Student Blogs

Worried about flatmates for next year?

Tue, 03 Dec 2013 14:18:00 Z

So you’ve just started University and started to settle in a little bit, getting to know the people around you a little better, so much that you cannot believe you’ve only known them for a few months. However, talk of housing for next year is an underlying topic among many flats or friendship groups. If there are just clear divides between groups and everyone is happy with living with each other then that’s perfect, but that’s not often how social relationships work out, leading to arguments and debates about who to live with in second year.

My flat, like many of yours I’m sure, had couples and friendship groups and ties. This strongly influenced the flats, with the two couples naturally wanting to live together. However, this carries further complexities and problems when deciding housing arrangements. Politics was what chose our house, rather than solid friendships. You may see this in your own flats, as the people who you are close with are friends with different flatmates, leading to no clear group to live with in second year. In my case, I ended up with only one of the people I was close to in my first year flat. I was extremely disappointed. I approached second year feeling that I may spend more time with my friends from outside the flat.

This is not the case, as we have had not one argument and we all get on effortlessly well! This is to contrast with the other flats, which have experienced several arguments and exclusions from social activities. We still see the others and often invite each other around for pre-drinks, but are not required to enter any of their house arguments or politics. One of the boys from the other flat approached me the other day and admitted “Mate, we screwed up, I’m really sorry - it’d have been better to live with you if I’m honest”. A touching acknowledgement, but I’m much happier with this flat cheers pal. And my house isn’t a dump like yours!

Obviously this is just my story, and yours is likely to be different. I do, however, expect that there will still be a high level of politics and tactics in choosing houses, so I’d like to leave you a few tips for picking houses:
Firstly, don’t choose flats too early ? Honestly you won’t get a better flat and you could be living with someone you realise that you really dislike by the second semester of first year.

Secondly, if politics do lead to living with individuals who you are not as close to, do not worry. In my experience, it has been a hidden gift.

Next, don’t judge people. I looked at people and made several judgements in first year which, yeah I keep to myself, but it’s still not fair or even necessarily representative. Maybe the quiet kid from Freshers’ Week is actually a class choice for a flatmate - considerate and reliable when sober and about as bashful as a tribal dance when drunk.

What I would say, is that you have far more responsibility. This is your home, your flat or house, which you have to clean and live in. The first year messiness must subside, at least a little anyway. This means that people who you know may get on your nerves due to messiness will annoy you ten times more in second year if you do decide to live with them.

But in the end of the day, if you are worrying about who you’re going to live with next year, don’t. It may be that those who it has worked out seemingly perfectly for won’t be as pleased with the outcome as you.

Young Carer coming to University

Thu, 28 Nov 2013 16:29:00 Z

Ever since I can remember I’ve been a carer for my Mum. She’s the most lovely, beautiful woman who unfortunately also suffers from severe depression that often leaves her unable to complete some of the most ordinary tasks.

Her emotions range from extreme lows and frequent suicidal thoughts to high anxiety, erratic paranoia and anger towards the people around her. Some days she can be happy and okay too, and these days have increased over the years, but it is still absolutely distressing to see her in a very low mood.

My job since I was little has been to essentially act as Mum to her. I listen to her on her down days and reassure her things will get better, I calm her paranoia, and I’ve also stopped her from suicide on multiple occasions. It’s a full time job between us, I have my dad around too, and she is always on my mind. Some days it’s scary, sometimes sad, but sometimes inspiring. I’m proud of my mum when she challenges her anxiety and depression, when she pushes for happiness.

I had applied to university, considering it the next obvious next stage for me. Despite the stuff going on at home, I had always really enjoyed my studies at school and I wanted to go on to do maths, and at the time I didn’t really consider the transition to university. It wasn’t until the weeks started leading up to it that I realised I was terrified of leaving mum behind and I knew she was too.

Those weeks she began getting worse, her paranoia was exhausting, she seemed to always be crying and it always felt like my fault. I felt increasingly guilty. On my birthday she attacked me and my dad and went missing for days. I seriously began to doubt whether I should go to university. She seemed to just be getting so bad and I knew it was because of me. She told me a week before I was to leave that she knew a way to kill her and myself. I’d heard her say things like this before, but this was just too much.

Despite all this, I knew I had to go to university. During the holiday I helped her set up contacts with the doctors if she needed anyone, and she had my number plus skype to contact me. I just knew despite my devotion to caring for my mum that it had exhausted me mentally and physically and I needed to leave for my own benefit.

