Dominika Woszcyzk MSc Artificial Intelligence, 2019

I was anxious about coming to study in Southampton, coming from undergraduate studies in the Netherlands I had no idea how University was in the UK and how hard it would be. I discovered a different dynamic here in the UK. The courses are harder but the schedule is more relaxed. In the Netherlands we had exams every two months and several big courseworks to deliver every week. I feel like this schedule suits me better as I have more flexibility and I can discover other activities.

The mindset I encountered was also different. While I was used to get pressured to succeed, here I experienced help and support.

The campus and facilities

The campus is like a mini city with its cinema, club, bar and cafes and is also a very nice place to be, with all the grass, trees it can help make a bad day into a slightly better one.

I really enjoy the various facilities where I can sit down and work on my laptop in calm environments. The Hartley library is huge and has so many spots for silent study with the booths but also spaces where you can do group study. As a postgraduate student in ECS, I have access to the labs in Buildings 16, this is my favourite place to work. Those labs give us access to powerful computers with 32” curved monitors and private meeting rooms. 

I also like the fact that there are often spaces where you can work outside the lecture room while waiting.

My Southampton Highlights

I started my first week by pitching a startup idea at the Future Worlds’ Pitch Event and I ended up winning it with my idea “Marshmallow, a chatbot as a personalised language tutor”. This event kicked off my entrepreneurial journey. I then applied for the SET squared 3DS event, which was a three-day event for pitching a start-up from scratch.

I really enjoyed that experience and applied to another three-day start-up event but this time there was a price at the end. It was organised on the UK campus of Queen’s University, from Canada at the Herstmonceux Castle. The experience of being there and meeting the students was incredible. My team won the pitch competition with our idea for an AI chatbot as a therapist for teenagers.

I also participated in the Dynamo Challenge hosted by IBM. The teams had to work on a brief and propose solutions. Our team won for the brief “How to help future generations to adopt a positive view on AI”.

Later on, with friends I met on those events, we entered the BrightSci business plan competition and got shortlisted into the final.

I am now going through the process of pitching my start-up at the Future worlds ‘Dragon’s Den and pitching at the BrightSci final.