Daniel is me! I am a student ambassador at the International Student Recruitment at Surrey University. I am a final year MChem Chemistry with Forensic Investigations undergraduate who came all the way for Bahrain. Yes, I can speak Arabic as well as English (obviously) but also Persian and some Spanish. I understood chemistry at school and did well compared to other subjects; I was also a big CSI fan which explains what I chose to study.
My journey to this University, and in fact until now, is filled with curve balls. After getting my A-levels results, I was accepted by all five universities I had on UCAS with University of Sheffield being my first choice and University of Surrey my second. I accepted my first choice but response from the university to proceed with the application was slow and time wasn’t in my favour. It was already September and I wasn’t registered in any university. So, I went on to Surrey’s website to get a vibe for the university and looked into the module contents of my course and…boom I was hooked.
I accepted my offer at University of Surrey to study BSc Chemistry with Forensic Investigations; and their response was quick in terms of registering me before the start of the semester and helping me secure a last-minute accommodation. By end of September I was on my way with my dad to start a new chapter in my life. Unfortunately, I missed one of the most fun weeks – fresher’s week and started immediately on lecture day…ugh!
Hold on Daniel…you said they offered you a BSc but you’re doing MChem?
Well…that’s another curve ball, a rather good one:
- My course is a 4-year programme with a placement year in the third year.
- My course offers the chance to switch from BSc to MChem at the end of second year given you meet certain requirements
So why I waste 4 years for BSc if I can graduate with a masters…
So, the take home message is don’t be lazy and be prepared for what life is gonna throw at you: you are entering adulthood lol😊
