The Student Room Group
Learning at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
London

Just graduated with a biochemistry degree from Imperial College. Ask me anything!

Scroll to see replies

What would you recommend to read for a student thinking of taking a leap into the area?
Learning at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
London
Reply 21
Original post by hellodave5
What would you recommend to read for a student thinking of taking a leap into the area?


Sorry, could you elaborate? What's your academic background, and is there a particular area of biochemistry you're interested in?
Original post by kanra
Sorry, could you elaborate? What's your academic background, and is there a particular area of biochemistry you're interested in?


I have done a degree in psych and a masters in cognitive neuro... so pretty much a noob. But would like a better insight into that stuff :smile: and thinking of doing a course in molecular bio
Reply 23
What did you like and dislike about Imperial?

Do you think UCL is better than Imperial for postgrad study? :smile:
Posted from TSR Mobile
Why not go oxbridge for Masters?
Will you do a phd?
What ooen problem in biochem do you want to see solved?
Reply 25
Original post by hellodave5
I have done a degree in psych and a masters in cognitive neuro... so pretty much a noob. But would like a better insight into that stuff :smile: and thinking of doing a course in molecular bio


Oh! That's cool! I'm doing a masters in neuroscience too! If you don't know a lot of background stuff, then any of the major biochemistry textbooks are really good for covering the basics. Molecular Biology of the Cell by Alberts is one of the first year core textbooks, and it explains things really well. If you want to know more about current studies and new discoveries, Nature is a great place to look. I would avoid the actual papers, because they are very complicated, but New and Views Articles are great because they summarise new findings in ~1000 words and in terms that non-specialists can understand.

Original post by fgrskt
What did you like and dislike about Imperial?

Do you think UCL is better than Imperial for postgrad study? :smile:


It's probably one of the most diverse universities in terms of cultures (I think the official stats are 49% international?) so you get to mingle with people from literally all over the world. It's a great location, and the research taking place there really is world class, which is great for final year (or masters/PhD) when you do a research project. Also, there are always amazing guest lecturers coming in to speak about the latest studies. I still remember in first year when Professor Elizabeth Blackburn came in to discuss her work on telomeres, and the entire hall was filled to the brim.

In terms of dislikes, I do feel that the life science department are quite set in their way of running things and not very receptive to making changes based on student opinion, although my friends in engineering have said that their departments aren't too bad. It can get a little bit cliquey, because you'll get some groups of internationals that just hang around together and speak their native tongue, making it pretty hard to integrate with them.

I think postgraduate study is different from undergraduate, because the university league tables are no where near as important or even relevant. At undergraduate, pretty much every university offers a biochemistry degree, whereas if you want to study a very specific topic like addiction or neurodegeneration, the choices are a lot more limited. In short, the "better university for postgraduate study" depends entirely on your course. For neuroscience, has debateable the best research in Europe, hence why I'm choosing to go there.

Original post by Kadak
Posted from TSR Mobile
Why not go oxbridge for Masters?
Will you do a phd?
What ooen problem in biochem do you want to see solved?


I did have a look at Oxbridge, but their courses were less suitable for me. While UCL has a large number of very specific neuroscience masters (ranging from clinical, to mental health, and specific courses of dementia), a lot of other universities (including Imperial and Oxbridge) just offer a very broad subjects under the name of "translational neuroscience".

PhD is a possibility, but I'm not 100% sure yet. I haven't had a huge amount of lab experience, except the 10 week final year project, and so I would like to get some more before deciding whether or not to commit to a three year lab project.

And the final one is a very good question! I think I would want to know the true cause of ageing. It's a topic that was touched on in all three of my final year elective modules, and has a ton of theories attached to it, but no real leads at this point.
Original post by kanra
Oh! That's cool! I'm doing a masters in neuroscience too! If you don't know a lot of background stuff, then any of the major biochemistry textbooks are really good for covering the basics. Molecular Biology of the Cell by Alberts is one of the first year core textbooks, and it explains things really well. If you want to know more about current studies and new discoveries, Nature is a great place to look. I would avoid the actual papers, because they are very complicated, but New and Views Articles are great because they summarise new findings in ~1000 words and in terms that non-specialists can understand.


