Why I Chose Chemistry at Birmingham

Hi, welcome to my first EPS blog. I’m Issy Hayden, a current third year undergraduate reading Chemistry at the University of Birmingham. I have been studying and living in Birmingham for over two years now, and I have enjoyed every second of it. However, the decision to decide where and what I wanted to study … Continue reading “Why I Chose Chemistry at Birmingham”

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What am I learning and how does it help?

There are many different reasons why placements are a valuable experience and the most obvious of these is that a placement looks great on your CV!! When you finish your degree and start looking for jobs, you’ll probably notice that one of the major factors an employer will look for is experience. This is why … Continue reading “What am I learning and how does it help?”

The Big Report!

So I’m now 10 months into my placement and it’s time for the final report. For my course; this report is the major assessed part of my year and contributes 55% of my placement mark. As you might have guessed this means it’s no small piece, it weighs in at 8,000 words and is designed … Continue reading “The Big Report!”

Living away from campus

As you may have guessed your placement year will most likely be spent living away from campus and although you’ll still have rent to manage and bills to pay like before, the experience may well feel a little different. Different companies work in different ways. Some will provide you with accommodation either with other students … Continue reading “Living away from campus”

Take a break – how to keep your focus for work

As I mentioned last time you’ll probably have lots of additional university work to do whilst on placement but this year away isn’t all about working! After all, you do need to make sure you take breaks and give yourself some time to let your brain reset so you don’t just burn out. When it … Continue reading “Take a break – how to keep your focus for work”

A fine juggling act – distance learning modules and time management

Holding down a full time job is a challenge in itself, especially if you’ve never done it before. But trying to study on top of that is an even bigger task! Depending on your course structure you’ll probably be given some Distance Learning Modules (DLMs) to complete whilst on placement. These will enable you to … Continue reading “A fine juggling act – distance learning modules and time management”

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Applications, CVs and waiting for replies!! (Part 2)

In the last blog I talked about personal statements and university applications. This time I’ll focus more on job applications and CV writing, this is something you’ll almost definitely use at some point in the future. And trust me CVs are a tricky one to get right and not least because they have a bit … Continue reading “Applications, CVs and waiting for replies!! (Part 2)”

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Applications, CVs and waiting for replies!! (Part 1)

By this stage you’ll probably have realised that you’re unlikely to make it far in the university/working world without an application form, personal statement, CV or something along those lines. Personally, I find CVs and personal statements really frustrating to write. Trying to sell yourself in such a short space as well as trying to … Continue reading “Applications, CVs and waiting for replies!! (Part 1)”

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The all important choice!

When it comes to applying for universities it’s important to have a really good feeling about the places you’re applying for. I found the best way to do this is to visit universities on one of their open days. This was even more important for me than I initially realised as without going to an … Continue reading “The all important choice!”

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Placements – What are they and why should I get one?

My name is Cameron and I am currently in the 3rd Year of an MSci Chemistry with Industrial Experience course. But what does that all really mean? For me it means that I have completed 2 years of a regular Master’s Degree and I’m now spending a year away from campus working as an analytical … Continue reading “Placements – What are they and why should I get one?”

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