Physics / Astrophysics Degree
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A recent thread has got me thinking about Uni and i was hoping for some advice on my chosen course. As above, id like to do a Physics with Astronomy / Astrophysics degree. I cant move house so ive been looking at Uni's within commuting distance and ive chosen Leicester as the best one. The more i read about it, the more i want to go there. Not least because they have the option to study a semester abroad which my family are completely supportive of, and they have the option of 4 year Masters degree, for which will i will be able to get student loans for the full 4 years, instead of 3 years and then having to pay for a masters myself.
I want it so badly, i would start September 2015. My question really is, is there anything i can do to improve my chances? Like with nursing where care work before is seen as an advantage, is there anything i can do now to help? I've joined my local astronomical society (and LOVING that by the way), im athletic and I figure skate (which i know some Uni's like as they have competitive sports teams). I plan on really knuckling down next year for my Access to HE Science course (which they accept) and im doing an advanced maths A level alongside off my own back and paying for myself. I don't have a lot of options when it comes to which uni i go too, but ive really fallen for this uni and the modules they do, and the teaching methods, and the opportunities they offer, i want to do everything possible to make my application shine.
I want it so badly, i would start September 2015. My question really is, is there anything i can do to improve my chances? Like with nursing where care work before is seen as an advantage, is there anything i can do now to help? I've joined my local astronomical society (and LOVING that by the way), im athletic and I figure skate (which i know some Uni's like as they have competitive sports teams). I plan on really knuckling down next year for my Access to HE Science course (which they accept) and im doing an advanced maths A level alongside off my own back and paying for myself. I don't have a lot of options when it comes to which uni i go too, but ive really fallen for this uni and the modules they do, and the teaching methods, and the opportunities they offer, i want to do everything possible to make my application shine.
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Does the University of Leicester do an 'Access to Leicester' programme? Most do - get it touch with the person dealing with that.
I hadn't heard of that before, is it a full time educational course or something similar? Or is it more of a "I've already chosen you for my uni so im taking this programme to prove that"?
The university prospectus will give details of the minimum qualifications a school leaver needs to guarantee a place. The university admissions service can tell you if your courses will be acceptable alternatives.
How old are you? If you qualify as a mature student all you need is evidence of recent relevant academic study and an access course and maths A level should be more than sufficient to get a place, but again the admissions service will be able to confirm.
Im 24 now, ill have just turned 26 when i start. I know what the minimum entry requirements are, but they have around 800 applications for this course and only take on about 85 students each year.. I know some will be students who didnt get the required grades, some will have chosen other universities as their first choice, but there will still be a significant number who DONT get offered a place even with the grades and with my limitations on where i can study i cant afford to be one of those people. My courses are accepted but i need to achieve at the very least two distinctions and one merit, and all of my physics modules need to be Distinctions, and my A level has to be an A. Im not especially worried about achieving those grades, Ive never had anything below an A, and mostly A* at GCSE level Science, and maths is like a second language to me. I just 'get' it, and i work hard and put the time in. There are also 2 men applying for the same university and same course as me on my course right now. They are good people and i like them a lot, but they came along to the astronomy club with me and now they're putting it in their personal statement as well. I dont mind, i hope they do well, but ultimately i have to think about my future and if theres anything else i can do to stand out from the masses.
Incidentally, if you are planning to do the Bsc/MA simply for enjoyment, go for it. However, if you'd like to work in the field, a PhD is pretty much mandatory these days, so it would be cheaper to go straight from your Bsc to a PhD. You might even get funding for the latter (depending on what you chose as a research topic).
I've been an ice skater for years, and have competed in some other sports as well, purely for enjoyment, but the Leicester prospectus had sport clubs listed as extra-curricular with the opportunities to compete against other Uni's so i thought perhaps it best to include it anyway, even if it serves little purpose.. though of course ill discuss that with my tutor who will be helping with my personal statement
I would like to complete a PhD, and i wasn't aware you could go straight from a Bsc
Yes you can (or could in my day) go straight from Bsc to PhD without doing an MA, but you'd probably need to get a First to have any hope of funding.
Universities generally give priority to mature students, and you will qualify.
