A bit about Natural Science…
I am currently in my second year of studying MNatSci Natural Science (specialising in Chemistry and Maths) at the University of Leeds. Natural science is a great course which no one seems to know about, or their perceptions of it are wrong. It is a degree that you can tailor to your interests and career plans. You can virtually do what you want from a variety of multidisciplinary themes (with a few compulsory modules). At Leeds, you initially select 3 sciences to study from the list of Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Food Science and Nutrition, Mathematics and Physics (subject to certain conditions). You then have your lectures with straight honours students and get to mix with a lot of people. It allows you to experiment and get a feel for each subject beyond A-Level which can then help you decide what to specialise in further down the line. Also, a lot of research is/will be balanced on the borders of the conventional sciences and so the course prepares you to take on such scientific challenges.
Tips for applying to university…
I cannot stress the importance of choosing an “insurance choice” university with lower entrance grades than your first choice enough. It is not about picking your second favourite, its more of a backup if you do not get what you expected. I can promise that this will save you from a lot of upset on results day. Also, doing research into your insurance choice is important too! Unfortunately, on results day I did not get the grades that I wanted. However, during the application process, I found a different course (BSc Chemistry and Maths) with lower grades at the same university which allowed me to transfer onto Natural Science after the first year if I did well enough. Thankfully, I put this as my insurance choice and got the grades in both A-Level and first year, meaning that I am now studying my first-choice course. Researching courses thoroughly is so important and without doing this I would not have known that this route onto Natural Science existed and would have caused me a lot of upset.
Josie Driver
You can contact Josie at: josied2731@gmail.com
Or explore her page on the Community Hub
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