So it happened, and it was just so surreal. Freshers’ week was just so unlike anything that ever happened in my life. My life prior had been so centred on my mum and trying to keep a hold of myself, rarely going out or doing anything, and suddenly I was here, supposed to be having ‘fun’. I will be honest, I felt completely undeserving. I found it so hard to get into the spirit and missed home a lot, although I wouldn’t admit to it. I was also angry that I wasn’t and I knew I wasn’t ready for the university experience. My summer had been far too crazy for me to mentally prepare for my studies. I had spent so long spending my time worrying about my mum, I couldn’t get my head around looking after myself in the same way. I hid all of this by being unusually extroverted around friends I met, and drinking excessively considering I had never drank before. (Not the best idea but you can get away with it in freshers) For a while I fell into a self destruct mode and one night I replicated a situation I’d seen at home and ended up in hospital.

I can’t begin to tell you how alien it felt. It probably didn’t help that maths at university is a huge step up from A Levels. I found the course really tough at first so on top of my low mood I was worried I was struggling. One day I broke down and told a friend I had met not a few weeks ago how I was feeling, and with their support as well as the support of a psychologist at the local hospital (although arguably, I don’t think they helped much) I started to push myself towards recovery. For the entire semester, although I am incredibly ashamed to say this and call myself a carer, I didn’t go home. I just needed the break and time to actually realise who I was again.

Over the term I grew so much stronger and that Christmas when I went back, I told my mum how hurt I had been about everything. She apologised and cried and told me how she was getting help. I was proud of her. The rest of the holiday went actually okay! So much better than summer, and I realised that actually the extreme stress she’d had over summer was just anxiety for me going. In January I did really well in exams, demonstrating to myself that I can handle university and that I wasn’t struggling with the course like I had feared.

That second semester I turned things around and returned to being a proper carer and went back most weekends to check on her. It can get quite hectic at times, but I’d prefer to be there when I can. Over time I realised none of this had actually been my fault, I forgave myself and taught myself to treat myself better. I also started reading up on other young carers and other people who have shared similar experiences to mine. I channelled my spare time to positive things, not only doing things I enjoy, such as some of the societies at Uni, but also by raising awareness and helping other young carers who have lived the same experiences. Me and my Mum keep good contact now by text and skype, and I will return home if she needs me. In a lot of senses, Uni has helped both of us. It has helped my mum to develop more independence and build some of her own coping techniques while I’m gone which were dwindling with my constant care, and for me to become more emotionally able to deal with situations that can arise.

This summer I returned to my full time caring role and such a more experienced, happier and stronger person. I know I went back more confident at least and I realised I could help her so much more than I could before!

#sobersaturdays

Mon, 18 Nov 2013 09:36:00 Z

The basketball men’s 1st team started pre-season in early September with 12 guys back early to train hard and get ready for the season. We had 9 sessions a week spread over 6 days, and I can honestly tell you I have never been in as much pain as in that first week…

But all the boys were back, some of which had been on placement abroad for a year so it was awesome to see everyone back! So on the first Saturday (leading up to our very anticipated rest day on Sunday…) we thought we may as well have some fun while we’re all here with no work or deadlines or anything to get in our way. A silly team member (I will mention no names) then said: ‘I don’t want to throw away all of this training by getting smashed tonight!’. How could we all go out, have fun, and not waste a week’s worth of training? The answer was simple and came out of the mouth of our wise chairman: #sobersaturdays

We met up for pre-lash at his house in Oldfield park in order to test his brand new £15 fussball table. There was a lot of relentless, alcohol free wine and beer, and worst of all: water. All of us were absolutely buzzing. We set up a 10 man knockout tournament with punishments for the losers in each round involving push ups at first, then naked push ups in the garden (no pictures were taken). The competition then evolved into a 4 on 4 battle, which is when things went slightly out of hand... the losing team was made to do the turmeric challenge: a large spoon of turmeric (I nearly chundered).

So after all of these intense sporting competitions and highly banterous punishments, we set out for Second Bridge with our tumerous breaths and stained shirts. All of us danced like absolute animals and the ladies were loving it. One of the ‘lads’ got a jug of water from the bar, brought it to the middle of the dancefloor where we all were rocking all of the shapes (pentagon being my personal favourite), and downed it while we all chanted and screamed. What a hero!

You can imagine how the night went on: 3 of us pulled, some of us met up at McDonalds, and all of us were fresh for training on Monday at 7am.

