- #1
hellow0rld
- 2
- 0
Hey,
I have some trouble deciding between 4 courses at the University of Sheffield (I am applying late, but there are still vacancies on all of these courses and as far as I know I can get a place at anyone of them). All of these courses are Foundation Year (FY) courses (they include an additional year for students with wrong subjects taken in high school or grades not high enough for direct entry): General Engineering, Chemistry, Biosciences, and Physics. Unfortunately, unlike in the US, in the UK the subject of study has to be declared at the point of entry, not during the studies and I'm quite undecided, as I am interested in all of these subjects. Right now I'm holding an offer for the General Enginnering with a FY course, but I should be able to change it to a different course if I act soon enough.
Both FYs in physics and chemistry include modules in maths, physics, and chemistry, however the physics one has an additional module in maths, while the chemistry one includes an additional module in chemistry. The FY in biology consists of modules in biology, chemistry, and scientific writing, while the FY in general engineering consists of the same modules as the physics one, but with a module in engineering instead of the one in chemistry.
I actually studied some physics and maths at high school and quite liked it. I like how physics strives to answer the most fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and I find mathematics quite elegant and I often like solving maths and physics problems (although I don't like 'pure' maths as much, I prefer using maths in physics problems). However, it also often feels very abstract compared to chemistry and especially biology, it seems like there's less of lab work (which I quite enjoy) in physics than in biology or chemistry. Last year, I actually started a Foundation Year in Physics at the University of Sheffield, but dropped out quick due to COVID-19 and my uncertainty about the subject choice. I liked the lectures and other coursework, but I kept thinking that I'd also like to learn biology or more chemistry. Perhaps that was a mistake and I should've stayed, but who knows...
During this gap year, I've been studying biolgy from Campbell's textbook. I quite enjoy it so far. The subject matter has turned out to be pretty interesting to me and this book shows really well just how much research is ongoing currently in biology, which is a draw for me - it just shows "Here's what you could be exploring if you become a biologist". It also feels less abstract than physics, but also less universal.
I probably have the least experience with chemistry and engineering:
For me, the main appeal of chemistry is that it's the 'central science', not as specific as biology, but not as abstract as physics. However, sometimes I found the chemical nomenclature quite confusing, for example when it comes to the distinction between the atomic mass and the relative atomic mass and the standard atomic weight... Also, it seems like there's more research going on in biology (including biochemistry) and physics than in chemistry... But maybe (probably?) that's just because I know more about biology and physics than about chemistry.
Engineering seems less research intensive and more industry-oriented than the other degrees, which makes it safer, but it slightly less interesting for me - but maybe that's because I don't know much about it and engineers are also required for many research projects (e.g. CERN employs 10 times more engineers than research physicsts). Problem solving and creating new things seems very fun - I'd like to work on cutting-edge technology. I'd probably like to stick to academia more than to industry, but I don't know how likely is that as an engineer. Out of these 4 degrees, the career prospects seem to be the best with General Engineering - high chance to find a job related to the degree and high salaries as well. I know that it shouldn't be the primary focus when choosing a subject, but it's hard to ignore.
As for the courses I'd like to take after the foundation year: after physics, chemistry, or biosciences, I could try to apply to Durham University for their Natural Science course, which seems amazing, as I could study physics, chemistry, and biology at once, at least for the fist few semesters. For this purpose the chemistry FY seems to be the best one and the biology FY the worst one (as it doesn't include maths). If that doesn't work out: after the biology FY I'd like to study biochemistry, after the chemistry FY I'd also like to study biochem, but I don't know if progressing to a biochemistry degree after that foundation year is possible - maybe it's only possible to go on to study a chemistry degree, but then I could specialize in organic chemistry. After the physics FY I would study a physics degree, maybe with medicinal physics, or philosophy. After the general engineering FY I couldn't really apply for NatSci at Durham and I would just go on to study general engineering.
The bottom line is that if I want to play it safe (but slightly boring I guess) I can choose General Engineering, Chemistry seems to be the middle ground between Biology and Physics and would give me the best chance to apply for the Natural Science degree at Durham University (which would probably be the optimal outcome). Physics and biology both interest me quite a lot.
