.

What subject does your son want to do? Does he have any particular interests? There are more clubs and societies at Soton than most Unis have.

DS went there and loved it. Good vibe in the town, good night life, London is do-able for big gigs etc. He highly recommends it. Only serious trouble was the So'ton played Portsmouth. They were all told it was best not to go into town that night.

when So'ton played Portsmouth

Good for shopping and eating out, very student oriented, lots of bars and clubs. Close to the New Forest and other major towns and cities. Frequent train services. Lots of history.

Awful traffic problems...traffic light city. A bit run down in places.

Surely if he wants to do oceanography, then So'ton is the place?

I didn't study there, but have worked there. I pop down every now and then for the art gallery and the Mayflower theatre. There are old bits, and rebuilt bits. There are run down bits, but there are in any large city. Lots of clubs and stuff. The central station is on the main Waterloo- Weymouth line, which means it's easy to get to the New Forest or decent beaches (Bournemouth) or even London. Traffic can be rubbish if you drive, especially if you're by the docks when a big ship has just unloaded, but then, there's probably not a city centre in Britain where the traffic isn't bad sometimes.

People I know who went to Southampton loved it, but I could say that about quite a few universities, to be fair.

Who cares? Him or you? He’s a student. It’s beer studies and parties

We live by the Oceanography centre. We love it. It was badly run and neglected in the 60’s-80’s but there’s loads of investment now. Very large student bar and club areas, lots of history and arts events. 4 theatres, several music venues. What is he looking for?

Well, I personally think that it's a shithole, although I'm born and raised here for the last three decades so that might introduce some considerable level of bias. Being a bit more charitable, I suppose the newest West Quay development has introduced some half-decent nightlife options and Southampton Uni (not Solent) is generally well-regarded. If your DS is interested in a marine science though, I would agree that the main draw would be the SOC; even I can't contest that it's a big deal in this field, and essentially unmatched in the UK. I did my work experience there many moons ago (ultimately ended up going with a different arm of science, though) and it is a genuinely fantastic institute for marine research.

I went to Southampton Uni and had the best time of my life. Still live locally now (although not in the city).

Great nightlife, lovely halls and fantastic library. Really good students union and many, many societies to choose from. Such a great place to be a student.

Just reread the op again - there isn’t an ‘old part’ as such as Southampton was heavily bombed during WW2. Parts of the walls and bar gate remain. However, Winchester is very close by and is a lovely ‘old’ place to visit.

The city centre is very suited for students, big cinema, lots of different restaurants, bowling and escape rooms. Huge shopping centre. Lots of bars and clubs that cater for students. The uni link bus service links the town, campuses and all the halls together.

I'm back in Southampton now and I must admit I'm shocked at how run down it is - outside of Westquay it's just horrible. Having said that, I studied at the university a few years ago and really liked it so probably not so bad for students.

My sister went to uni there and is still there 10 years later, about to buy a house and settle there. Nightlife for her was more pubs and people's houses than clubs, although there are some. It's a manageable sized city to get around on the buses/walking.

What does your son want from uni? Where else is he considering?

If he's doing a four year degree , many of the courses at Southampton regard themselves as sufficiently prestigious that during the year that's work experience his 'wages' get paid to the uni, not him.
The support system is quite poor.
It's one of the most expensive places to do a degree in the country once all the costs are added up.
My DH took my DS to one of the open day lectures in a course he was considering, where they claimed the students had a really high post degree employment rate in the company he works for. They don't.

He's considering marine biology or mechanical or biomedical engineering. One thing putting him off marine biology was that he wasn't keen on what we saw of Southampton.

My ds studied Oceanography at Southampton - graduated 3 years ago. It's true the oceanography centre is some distance from the main campus, however, most first years have lectures spread across both sites (Marine Biologists as well as oceanographers). Second and third years are more focused at NOC. Ds's first year accommodation was at Glen Eyre (close to main campus) and the UniLink buses are great with a bus pass included in the accommodation fees. Student housing is relatively inexpensive compared with other university cities. From what DS told me, the night life was pretty good. All in all DS had a really good three years at So'ton. My advice would be to look carefully at the courses, their specific content and what else the university itself has to offer rather than write it off because of what the city looks like.

My ds's gf is doing geology at Southampton Uni and she has her lessons at the oceanic campus.
The city is really improving. Both our kids went/are still there but at Solent. Its very accessible, def a student city. Harbour lights cinema is a good cinema as is the new Showcase one. Lots of restaurants of varying costs. Global JRC (I think?) is very popular. Great for shopping, and has an Ikea.

I trust that your DS is aware that there is very little romance attached to Marine Biology? The closest you get to sea life tends to be studying diatoms in seawater samples. I only say this because I've spoken with a lot of school and college leavers over the years who have a somewhat misguided view of marine bio, up to and including thinking that marine biologists spend most of their day swimming with dolphins (maybe, if you're employed by SeaWorld I guess). Whilst I'm not implying that you haven't done due diligence, I would suggest that there's a better career ahead down the healthcare line than earth sciences (I speak from experience here).

I've lived 26 years in Southampton and think it is far less run down than it used to be. Can't vouch for the nightlife, but it is very green: large common up by Soton University, plenty of smaller parks in the city centre, easy access to the New Forest, ferry to the Isle of Wight.

For "old parts", as people say, it was heavily bombed in the war, but quite a bit of the medieval town walls still survive (and the medieval wine cellars under the city) and a few medieval buildings; also well preserved monastic ruins at Netley just outside the city. But if he likes old and pretty, it's easy access to Winchester and Romsey.

Public transport quite good, and frequent (UniLink buses excellent), and generally reliable train service to London and elsewhere.

I remember getting a shock the first time I stepped off the train and saw that hideous building just outside the station- but since I have grown very fond of the city.

You're right, MeetMe and he is aware that he'll spend a lot of time looking at plankton in a lab, which is why he's no longer sure about it. (He loves diving and did his EPQ on the coral reefs). Personally I think one of the engineering options would be better for him. Thanks for the input.

Surely it's the university that matters, not the surrounding area? It's madness to make a decision based on whether the area is pleasing to the eye, or has older parts. If he really cares whether or not there are old buildings, he can travel a bit further afield on days off. As another poster said, Southampton was heavily bombed in the Second World War. Sorry the new bits aren't aesthetically pleasing.

Traffic can be rubbish if you drive,

and transport is dire if you don't drive!!!!