• Question: How difficult was it to get the degrees you have to do the work you do?

    Asked by anon-196187 to Sebastian, Paddy, Lee, Jennifer, Fiona, Eleanor on 5 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Lee Steinberg

      Lee Steinberg answered on 5 Mar 2019:

      University is difficult, no matter what degree you choose. You will have to work hard at whichever subject you are studying. However, I personally found it was good to make a study group with friends on my course. During the exam season we would go over to someone’s house, have a study day, cook and eat together. The environment was really good for me, because I was comfortable discussing the bits I was struggling with, and my friends were able to help.

      (We also had a big party at the end of exams together!)

    • Photo: Sebastian Cosgrove

      Sebastian Cosgrove answered on 5 Mar 2019:

      It took a lot of time. To get my first degree was 5 years, and then to get my phd was 3 and a half years. So I was at University for nearly 9 years in total. One of the hardest bits about life at University is probably adapting to the different type of learning style. Lectures with 100s of people in are very different to lessons in school where your teacher knows every one of you personally. Being able to be disciplined is a key skill to make sure that you keep up to date with work. I would say that was one of the hardest bits for me.

    • Photo: Fiona Scott

      Fiona Scott answered on 5 Mar 2019:

      Any university degree involves a lot of work. Strathclyde where I did my undergraduate degree recommended 45 hours of class and study per week (typically 9-6 five days a week). Lots of time spent in lab making molecules, writing lab reports, memorising different reactions – even the periodic table at one point! But I came out of my MChem as a qualified chemist with the right knowledge and training to pursue a PhD. There were some hard weeks but I don’t regret it because of where I am now.

      I also had time to pursue different hobbies outside of my studies like playing in an orchestra and being involved with a local church so it’s not a case of spending years of your life only studying!

      As long as your work hard, while also finding time for fun, you can do anything you put your mind to.

    • Photo: Paddy Sudhakar

      Paddy Sudhakar answered on 6 Mar 2019:

      It was difficult with some subjects than others. For example, I struggled with Maths during my High School years but found it easier during my Bachelors and onwards. Different phases of our education will land us in different challenges. Generally speaking, if you have the right motivation and a few good tutors/professors to help you along, you will be on the right path. Establishing a learning relationship with your peers as well as your teachers goes a long way in helping with some of the struggles.

    • Photo: Eleanor Senior

      Eleanor Senior answered on 6 Mar 2019:

      Like the others have said, getting a degree is not an easy matter and it involves a lot of adapting since how you learn during University is quite different to school. There is a lot of work that you’re expected to do on your own and you’re not guided by a teacher. There is also the opportunity to pick what you’re learning about more at University, so you can quite often pick which modules you’re interested in and I find that if you’re interested in a subject it makes it a lot easier to learn and revise.

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