11th – 22nd September 2026Jumpstart 2026 is our way of welcoming you all to our city and university.
B53, Level 3, Common Room
Join us for a relaxed afternoon to meet and network with other international students in ECS, grab some free food and drinks! 🍪☕ We'll also be offering lab tours 🧑💻🔬, giving you the chance to explore some of the facilities you'll be using throughout your studies. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask any questions you may have about university, ECS, Southampton, or anything else you're unsure about. Whether you're looking to meet other international students, find out more about ECS, or simply grab some free food and drinks, come along and say hello! 🌎🤝 The event is for ECS international fresher students only. See you there!
B60
Come along to our very first event for freshers week, games night! Snacks and drinks will be provided, and use this opportunity to meet new people and play a variety of both board games and video games. 🎲 🎮 You can bring your own laptop or use the PCs in gower. Board games will be provided. This event is for any freshers interested in joining ECSS, Hope to see you there!
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SUSU
Also known as "Bunfight" you can get to know all the societies!
B53, Level 3, Common Room
🎓 New to postgrad or returning for another year? Come along to our Postgrad Bingo! 🎉 Closer to the event, we'll send out a short form asking you for one interesting fact about yourself. We'll then compile everyone's answers into personalised bingo sheets, which you'll receive on the day! 👀 It's a great chance to discover some interesting things about your fellow postgrads, start some conversations and maybe learn something you never expected about the people around you! We'll also have free snacks and drinks provided throughout the event. 🍪☕🥤 The event is for ECS postgraduate students only. See you there!
B53, Level 3, Common Room
Freshers, come on down to the Mountbatten common room for free dominos pizza, booze and soft drinks and a chance to meet new people in ECS!🍕🍺🍹 Bring your student and photograph ID (driving licence, passport, etc.) so we can check your age. Only ECS first-year students will be allowed (no sneaking in your flatmates!) 🪪 We will be using a raffle ticket system, so that pizzas will be first-come-first-served and everyone gets a fair share. Keep hold of your raffle ticket given on the door, and numbers will be called out as the pizza arrives. A similar system will be used for drinks, but you will be able to exchange your drinks ticket any time you like. This event is expected to be a very popular event, and the common room can be limited on space. If you need any support during the event, please speak to one of our committee members. There will be gluten free, vegan, halal, non alcoholic options available too. 🫶 The event is for ECS freshers only. See you there!🍕🍕🎉
Courtyard of Mountbatten B53
City Challenge is the annual scavenger hunt that is a must do for all ECS Freshers! Explore the city 🗺️ while trying to complete as many challenges as possible for a chance to win big prizes 🎁. Starting outside the iconic Zepler and finishing in the city centre, you will compete in teams of 5, supported by a volunteer student. They will guide you during the event, so make sure to ask them questions if you get stuck. Meet new friends, have fun, and find out where you will spend most of your time in uni. Don't worry if you don't know anyone beforehand - all you have to do is turn up on the day and we will assign you to a team. You'll be walking all day, so wear sturdy shoes if you have some - other than that, you only need yourself 😎. There will be plenty of opportunities to buy lunch, or feel free to bring some along 🍲. The final destination will be in the city, where you'll submit your scores. At the latest, you and your team must be done by 17:00, but you'll probably finish earlier. Good luck!
Scoops Portswood
Hey! Do you like ice cream? Join in on our trip down to Scoops Gelato in portswood! We've partnered with WECS once again to run an introductory for our incoming women and non-binary ECS/FEPS students. Come along to chat with other students, and eat tasty desserts! We will be meeting on the redbrick outside SUSU (building 42) at 11 and then walking down to Scoops, but feel free to join us there at a later time (Scoops Location), finishing at 13:30 with plenty of time to make it back to campus for the undergraduate programme lead meeting! Hope to see you there!
Arlott (B38)
Are you ECS's next genius? Find us in the Arlott to show off your skills in a relaxed Pub Quiz. We've got a host of ECS staff and academics lined up to come and join us (they won't bite, I think...) - have a chat and get to know them, before teaming up to scratch your head at questions on electronics, computer science, Southampton and general knowledge. Our winning teams will receive limited edition ECSS merch and prizes that will make your whole flat jealous 🏆! Even better, we've got some free drinks to give out (soft🥤 and alcoholic🍹) on a first-come first-served basis, so make sure to get there on time. See you there! The event is open to ECS freshers only.
B60
Looking to make some friends, eat free pizza and write some code before lectures begin? Jumpstart your studies with a laid-back, freshers-only hackathon. The theme will be announced on the day of the hackathon. This event is for freshers only and many prizes are up for grabs, such as Portable USB-C monitors, Amazon Fire TV sticks and JBL Bluetooth Speakers. This event can be taken in teams of up to 4 in any language you like. Sign up here ! If you don't have a team, don't worry, we'll matchmake you with fellow freshers! (sign up closes on the day, but we can't guarantee you a team) See you there! P.S. Jetbrains are coming down and will have some free merch!
The Garden Court (B40)
Looking to get involved at university? Come along to the ECSS Expo! The ECSS Expo brings together a range of societies from across ECS and the wider university, giving you the chance to discover what’s on offer and find something that interests you! 👀 Come along and meet different societies, chat to their committee, and see what they have planned for the year. Whether you're looking to join something completely new, continue a hobby, or simply see what’s out there, there'll be plenty of options to explore❗🤝 So grab your friends and come along to see what ECS has to offer! 🎉 You never know — you might find your new favourite society!
JumpStart is a series of events during Freshers Week, organised by us, for students in ECS.
Absolutely not - just come to our events!
Make sure to bring your Student ID, and a Photographic ID. We will provide all the rest.
Whilst most of the events are exclusive to freshers, we will clearly mark each event if it is open to other students.
We would be more than happy to have you! Most events are open to outside students, but we may put limitations on some due to room capacity.
There is nothing better than bringing friends to our events - just be mindful that we might have to limit entry to ECS students only at some events due to capacity.
It is completely fine to feel anxious or nervious. If you have any worries before, during or after the event, you can always get in touch with us. Our job is to make your time as engaging and fun as possible. You can always meet new friends at our events, and the committee would be more than happy to support you in this!