Tom Janicot
SU Sport Officer
Basketball Men’s 1st team

Anyone can get depressed

Tue, 12 Nov 2013 13:00:00 Z

Loneliness is something I became familiar with in first year. Depression followed in second year. I succumbed to anxiety in third and now in my fourth year, I feel more settled but still have to remember to relax and focus on the present.

I think I am unlucky to have ridden such a rocky rollercoaster at university but many of my friends have experienced similar problems but maybe for shorter periods… Splitting up with their boyfriend or girlfriend, falling out with friends, alcohol-induced regret, exam stress, housemate disturbances, bereavement. A lot of things resolve of their own accord, forgotten in the abyss of ‘university life’.

Why was I depressed? There have been some relationship and friendship issues I had to deal with. Some loneliness. And then something I couldn’t place a finger on – I just felt sad. But as the old adage goes, you don’t know happiness if you don’t know sadness.

I needed more help than my friends could provide and I visited my GP who prescribed an antidepressant and referred me for counselling. I took the antidepressant for 20 months; it gave me more energy but was only a small part of my treatment. I went on to have a second stint of counselling through the university. I discussed the problems I had at the time and learnt some strategies to deal with difficult thoughts. I felt at ease telling someone separate from the situation about my worries. I also tried cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), reputedly an effective treatment.

I am, as I write now, trying counselling again through the university. It is free and based on campus, so I can make arrangements around meetings and lectures. To get the most from counselling you need to be honest with yourself so that you can be honest with the counsellor. I find it such a relief to admit to what’s been bothering me.

I confided in my academic personal tutor who kept an eye on me – it is useful to tell these people early on. He never judged me and could provide advice about any necessary academic options, e.g. mitigating circumstances. The Advice and Representation centre in the SU also provided support when I was at odds with a housemate.

If you’ve reached this far, you’re probably thinking I have had a terrible time at university.

Actually, depression has only been the tiniest slither in the pie chart of my experience. I have made great and long-lasting friendships with my housemates, my coursemates and people I have met at societies. Hobbies and exercise helped. I now only drink in moderation, as alcohol is a depressant. Good food and plenty of water makes me feel more alert. Using the services available – it took a long time for me to realise I wasn’t being a pest… so used them! (The SU, university and NHS.) Just keeping on top of day-to-day jobs, like laundry, could give me a sense of achievement when other tasks seemed too daunting.

Now, if you met me at the bus stop you’d never guess I had all this behind me… Anyone can feel depressed. You have to be kind to yourself and look after your friends – they can make the world of difference.

Still Not Feeling Settled?

Tue, 12 Nov 2013 11:55:00 Z

So it’s November and are you still not sure about University or the people you’ve met? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Prior to your arrival you had an idea of what it would be like and of the type of people you would meet, and following on from Freshers’ Week you realised what actually has happened is that you’ve been forced to live with people who are too different to you and start losing a little faith in things getting better?

This was the case for me a few years ago and I was not only disillusioned by my flatmates but also by my course, and I began to seriously consider dropping out. I knew my parents would be bitterly disappointed with me and so I stuck it despite being depressed at the situation I was in. After finishing first semester with no real friends and with a growing dislike for the course, going home for Christmas and seeing my old mates was a relief. However, it also made me feel neglected as they began to tell me their own exciting University experiences. Why wasn’t mine the same?

I decided that I needed a plan of action for second semester. I studied hard for my exams and made sure I nailed them - sometimes when things seem too hard you lose interest, I wasn’t going to let that be the reason for quitting. Following from my exams I decided I would stop trying to find friends similar from my friends at home and go out and have a good time with whatever people fell in my way. Best attitude to have. I joined a few clubs and societies and used this as a way of not only meeting people, but also a way to keep my evenings busy. Things don’t help when you go back to your room and spend the evening watching You Tube or Skyping a mate from home.

Many of the groups I joined were sports I’d never played or countries I had no link to, but it took the pressure off meeting people on nights out or in a lecture 5mins before the lecturer walks in. My friendship group began to grow and this meant I began to meet more and more people through others I had met. I met people whom to this day I still am best friends with, and although by the time I met them it was too late to live with them 2nd year I continued getting on with things and had a great time the following year too.

