Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Swansea. When I first arrived, I was slightly underwhelmed by the accommodation that I had been assigned. Although I loved the fact that it was on campus (and therefore, just a 5-minute walk to either my lecture halls or the beach), it was a very old building and fairly dingy rooms and kitchen. However, after meeting my 19 other flatmates the first year quickly got off to a good start. Some of those flatmates were the ones I lived with for the following 2 years of my experience and together we have become lifelong friends. As a group we often headed either into town for a trip to the pub and the inevitable night out that would follow, or alternatively, turn the opposite way out of the university and out to the Gower to explore its many stunning hikes and beaches. To me, I’d walk around Swansea and its area and think that no other institute offers a student life like the one at Swansea.
My course (BSc Geography) was the highlight of my entire uni experience. Geography is such a broad course and the first year felt a lot like a taster session to get a feel of what you did and didn’t like. Consequently, from 2nd year onwards, the wide range of choices meant that I could pursue the sub-disciplines that I was most passionate about. For me, that was mostly modules which focused on ecological or physical processes and led to what was the best experience I had whilst at uni and one of the best of my life. During 2nd year every geography student is offered to go on a trip to places such as Berlin, Mallorca or Vancouver. I was lucky enough to get on a trip where we spent 2 weeks submerged in the rainforests of Borneo. Both socially and academically it was a huge turning point for both me and everyone else on the trip. We saw orangutans, swam in jungle rivers, played football with the locals along with many other unforgettable experiences. From that point on my course only seemed to get better and by graduation, I realized it was the course and the friends I made on it which I will miss the most.
Early on I joined the university’s hockey club and stayed with them for my full three years there. Even though I was rarely present at socials, that was never held against me. I played for a combination of the 1sts and 2nds during my time at the club and loved almost every minute of it. The club is a part of both the BUCS leagues and the regional leagues, meaning we faced a variety of opponents, and each season culminated in what is the second-largest varsity in the UK (behind only Oxford vs Cambridge) where all sports clubs from Swansea and Cardiff compete against each other, with the rugby game being the grand finale held in either Principality Stadium or Liberty Stadium. I was lucky enough to make the team for Varsity in my final year and can honestly say that it was my best hockey experience to date.
So, for anyone thinking of joining Swansea, I couldn’t recommend the university enough.