Lizi studied MChem Chemistry with Research Experience degree here at the University of Bradford and graduated in 2019. In this blog, she tells us what it was like to study Chemistry at Bradford.
Lizi, MChem, Chemistry with Research Experience.
My name is Lizi, I am from Peterborough and I have just finished the final year of my Chemistry course. In my free time, I enjoyed playing rugby for the university team and I was also the secretary and vice president for the team. I really enjoyed the weekly socials ran by sports teams and went to a variety of them. I was previously vice president for the baking society and I also worked at the student bars whilst studying.
MChem at Bradford
My course was called MChem Chemistry with Research Experience and I chose it because I had an interest in research within the chemical industry, particularly research and development for cosmetics products. The reason I enjoyed the course was mostly due to the final year, which is the master’s research project.
For the research project, you are given a brief and you work alongside your supervisor to create experiments and hopefully achieve the aims you set out at the beginning of the year. It was mostly independent working and I gained a lot of training on analytical equipment; skills which I can take into future careers.
Each year of the course is slightly different, but on a typical day, you will have one or two lectures. In the first three years of the course, you will have a day of laboratory work between 9am-5pm and in the 4th year, you will be expected to be in the laboratory when you are not in lectures. There is quite a lot of independent study, as you don’t spend a lot of time in lectures. For example, you will be expected to write COSHH forms for upcoming experiments and then laboratory reports once the experiments are complete. There are various optional modules each year, so you can decide which areas interest you the most e.g. organic, inorganic or physical chemistry. All the modules will have some form of coursework (report/presentation/blog) and an exam.
Future plans
A couple of days after graduation, I received an offer to work for a cosmetic company in a role that focused on both quality control and research and development. This is an exciting opportunity for me as it is an area that I have always wanted to work in. The course really helped as I learnt about both research and quality control through various modules, both optional and compulsory. There was a lot of focus on pharmaceuticals, so that could have been another option for a career, but by picking specific optional modules you can tailor the course to suit your interests.
Life at Bradford
I really enjoyed my time in Bradford as a whole. It’s a diverse and welcoming community within the university and wherever you go on campus you will see someone that you know. During the warmer months, The Amp is a great place on campus for socialising and relaxing when taking a break from studying. The University also holds events such as the Team Bradford Festival and Party on the Amp towards the end of the year.
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