Looking back on this whole experience as a 3rd year, I am glad it happened as it made me realise that you never need to force a friendship to make a friendship, and as long as people see you getting on with things and keeping a smile on your face, they’ll want to meet you. Many of the friends I made are finishing this year and so next year I will be faced with having to find new mates to live with for the 4th year of my course. Does this faze me? No, because as you get older you begin to realise that in every step in life you will meet people, you will lose people, you will make friends and you will lose friends, and as long as you keep yourself happy that’s all that matters. Don’t feel sorry for yourself and go out and make the most of the time you have before your forced into a 9 til 5!

International Student moving to Bath

Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:55:00 +0100

Unlike most international students I moved to Bath from Wales, where I was studying for the past two years. People always hear of the horror stories about traveling on the public transport system. The last I read there was a ‘cow on the tracks causing delays’. So I was barely able to get any sleep the night before. We seldom hear any of the good ones, however, the honest truth is that millions of people get to their destinations just fine.

As typical student on a student budget, I booked my tickets well in advance. I planned and devised strategies for my little journey to the last detail, that would probably make general proud. To be fair it only had two changes. But, one of them was a replacement bus. (ta ta ta daaa) Insurance? Pfftt! Who needs that? What could go wrong?

Anyways, I left the left on the 1035 train and got in to Bath perfectly on time. Everything went great. Of course, there were the little delays like ‘waiting for the high speed train on the adjacent track to depart’. But the train drivers were able to make up the time easily.

Top Tip 1: You will find these metal doors that lead to things that magically take you up and down. Use them!!! It will mostly say its for people with disabilities and staff. However, if you are carrying a bag that weighs much as you, its fair to say you can use them. Or you will end up losing a few inches from your height like I did.

At Bath Train Station

Got to Bath and as soon as I walked out the train station there was a yellow shirt, which directed me to another yellow shirt. Finally I was at the bus stop. Unfortunately there were like a hundred (exaggeration) people there and I knew it would be ages before I got a bus. So I took a cab (now don't judge me, I'm not spoiled rich kid. The situation necessitated it. :-D)

At the University of Bath

When I got to the University of Bath (as the university ‘brand management’ people demand I write it, meaning not ‘Bath Uni’) there were loads of freshers staff. I pulled up to the EAST Accommodation and went up to one of them. He was very surprised and was curious as to how I got there. He had that look that seem to suggest that the next words that might come out of my mouth would be “Beam me up, Scotty”. Great guy who got the ball rolling.

Accommodation Staff

Soon I picked up my keys and was preparing to leave when they said that they would be happy to dive me there. Surprise! Surprise! You don't get that at every university. These guys and girl were the nicest and most down to earth people that I have met during my time in the UK. From the conversation I had with them they do not normally work on the front line (you could hardly tell by how good they were). Obviously they were very busy and had explained that they have just over a week to turn the properties around. These people truly had love for the university and went above and beyond to make me feel welcome. They assumed that they had to work till 10 ish that night. I met one of them the next morning and he said he got called back at 11 that night. It’s great to see the university has such dedicated staff. Regardless, of how tired or how busy a day they had, these people were more than happy to give their best to get little old me settled in.

Looking forward to see what else I will come across.

Arriving as a mature student

Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:47:00 +0100

I joined the University of Bath last year as an undergraduate and I am about to embark on my second year. The summer has been long and hot and has provided a well-deserved rest from my first year of studying. As the beginning of the first semester fast approaches, I’m beginning to feel excited about jumping, head first, into student life again, but believe me, I wasn’t feeling quite so confident this time last year.

For most of my adult life I have daydreamed about missed opportunities and deliberated about returning to study, but well-paid jobs and a career in IT always seemed to win hands down. I left my career behind when I started a family and, in hindsight, it gave me the break I needed in order to re-evaluate my life and take stock. I had the added complication of a degenerative bone condition in my hips which really got in my way too, and after thirteen years when I finally had the old joints replaced, almost immediately after my recovery I enrolled on the Access to HE course at Bath City College. Going to university was such a long standing goal buried deep in my subconscious that embarking on this new path in life happened almost instinctively and without thought. Before I knew it, I was completing a UCAS application and coming to terms with the possibility of actually doing a degree. But now I was scared.

I felt both excited and daunted by the prospect of being a student and at first relished the idea of being at university; it felt like I was going on a really great holiday. However, that feeling quickly diminished when I left one of my first lectures thinking “I didn’t understand a word she was talking about” and my spirit started to wane. Never fear though, as help is always at hand and I plucked up the courage to talk to my tutor - lesson number one was to always ask for help when you need it. After a teary conversation and thoughts about giving up even before I had properly started, a lifeline was thrown to me in the form of a fourth year mature student, and I took it. Talking through my anxieties with someone who had been there and done it was all I needed and I realised that maybe my idea of university wasn’t quite the reality. I wasn’t going to be ‘hanging out’ with a home life to run, the school run to do and all the other daily tasks that having a family demanded, so I discovered that I had to make it work for me. Being a student is different for everyone, whether you are in your forties and changing careers or just starting out as an eighteen-year-old.

