My First year in Swansea

Gosh this year has gone quickly!!! As my first year is coming to a close, I thought I would use this post to reflect on my first year in Swansea.

I have been fortunate to meet a diverse array of people. Due to Swansea’s links overseas and with industries, I have had the chance to meet, work and live alongside a diverse mix of ages, nationalities and disciplinary backgrounds. This only adds to the experience of Swansea University, because even though I have attended another university, from my experience Swansea is more inclusive and gives lots of opportunities to socialise.

Student life is not all about drinking. I am not opposed to going out but not all university social life has to be based around this (contrary to the popular image of student life). In fact some of my fondest memories of my first year at Swansea involves activities other than drinking. For instance, my flatmates and I regularly host flat dinners. As we have an international mix of people, we would all try to prepare a ‘traditional’ dish. And for those who were not great cooks they provided the drinks and did the washing up. So it worked out well.

We also did other activities together including bowling and home-made mini-golf. (This was where we made our own course, and competed to be the flat champion). So university life is not all about drinking…

There are also lots of great events in and around Swansea that are worth attending. On Halloween, I went to Tailsein to watch a ‘live-streamed’ performance of Frankenstein starring Benedict  Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller. On another occasion I also travelled to Cardiff to watch an Opera at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay. So, it pays to make the most of opportunities made available to you. For instance there are many student deals for theatre shows in both Cardiff and Swansea.

I was also able to attend some free golf lessons at Clyne Golf club. The lessons were subsidised by the Welsh Government to encourage more young people to take up golf. It was really enjoyable and the views from the club are stunning, especially when the sun is shining.  This is something that I hope to take up again at some point.

Finally, although I have travelled a bit around Swansea, there are still parts that I would like to explore more. I have cycled around to Bracelet bay and Limeslade bay in the Mumbles and have also driven to Langland and Caswell bays. Also at the start of the year I went on a trip to Rhossili bay but there are still parts of the Gower and SA1 (the Marina) that I would like to visit. It still amazes me that when you come to Swansea University, on one side there is the sea and the beach and on the other side there are rolling green hills. In addition to the town, there is pretty much something for everyone.

As I go into my second year at Swansea, I hope to continue exploring and meeting new people, and for all the new students I hope you have a great time at Swansea.