What can I do with a physics degree?
One of the great things about choosing to study a physics degree is that it opens up a huge range of career options when you graduate.
Spending a research year at CERN
I chose to study at Southampton because the University offers a flagship degree course for top performers to spend a year abroad at CERN which, as a young physicist, really interested me! I’m pleased to say that I did go onto study this programme and spend the final year of my course at CERN.
My time at CERN was incredibly exciting, challenging and busy. After a steep learning curve, I became immersed in the research and I was quickly able to make valuable and novel contributions. I enjoyed working at such a scientifically significant place, which has a uniquely collaborative and intellectual atmosphere.
Outside of work, I found time to explore Switzerland by bike and train, and more importantly, go skiing a fair few times.
Studying here at Southampton is very rewarding. The physics course is well designed and the lecturers are excellent. There are lots of opportunities to get involved with things you enjoy, or to learn something new. You get out what you put in!
Throughout my time at Southampton, I’ve become more confident in both my academic and social ability. Aside from the vast number of skills I’ve learnt from my Physics degree, taking part in music and sport has ensured I’ve developed a wide range of transferable skills.
The Business Innovation Programme
I took part in the Business Innovation Programme, which helped me combine the problem solving from my physics degree with the commercial aspects of business. This was an eight-week scheme where I worked in and led a small group of students to help a local business with a commercial problem. In my case it was a local cabling manufacturer trying to break into new markets. We produced a proposal to accomplish this and presented our ideas to the business. They were thrilled with it and happily I was later nominated for the Business Innovation Award at the Southampton Employability awards evening.
Ultimately, this helped me get the job I wanted. I’m now training to become a patent attorney at a law firm in London.
William Smith
MPhys Particle Physics with a Research Year Abroad, 2019
Questions about studying physics at Southampton? Chat to a current student now.
Developing a passion for astrophysics
I’ve done so much at Southampton that I never thought I would. Before I came here, I had never done any astronomy before. I hadn’t even looked through a telescope! Southampton gave me the opportunity to really tailor my degree to suit me. I didn’t know what area of physics I wanted to do, and Southampton let me try many different fields by choosing from a range of different modules. I found that I love astrophysics.
A highlight of my time at Southampton has been the Tenerife field trip in my second year, where a group of us spent a week using research-grade telescopes on Mount Teide. I had the opportunity to set my own research question, take my own data using multi-million-euro telescopes and then analyse and write up my results. It made me feel like a real scientist!
I was also selected for the Year Abroad scheme to Harvard University. I’ll be spending my fourth year living in Boston, USA, working on a research project at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. I am really looking forward to this opportunity and I know it’s something I wouldn’t be able to do anywhere else!
It’s a challenging subject, but you are supported
I think the best way to describe studying here would be to say it is engaging. You never feel as though you have been left alone to learn something, lecturers and staff are always ready to support you and guide you in your studies. I’m not going to lie, the subject isn’t easy! But you have all the support you need to really excel.
Lecturers are really friendly and the staff are willing to take time to make sure you really understand the subject matter, so even though you are in a lecture with lots of other people, you still feel as though you can ask for help. Your personal tutor is also a great person to talk to for advice, whether it is personal or about your physics degree.
I would say that the teaching feels personal. Although you are taught by world-leading experts in their respective fields, you never feel as though the lecturer has better things to do than answer your question. Our lecturers are always willing to take time out of their busy days to answer your question, no matter how simple you think it is.
Sai Pandian
MPhys Astrophysics with a Year Abroad, third year
Questions about studying physics at Southampton? Chat to a current student now.