Much appreciated :smile: I have ordered this behemoth off of Amazon :smile:
I'm expecting it to be huge for the price it is lol.
Neuroscience is a good choice :wink: hope you enjoy!!
Will check out Nature, cheers - not something I would have thought of.
Hello, I'll be applying for Biochemistry at Imperial for 2017 entry - I wanted to ask about the quality of accommodation available in South Kensington and what sorts of supplementary courses Imperial offered for the second year. Does it allow you to specialize in immunology and microbiology, for example? Also could I confirm if Imperial doesn't offer a MSc in Biochem?
Seems like my application will be placed at the right time to be able to study at the new White City Campus for some time!
Reply 28
Original post by kanra
I'd say second year content as a whole is harder to understand than first year stuff, though there isn't necessarily more of it. Keep on top of your notes, and ask questions when you don't understand something, so that when exams roll around you can just sit down with your premade notes and learn it. A lot of people left it until study leave to start tidying up notes, and while a lot of them do fine in the end, it's hideously stressful. Some lecturers, particularly the ones that teach essay based subjects, will ask for additional reading - this can be from textbooks, but papers is preferred. Do be reasonable about how much extra reading you're going to do though. There's no point making 5 pages of extra reading notes per lecture if you can't memorise it all for the exam.


Thanks a lot :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile
What was freshers like?
What A Level results did you get in order to get accepted for the course?

Also do you know anyone who did Chemical Engineering? If so, could you tell me what their A Level results were?

Thanks :smile:
I'm applying for Computer Science at Imperial and I got A, A, B

The double A is in Maths and Further Maths and I averaged 98%! But the B is in Classics, I'm going to be dropping that next year.

I also do Physics but since it's reformed, I didn't have any real tests, just mocks in which I got A* so I'm likely to be predicted A*A*A* for my A Levels.

Do you think my chances are ruined because of my Classics? I'm quite worried
Reply 32
Original post by longsightdon
What was freshers like?


Aha, I think I was sober for about 20 minutes of freshers...

From what I can remember, you get a list of planned events either just before move in, or on the day. There are some college wide events, including Fresher's mingle at the start, and then Fresher's ball at the end where all the Freshers across all of the halls are invited to mingle/drink/dance. Your department should also organise a few events, but most of the things you do will be with people in the accommodation. There's obviously a lot of clubbing, drinking, parties, but also a boat party on the Thames (we thought this was going to be really fancy, but it was basically clubbing on a boat haha), ice skating, and a London Tour. There was also a trip to Belgium organised for a small price (I think £20 or £30?).

Original post by CookieMonster456
What A Level results did you get in order to get accepted for the course?

Also do you know anyone who did Chemical Engineering? If so, could you tell me what their A Level results were?

Thanks :smile:


I ended up with 4 As at AS level and 3 A*s at A2. But there are tons of people who didn't do so well (remember the typical biochem offer is AAA, while for maths it's A*A*A) and some who did 5 A2 subjects and got straight A*s. It varies a lot. Obviously the better your grades, the better your chances, but part of the decision will fall on personal statement and interviews (if your subject interviews).

Original post by ArafatQ
I'm applying for Computer Science at Imperial and I got A, A, B

The double A is in Maths and Further Maths and I averaged 98%! But the B is in Classics, I'm going to be dropping that next year.

I also do Physics but since it's reformed, I didn't have any real tests, just mocks in which I got A* so I'm likely to be predicted A*A*A* for my A Levels.

Do you think my chances are ruined because of my Classics? I'm quite worried


Hey! Congratulations on the results! I think you'll be fine. I know someone who got into mechanical engineering with a B in their AS grades. A single B doesn't do as much damage as people seem to think, especially if it's in an irrelevant subject to the course you're applying for.
Original post by kanra
Aha, I think I was sober for about 20 minutes of freshers...

From what I can remember, you get a list of planned events either just before move in, or on the day. There are some college wide events, including Fresher's mingle at the start, and then Fresher's ball at the end where all the Freshers across all of the halls are invited to mingle/drink/dance. Your department should also organise a few events, but most of the things you do will be with people in the accommodation. There's obviously a lot of clubbing, drinking, parties, but also a boat party on the Thames (we thought this was going to be really fancy, but it was basically clubbing on a boat haha), ice skating, and a London Tour. There was also a trip to Belgium organised for a small price (I think £20 or £30?).



