A Curious Girl: First University Open Day

I went to Southampton University today.

Clive and I set out at around half eight to get to Southampton by about eleven. It was bright sunny weather, and the drive was all right, although I fell asleep on the slower bits. Kept thinking about yesterday’s primary school entry, and what I missed out – swimming with Miss Halford, netball in Year 6. And Claire – my memories of her are so vivid. I can even hear her laugh in my mind. How did it get so clear?

As we got into Southampton, nervousness set in. We were already a little late, and I felt completely unprepared, not knowing where to go or what to do. Clive dropped me off at the School of Biomedical Sciences, and left. I walked in, frightened and alone, hardly daring to open my mouth for shyness. I even put my Morgan bag on the right way about to prevent me from feeling like an outsider and a rebel. A woman, a lecturer, gave me a Biomedical Sciences prospectus and led me to where the tours were starting, and said I could ask her if I needed anything. Feeling slightly better, but still embarrassingly shy, I waited for the tour, not even daring to talk to the undergraduates doing Biochemistry.

The tour comprised the computer rooms, the labs, the library, and the eating places. I felt easier as I walked with the tour group, imagining a life here where I’d do the science I loved to a much greater degree (no pun intended). In the library, I noted books with gloriously elegant titles; morphology, neurology – does anyone else like those words? After the tour, I felt at a bit of a loose end, seeing as the lecturer had told me that a talk would be taking place at 1:45, and I didn’t know what to do. Maybe there were other talks. However, first I decided to eat something, so I bought a strange little chicken salad, and a bottle of Scottish spring water flavoured with mandarin and lemon. After a quick reconsideration of Philippians 4:13, I went down to ask if they had a programme for talks, and there was a leaflet I should have had, but didn’t. It was probably, I thought, down on the main campus. They passed me on to someone who suggested I go on a tour, so ignoring that suggestion, I walked down to the main campus. It wasn’t too hard – simply followed the other people. I also found that a good posture implying confidence helps you feel it a bit more.

In the main campus, I spotted the Chaplaincy (it advertised itself by means of a large sign) and followed the signs to the Student Union, in which I collected a few leaflets, including the one with the programme of talks. I also decided to buy something else to eat, as the chicken salad had not been particularly substantial. The BLT Mayonnaise sandwich looked completely unappetising, and the rest were just plain bizarre. Turkey and coleslaw was the nearest thing to a normal sandwich there. In the end, I decided on a slice of carrot cake, because it being cake, it was bound to taste OK. Whilst I was in the queue, I spotted someone who was the very image of Kurt, my brother’s Canadian exchange partner from three years ago. Someone I had an incredible crush on. It was dead obvious by the way, when Kurt was out, I floated around the house with a stupid grin and didn’t get chocolate cravings. But no way is Kurt going to be wandering around for a Southampton University Preview Day. But if I hadn’t been in the queue, I would have been really tempted to run after him. Or at least get near enough to confirm that it wasn’t really him.

I ate my carrot cake, whilst discovering that Southampton is indeed full of clones – I saw someone with hair just like Videesha’s, several people who look like Lucy in my psychology group, and about ten Ricci lookalikes. Actually, it was just Ricci’s hair; it really just confirmed that I was nervous and feeling a bit lonely.

I examined the leaflet – I could go to the halls, the Student Union talks, and then there was the studyng abroad talk. Figured that even if I got the bus to the halls, there was no way I could be back in time for the biochemistry and physiology talk at 1:45. So I decided to go to the earlier talk about studying in Europe, and then I could walk back for the biochemistry talk, and then I’d have a gap in which I could visit the halls, and then to finish off with the Student Union talk. I had to search the campus long and hard for Management (Building 2) and then I had to search the building long and hard for Lecture Theatre 1085. Eventually I found it, and lingered outside with a boy who was also previewing, by his awkward body language. A mother and daughter came for the talk, and went straight in, so with a prime case of informational social influence that inspired me to study Open Days for my psychology coursework, the boy and I also went in.