I felt uneasy about being a mature student. I thought I didn’t fit in and stood out with a beacon on my head flashing ‘old person’, but the reality is that your age and background really don’t matter and everyone experiences the same anxieties, nerves and daunting feelings about their new environment. As it happens, the younger students enjoy my company and I theirs. We have a good laugh and, whilst they provide me with much-needed entertainment, our friendships our based on mutual respect and understanding, because fundamentally, we are all in the same boat regardless of our backgrounds. Making friends with both young and mature students has been at the heart of my success this year, because sharing and talking through experiences has boosted my confidence in what started out as quite an alien environment. Being extremely organised and disciplined and having a very understanding partner has also enabled me to have an amazing first year at Bath. Around every corner is a new experience or hurdle to overcome, but with the right tools and remembering lesson number one, they are not only surmountable, but really enjoyable too. After those initial couple of weeks, I have never looked back.

Types of people at Uni

Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:47:00 +0100

As an incoming Fresher, you've probably spent the past few weeks in some sort of panicked excitement; packing, unpacking, repacking, scouring the internet for 'First Year Uni Essentials' and trying to find a rankings list that proves you chose a better university than your friends. Amidst joining Facebook groups for your halls and looking at the Freshers' timetable, you’ve probably seen an article about 'The Ten People You'll Meet At Uni' or 'How to Reinvent Yourself in First Year'. These are generally a list of very boxy stereotypes and terrible ideas - the Gay, the Party Animal, the Comic Book Nerd, Girls Look Great with Buzzcuts - and, from my experience, tend to do more harm than good.

I looked at one of these lists before my first year and spent a while agonising over the fact that I didn't seem to fit any boxes. I wasn't dedicated enough to reinvent myself (pixie haircuts scare me) and I wasn't sure whether I could really pull off the Bookish Intellectual Hipster, characterised as 'usually having five books on the go and with a habit of shopping at Urban Outfitters'. It wasn’t very ‘me’. I pushed the worry to the back of my mind but, as soon as arrivals weekend crept up on me, I found myself immediately slotting people into their roles and treating them accordingly.

We're all guilty of this in various capacities, even at college we have our cliques, but I'd never really thought about the effect I had on other people through my assumptions. I decided who was the Loud One, the Quiet One, the Musician... and I’m fairly sure people did the same thing to me. What worries me most is that I probably stepped on one or two people without realising it. I don’t mean literally, of course, I mean that my stereotyping of one girl, let’s call her Sophie, probably wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t come out of her room much, wasn’t a huge fan of drinking, only came to one of the Freshers’ Week club nights and didn’t seem to have any urge to make conversation whether in the kitchen, the corridor or on the way to the VC’s speech.

Sophie was the Quiet One. What I knew about her (from my extensive time reading up on what uni was going to be like) was that she was never going to change and she was boring. The way to make her fun was to get her drunk. Then she’d realise what she was missing and finally become a ’real person’. Great! So I tried. A few of us tried. Peer pressure will out, right? What’s the point in Freshers’ Week if you’re not drunk all night and hungover for your fire safety induction?

The thing is, I still know Sophie. We’re really good friends and have been since about week 3 of first year. She’s quiet, spends a lot of time in her room, doesn’t talk much and isn’t big on drinking, however, she is one of the best people I’ve ever met. When I learned to ignore the stupid things the internet tells you about ‘What Your Life Will Be Like Now You’re At Uni’, I found myself surrounded by really interesting people. It turned out that the Gay was also the Musician, the Comic Book Nerd was a massive Party Animal and the Quiet One was the girl who had a full pilot’s license with a summer job taking people skydiving.

As a Fresher, you’ll want to fit in and be liked. Everybody does. My experience has taught me not to change myself and not to try and change others - it’s not worth it. Make real friends with real people and don’t worry about ‘finding yourself’. Enjoy your Freshers’ Week, enjoy your year; everything else falls into place with time.

