It’s that time again, UCAS days are taking place and swarms of prospective students are wandering around campus, trying to drink in vast quantities of information that will ultimately play a huge role in deciding the next path in their life.
But, what do you really need to know and get from the day??
- Grab all the free pens you can, at Uni these are like some new form of student currency as I seem to acquire pens from places that I have definitely never visited and lose pens that I have brought that day. Weird.
- Get first hand info: I would highly recommend speaking to both a lecturer and a student, as the lecturer will give you the run through of all the academic side of the degree, but the student will really get to the nitty gritty of whether the course and lifestyle is really for you
- Ask about the modules, and see if they have a sample timetable. If you don’t enjoy lots of lectures/ labs then chemistry is not for you. Look at the course structure (i.e. what core modules Leicester offers relative to other Unis) Does it interest you? If it doesn’t think why, and see if you’re better suited elsewhere.
- Check out the facilities for sport/ social if you can. Leicester offer lots of extra curricular opportunities (more than you think) and ask students what they really think.
- Check out Leicester as a city (if you have time!) consider distance from home too, especially if you’re a homebird!
- Look at accommodation, and be realistic. You cannot expect the Hilton for £100 a week. The people are what make halls the best experience. Think about location, if you’re notoriously bad at getting up, then consider City living! As let’s face it Oadby is a trek, and “I missed the bus” isn’t a good enough excuse for being late for labs.
- Possible questions for the open day: What graduate opportunities does Leicester offer? How many people on average are on my course? What’s the ratio of applicants to offers? What is the average day like in the life of a Chemistry student? If I want to study MChem/ Year abroad/ in industry, what grades do I need to be achieving? What do you look for in a successful applicant? What if I don’t like my course, can I change to another? What’s the difference between Pharmaceutical chemistry and Straight chemistry?
In my opinion, Leicester is a great Uni. I love my course, really enjoy partaking in sports and have made some amazing friends. But, there are downsides as with every Uni, so it is really important to not just consider whether if Leicester is right for you, but you are right for Leicester.