Ignore those. The university should be able to tell you the real world level of qualifications that are needed to guarantee admission. Basically each course has its own internal bar based on past experience of admissions and applicants are given a conditional offer based on meeting that bar. Those who meet the condition get a guaranteed place those who do not have to compete for the few remaining places via clearing.
As a mature student the normal entry requirements do not apply to you and the university is best placed to tell you what they would expect of you in terms of issuing a conditional offer. Once you know what that it you will be better placed ensure that the further education courses that you undergo this year are sufficient, or if you need to be looking at other courses as a back up.
Including details of extra curricular activities is helpful in the application especially as a mature student what the university looks for (in addition to the academic stiff) in mature students is the ability to make and stick to commitments and some evidence of the drive needed to survive the course ( the reality is that some mature students struggle to stick courses out, and the drop out rate is higher).
As for the Phd, you do not need a MA for admission onto a PhD course, but it is true that a 1st is generally needed in order to get funding, as your course has the option of doing the extra year for an MPhys it is likely that this would be necessary to get admission to a Phd program at the same uni (basically you would stuggle to compete with the MPhys students without it).
Have you discovered Brady Haran's science channels on YouTube? Professors and lecturers pose interesting problems, explain their latest work, etc. Excellent, but dangerously addictive:
Maths https://www.youtube.com/user/numberphile
Physics https://www.youtube.com/user/sixtysymbols
Astronomy https://www.youtube.com/user/DeepSkyVideos
Have you had a look round the university? You should be able to wander around to some extent informally (if necessary, use the excuse of wanting to visit the bookshop if you're challenged). Also keep your eyes out for an open day if they have one coming up.
What do you mean by an 'advanced maths A level'?, assuming you mean 'Further Maths' then it's going to be VERY helpful doing a Physics degree as (along with Chemistry) it's very maths intensive.
Leicester is also a highly rated Uni, and a nice place as well.
Yes that's what i meant. I've contacted Leicester about the entry requirements and been advised that as the maths module of the Access to HE course im doing doesn't include calculus that an A level would be needed as well. I've sorted it to learn the content at my college and take my exams at a private school in London.
I have an open day booked for June, and i have heard good things all round about Leicester. As well the teaching methods will suit my learning style i believe. The open day should be fun and very informative.
If you're doing Further Maths I wouldn't have thought calculus would be a problem?, as you wouldn't be able to cope with the course unless you were exceptional at maths - and even some who are can't cope either.
Further Maths is also very Physics heavy, and a Chemistry or Physics degree does maths to at least 1st year degree level (which is pretty well what Further Maths is).
Leicester was my daughter's second choice, it's an 'interesting' place, with a 'jump on' 'jump off' lift and lot's of underground facilities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternoster_lift
We didn't get taken to have a look at it though
They might even shut it down for open days, and they run it at a reduced speed for freshers week.
I didn't say its a problem. I said im learning the content at my local college and taking the exams for the further maths A level at a private school in London, which im organising and paying for myself. Not to blow my own horn and i wouldn't use the word 'exceptional' but maths has never been a problem for me. Its my second favourite subject and ive never found it difficult. Should i struggle, ill work harder.
lol the lift certainly sounds interesting! Ill be sure to keep an eye out for that on the open day
Ah i think i may have clicked with what you meant! The Access to HE course doesn't include calculus (which is a requirement for the degree course) which is why im having to take a Maths A level alongside. There's not enough interest from other students to include it in the Access for everyone, but one of my teachers has agreed to teach the content in her own time, which means ill be able to take the exams at a private school if i pay the cost, which is what im going to do.
If you can pass a Further Maths A level then you deserve the title 'exceptional', not many schools even offer it, and those that do only have small class sizes.
Further Maths isn't really something you can 'work harder at', it's something you can either understand or not, and you need to have a 'different' outlook on things to do well.
My daughter was fairly 'unique' in doing a Chemistry degree despite being a Further Maths student - she changed her mind at the last moment, on the grounds a Chemistry course would be more interesting. A good number on the Further Maths course with her went on to do Maths degrees - others went on to do Physics, and took Further Maths for the advantages it gave.