Making new friends

Mon, 16 Sep 2013 12:36:00 +0100

Hi everyone! My name is Simon and I’m now in my eighth year at the University of Bath; yes you read that right, I love it that much. I’m now in my final year of my PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, but before that I did an MPhys Physics degree and I’m going to write mostly about that.

At high school and sixth form I was the only person in my year that truly enjoyed science. I just wasn’t challenged academically, I was bullied quite a bit and my existence was a fairly lonely one, despite having a few loyal friends.

After finishing my A-levels in the summer of 2006, Mum and I moved from the north of England to Bath to live with our family members there. Living 200 miles away from everyone I knew outside of my family (not just for University terms, for good!) was a terrifying prospect.

All my immediate family, myself included, vividly recall a conversation I had with them before starting my degree, where I expressed my fear that I wouldn’t make any friends and my life would be even lonelier than before. My circumstances are different to most of yours, but I had that same fear of the unknown most of you had.

How quickly that changed! In just a few weeks I was an active member of four different Students’ Union societies, had started learning Japanese, had several dependable friends and for the first time felt truly challenged academically.

How did I do that? Basically, I dived straight in: I talked to people, I engaged with my subject, I took advantage of some of the hundreds of extra-curricular opportunities the University and Students’ Union had to offer. No-one is a stranger on this campus; many a time I’ve added people on Facebook after random meetings! Of course there’s no guarantee people will be interested in talking or staying in touch, but they won’t take offence if you say hi.

For the first time, you’ll be surrounded by people who share your intelligence and love of learning; take advantage of that opportunity, it won’t last! Get stuck in to your subject; speak to the lecturers, read further, ask the hard questions, ask the silly questions. It’s always those that ask questions, take the initiative, go the extra mile and most of all love what they do who are the lecturers’ (and employers’) favourites.

At our age, childlike optimism and curiosity mix with adult experience and intelligence to form a powerful engine for social and scientific change. The reason society values us is because we have that ability to see what others can’t, as well as the courage to fix what’s wrong with the world, as opposed to stoic acceptance of what shouldn’t be. Throughout modern history, students have been an engine in social change in many nations; the UK is no exception.

In my second year I was introduced to some of the loveliest people I ever met through RAG (Raise and Give), the SU’s charity fundraising group. By helping out with events such as Fireworks, the sponsored Sleepout and RAG Week, as well as going on street collections, I’ve raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years while having so much fun at the same time. Did I mention it attracts the loveliest people?

University education is a partnership between staff and students. That’s why in my third year I was elected to be an Academic Representative and successfully campaigned to get the syllabus changed so that quantum mechanics was taught after the mathematical skills required to do it. I’ve never stopped Repping since.

Most degree courses have a project/dissertation phase towards the end that gives you a chance to use what you’ve learned to make an original contribution to your field. The MPhys degree I did contains a semester-long research project/placement, in which I did some work that ended up being published in Physical Review B [1], a journal read by physicists across the world! Not everyone gets published though; it requires a large amount of luck as well as skill. But it’s worth aiming high!

When I first came to Bath I being a researcher was just a dream, while I couldn’t even dream of doing charity fundraising, being an elected representative or regularly attracting the comment “you know everyone”. Four years later, it was all a reality.

To postgraduate freshers and continuing students, I say exactly the same thing: engage. Postgrads of any discipline can join the same societies and student groups that undergrads can. Since starting my PhD I became a regular contributor to the student newspaper bathimpact; indeed, this article is adapted from something I wrote for its pull-out magazine bite [2]. Another article I wrote about my experiences as an autistic student [3] was shortlisted for bathimpact Article of the Year 2010/2011.

So that was my journey, along with my advice for anyone wishing to make the most out of their time at Bath. If you’re involved with the SU in any serious way, we might run into each other sometime. Until then,

Simon O’Kane, MPhys
PhD Student, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering

References

[1] Robin Kimber, Ed Wright, Simon O’Kane, James Blakesley and Alison Walker (2012)
“Mesoscopic kinetic Monte Carlo modelling of organic photovoltaic device characteristics”
Physical Review B 86 235206
[2] Simon O’Kane (2011) “Why I never left University” bite 13 1 3 Available online via Issuu http://issuu.com/bathimpact/docs/2011-12issue1/1 (retrieved 08-09-2013)
[3] Simon O’Kane (2010) “I’m autistic, so what?” bathimpact 12 1 6 Available online via Issuu http://issuu.com/bathimpact/docs/0679-imp-e04-s2-combined-1005-cs/1 (retrieved 08-09-2013)