I ended up with 4 As at AS level and 3 A*s at A2. But there are tons of people who didn't do so well (remember the typical biochem offer is AAA, while for maths it's A*A*A) and some who did 5 A2 subjects and got straight A*s. It varies a lot. Obviously the better your grades, the better your chances, but part of the decision will fall on personal statement and interviews (if your subject interviews).



Hey! Congratulations on the results! I think you'll be fine. I know someone who got into mechanical engineering with a B in their AS grades. A single B doesn't do as much damage as people seem to think, especially if it's in an irrelevant subject to the course you're applying for.


Phew! I got really worried for a second then, but now it's all chill :biggrin:

Is it true that if your predicted grades are A*A*A* they'll ask you for a higher offer compared to someone with A*A*A or A*AA?
Reply 34
Original post by ArafatQ
Phew! I got really worried for a second then, but now it's all chill :biggrin:

Is it true that if your predicted grades are A*A*A* they'll ask you for a higher offer compared to someone with A*A*A or A*AA?


Honestly? I don't know. Students aren't let into the admissions process, so we can only speculate. I personally was predicted A*A*A*, but still got the standard AAA offer.
Congratulations on completing your degree! :congrats:

What do you feel about the student community and life there in general? Was it just work, or was there time to go partying for example and if so, was it with students from the college itself?

Thanks in advance
Original post by kanra
Hey everyone! Hope results went well today, and congratulations to everyone who managed to meet their Imperial College offer!

I just graduated with a first in biochemistry, so feel free to ask me anything about student life, workload, accommodation, whatever :smile:


Hi,
Firstly, congratulations.
Secondly, what grades did you achieve at GCSE and how much do GCSE grades matter when applying for uni?
Reply 37
Original post by Isaac Caletrio
Congratulations on completing your degree! :congrats:

What do you feel about the student community and life there in general? Was it just work, or was there time to go partying for example and if so, was it with students from the college itself?

Thanks in advance


The student community is probably one of my favourite things, because it's so diverse and international and you end up with friends from all over the globe. In general, you hang out with people from within the college, but since all universities in London frequent the same few popular clubs (Fabric, PI, Ministry etc.) there are plenty of chances to meet people from other unis. ]

Second year for me was super stressful, so there was considerably less clubbing that in first year, but I was still a regular at two societies so it wasn't all work. Third year was a lot more chilled than second, particular during the final 10 weeks (the final year project stage) because we would finish labs and head straight for the union usually three or four nights a week.

In first year, my timetable was really empty (although this is mostly true for bio subjects as opposed to engineering), but my friend group still went clubbing at least once a week, and often more.

Original post by Zaza2000
Hi,
Firstly, congratulations.
Secondly, what grades did you achieve at GCSE and how much do GCSE grades matter when applying for uni?


I had 9A* and 2B, but to be honest I don't think GCSEs are that important (if at all). I know plenty of people who did very mediocre at GCSE just from lack of trying. As long as your A levels are good, and you didn't straight out fail any GCSEs, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Original post by kanra
The student community is probably one of my favourite things, because it's so diverse and international and you end up with friends from all over the globe. In general, you hang out with people from within the college, but since all universities in London frequent the same few popular clubs (Fabric, PI, Ministry etc.) there are plenty of chances to meet people from other unis. ]

Second year for me was super stressful, so there was considerably less clubbing that in first year, but I was still a regular at two societies so it wasn't all work. Third year was a lot more chilled than second, particular during the final 10 weeks (the final year project stage) because we would finish labs and head straight for the union usually three or four nights a week.

In first year, my timetable was really empty (although this is mostly true for bio subjects as opposed to engineering), but my friend group still went clubbing at least once a week, and often more.



I had 9A* and 2B, but to be honest I don't think GCSEs are that important (if at all). I know plenty of people who did very mediocre at GCSE just from lack of trying. As long as your A levels are good, and you didn't straight out fail any GCSEs, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.


Exciting to hear, thanks a lot!
Reply 39
hello :smile: I'm starting biochemistry this october, is there anything that I need to prepare for? Any extra reading recommendation? Do I need much of my A level knowledge? Should I do a bit revision on Biology and Chemistry now (after the 3 months holiday without doing any work lol)?

Do you have any advice on my first year life from your experience? e.g. work life balance/ skipping lectures lol. What did you do in your first year summer? Do people normally find internship in first year summer? If so, what sort of internship? Business based or science based? As I heard that many people work in the business sector after graduating.

Thank you so much for answering my questions!

Quick Reply

Latest