But every Uni we visited all pushed the fact they will 'teach you the required maths' (like I mentioned, it's about 1st year degree standard for Chemistry - and I'm pretty sure Physics is similar). But when she mentioned she was a Further Maths student they said she could teach the maths modules
Incidentally, she was the only student to ever score 100% on a Chemistry Maths paper at her Uni - as I said, it's rare for mathematicians to do Chemistry (or Physics).
Well, you can have a look at it now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXSnNzGJDdg
As an admissions officer at one of the world's top universities, I can tell you that you've received some pretty poor advice from certain FMs on this thread so far.
Leicester is a good uni and of course has many more applicants than spaces, particularly on a hard science course (as opposed to more obscure arts/hums subjects such as theology or language courses, which are generally less over-subscribed), so your personal statement is paramount. HEIs certainly do not give preference to mature students, although they do usually treat the applications a little differently, so don't be surprised if you get asked to attend an interview or submit an additional statement or reference.
I've read thousands of personal statements in my 13 year career in HE, and can easily give you some tips (particularly as I work in a science field!):
Firstly, talk about your passion for the subject, and how you became interested in physics. As a mature student, you should talk about why you decided not to go on to A-levels or a degree straight away, and also talk about what reignited your passion for studying and science/maths/physics in particular.
Next talk about the subject itself. What aspects of physics do you enjoy? Experimental? Theoretical? Astro? Make sure your area of interest is reflected in the degree you are applying for, nothing worse than reading a statement babbling on about a love of experimental physics when the person is applying for a degree with no lab time! Check the modules. Also, as your UCAS form allows you to apply for 5 choices, think about whether you would like to use those extra 4 choices. If so, don't mention Leicester or the Leicester course within your personal statement, as your other 4 choices receive the same statement and Birmingham, Warwick, Manchester etc won't be very happy to read about how much you're looking forward to studying at Leicester! Keep the statement HEI-neutral, and if you do talk about particular areas of interest in physics, make sure all the courses you apply for teach similar areas, ie it's fine to go on about astro if all 5 courses offer astro modules.
Next you need to prove that you have enough interest in physics to cope with the rigours of a degree course. Therefore you should be talking about further reading outside the classroom, citing particular books, journals or periodicals that have inspired you. If you are stuck, start with New Scientist and the BBC science sections, they should have some good recommendations. Or, for extra creepy bonus points, you could check the reading list for the physics degree at Leics, and read a couple of those! I would suggest you also mention any physics or science programmes on TV or radio that you have enjoyed, I would assume you've watched all the recent space programmes that have been on, so mention those if so, and what you enjoyed about them (scientifically of course!). You should be living and breathing physics away from a classroom environment, because a lot of uni work is self study in the library or spending time doing lab pracs without the tutors pushing you, so you need to prove that you are an independent and self-motivated learner.
I would also suggest you go along to some physics lectures at your local uni (maybe Leicester?!), all HEIs hold evening lectures and exhibitions that are open to the public if you book via the website (look for 'events' or 'what's on?' pages on uni websites), so it will look great if you go along to a couple of those.
Maybe also talk a little about future plans, where you see the degree taking you career-wise...
When you are talking about extra-curricular stuff, make sure you keep bringing it back to why it will make you a good student. So with your ice skating, talk about being self-motivated, teaching yourself discipline and having commitment to something, all of which are transferable skills which will help you to be a good student. Don't dedicate too much space on your statement to this section, your statement should be about 80% academic (ie talking about physics and the other stuff I mentioned above), and about 20% extra-curricular.
Finally, check your spelling and punctuation, and get a trusted friend or tutor to read it through thoroughly. Typos etc quite often mean an instant rejection, as it shows the student to be sloppy, lazy and not even bothered enough to hit spell check!!
I wish you the very best of luck! I know some people who work at Leicester in the outreach team and they will be very happy to give you more advice at the open day, or if you just want to contact them via email or phone.
From time to time, someone on telly, will say that they always admired someone and sent them a letter and got a very nice reply and advice back.
Do we watch out for you on this list one day?
http://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/about-us/our-projects/women-in-the-media/where-is-the-next-brian-cox
Good luck.
I knew he was a bright kid and justifiably proud, but reading through this thread ups that a notch or two.
Kudos to those that are able to do these courses, my math was/is average at best.