Before the talk, I did vague sketches in my pad of a Frenchman, beret and onions, and a drawing of the Eiffel tower. I did the Frenchman’s nose wrong. Couldn’t think of what the stereotypical German looks like, so I remained with the Frenchman. The talk was very interesting – I’d love to take a year out studying in another country. It would be so good! I left in slightly higher spirits, much happier now I’d got my day organised. Walked back to the other campus, considering how much I would have to leave behind – no more Chris, Abi, Sara, Ricci, Chelle, Emily, Flash, James – the list is endless. No more living with the parents. It would be so much more than the change to secondary school had been – not just a new school, but a new city. But I realised that there were many things that university couldn’t take away from me. I would still have the internet, I would still be Sweet-indigo, I would indeed be still me, and it couldn’t stop me from writing my stories and poems. They couldn’t take away my memories. And I could even get to writing science fiction at last, with a proper knowledge instead of just a sketchy one. Back at the Biomedical campus, I caught about ten minutes of a film on halls that the admissions tutor doing the talk had put on to keep us interested. It was quite interesting. I felt quite excited at the thought of living in the halls instead of at home, studying sciences. It would be an adventure. Then he talked about the course – it was simply brilliant. For one thing, you can combine the different sciences. For another, if you wanted to change your degree after the first year, you could because biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and nutrition all have the same first year course. And you have a unit free with which to do whatever you like – languages, social science, anything. And lastly, they love gap years! I’d love to do mine with Careforce.

I went down to the main campus again, phoned Clive from a phone box to tell him I’d be by the Student Union at four, and tried to find the way to the halls. At advice from a guide, I walked down the road to get a bus. It took longer than I thought, during which time I drank the rest of the spring water and saw a girl who looked like Grace from my psychology group. Wasn’t sure whether I had to pay for the bus, but I didn’t. I realised that I’d miss the Student Union talk by the time it arrived, but I wanted to see the accomodation. Off I went on the bus, and we stopped in a complex of about six-storey buildings. You had to follow yellow arrows on a ‘trail’ around them. We saw a kitchen for 21 people (!) and a small single room with a washbasin. The kitchen had padlockble cupboard. There were also en suite bathrooms in the more expensive rooms, but the post-graduate who showed us the room said that it was much cheaper to choose non-en suite, and self-catering. I also saw the laundrette and a bar, and had a brief chat with a couple of the cleaning ladies. One remarked that I was very brave to come around on my own! But in a way, it was better to be on my own – I felt I was discovering for myself rather than having everyone else giving me advice.

I got back at around half three, and so decided to visit the Chaplaincy to talk about spiritual support and local churches. The door was open, and the chaplains were upstairs, which made me feel welcome at once – because if they were more hostile, they’d at least be downstairs guarding their things whilst the door is open. I went upstairs, heard the sound of the tapping of a typewriter, and at first couldn’t see anyone. At last I walked into a little office where a woman was working. She introduced herself as Amanda, the Free Church chaplain. After initial fumbling for words, I asked her what the Chaplaincy did, and she told me about prayers, the Christian Union, and stuff they did during Fresher’s Week – which I now know would be the first week back, just for first years. And then I asked about local churches – she said the Anglican one had the most popular service as far as students were concerned, but it was best to try a few churches if I came to Southampton. She asked if I wanted a prayer, and I gratefully said yes. I then said thanks and left to go buy myself some chocolate (Milky Way Magic Stars) and go to where Clive would be meeting me. Actually, I was rather confused about this, attempted to call him from the phone box again, but as I did so, he drove past me, so I simply followed him. Walking across the grass, I noticed a grey squirrel, and thought to myself that its tail looked just like a test-tube brush. I’ve been doing science for too long! Clive called out to me, and we started off home, stopping off to see his friend John, and then buying food at the chip shop.

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