Anyway, that's a long post, thanks for reading and all the help.
I have some trouble deciding between 4 courses at the University of Sheffield (I am applying late, but there are still vacancies on all of these courses and as far as I know I can get a place at anyone of them). All of these courses are Foundation Year (FY) courses (they include an additional year for students with wrong subjects taken in high school or grades not high enough for direct entry): General Engineering, Chemistry, Biosciences, and Physics. Unfortunately, unlike in the US, in the UK the subject of study has to be declared at the point of entry, not during the studies and I'm quite undecided, as I am interested in all of these subjects. Right now I'm holding an offer for the General Enginnering with a FY course, but I should be able to change it to a different course if I act soon enough.
Both FYs in physics and chemistry include modules in maths, physics, and chemistry, however the physics one has an additional module in maths, while the chemistry one includes an additional module in chemistry. The FY in biology consists of modules in biology, chemistry, and scientific writing, while the FY in general engineering consists of the same modules as the physics one, but with a module in engineering instead of the one in chemistry.
I actually studied some physics and maths at high school and quite liked it. I like how physics strives to answer the most fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and I find mathematics quite elegant and I often like solving maths and physics problems (although I don't like 'pure' maths as much, I prefer using maths in physics problems). However, it also often feels very abstract compared to chemistry and especially biology, it seems like there's less of lab work (which I quite enjoy) in physics than in biology or chemistry. Last year, I actually started a Foundation Year in Physics at the University of Sheffield, but dropped out quick due to COVID-19 and my uncertainty about the subject choice. I liked the lectures and other coursework, but I kept thinking that I'd also like to learn biology or more chemistry. Perhaps that was a mistake and I should've stayed, but who knows...
During this gap year, I've been studying biolgy from Campbell's textbook. I quite enjoy it so far. The subject matter has turned out to be pretty interesting to me and this book shows really well just how much research is ongoing currently in biology, which is a draw for me - it just shows "Here's what you could be exploring if you become a biologist". It also feels less abstract than physics, but also less universal.
I probably have the least experience with chemistry and engineering:
For me, the main appeal of chemistry is that it's the 'central science', not as specific as biology, but not as abstract as physics. However, sometimes I found the chemical nomenclature quite confusing, for example when it comes to the distinction between the atomic mass and the relative atomic mass and the standard atomic weight... Also, it seems like there's more research going on in biology (including biochemistry) and physics than in chemistry... But maybe (probably?) that's just because I know more about biology and physics than about chemistry.
Engineering seems less research intensive and more industry-oriented than the other degrees, which makes it safer, but it slightly less interesting for me - but maybe that's because I don't know much about it and engineers are also required for many research projects (e.g. CERN employs 10 times more engineers than research physicsts). Problem solving and creating new things seems very fun - I'd like to work on cutting-edge technology. I'd probably like to stick to academia more than to industry, but I don't know how likely is that as an engineer. Out of these 4 degrees, the career prospects seem to be the best with General Engineering - high chance to find a job related to the degree and high salaries as well. I know that it shouldn't be the primary focus when choosing a subject, but it's hard to ignore.
As for the courses I'd like to take after the foundation year: after physics, chemistry, or biosciences, I could try to apply to Durham University for their Natural Science course, which seems amazing, as I could study physics, chemistry, and biology at once, at least for the fist few semesters. For this purpose the chemistry FY seems to be the best one and the biology FY the worst one (as it doesn't include maths). If that doesn't work out: after the biology FY I'd like to study biochemistry, after the chemistry FY I'd also like to study biochem, but I don't know if progressing to a biochemistry degree after that foundation year is possible - maybe it's only possible to go on to study a chemistry degree, but then I could specialize in organic chemistry. After the physics FY I would study a physics degree, maybe with medicinal physics, or philosophy. After the general engineering FY I couldn't really apply for NatSci at Durham and I would just go on to study general engineering.
The bottom line is that if I want to play it safe (but slightly boring I guess) I can choose General Engineering, Chemistry seems to be the middle ground between Biology and Physics and would give me the best chance to apply for the Natural Science degree at Durham University (which would probably be the optimal outcome). Physics and biology both interest me quite a lot.
Anyway, that's a long post, thanks for reading and all the help.