University of Exeter
Exeter
Zoology/Biosciences at the University of Exeter Cornwall Campus
Hello everyone!
I am about to finish my first year studying Zoology at Exeter's Cornwall Campus and wondered if you had any questions about the course (Zoology or any other bioscience) or life in Cornwall! I remember how I felt before starting and I was constantly checking the forums!
Apologies if there is already a thread like this!
I am about to finish my first year studying Zoology at Exeter's Cornwall Campus and wondered if you had any questions about the course (Zoology or any other bioscience) or life in Cornwall! I remember how I felt before starting and I was constantly checking the forums!
Apologies if there is already a thread like this!
Scroll to see replies
University of Exeter
Exeter
I have really enjoyed the course, the lecturers are really nice (although some can come across as a bit scary) and have a real passion for their subject. Personally I enjoyed Ecology and Conservation the most in the first term and Key Skills the least, and in the second term it was between physiology and vertebrate zoology. I didn't enjoy the field and lab technique lectures that much, but the field trips are really good, you see a lot of interesting wildlife and get to explore Cornwall!
The accommodation is really nice, if you have applied to be on campus (Glasney student village) you will either be in View or Parc. You are randomly allocated, and there isn't much difference between the 2. The maintenance team are great, if you ever have a problem they will fix it in 24hrs usually
Hope this helps, and good luck with your exams! If you have any if questions, feel free to ask, but I would also advise you to apply for a student mentor. They will answer any questions you have before you start and there will be a meet and greet when you arrive in September. I had one last year (and have applied to be one this year) and found it really useful!
Posted from TSR Mobile
The accommodation is really nice, if you have applied to be on campus (Glasney student village) you will either be in View or Parc. You are randomly allocated, and there isn't much difference between the 2. The maintenance team are great, if you ever have a problem they will fix it in 24hrs usually
Hope this helps, and good luck with your exams! If you have any if questions, feel free to ask, but I would also advise you to apply for a student mentor. They will answer any questions you have before you start and there will be a meet and greet when you arrive in September. I had one last year (and have applied to be one this year) and found it really useful!
Posted from TSR Mobile
Hi!
Could I ask what grades you received at A-level, and what subjects you took?
Also, what did you get at AS, and what were the grades for your conditional offer to Exeter?
Thanks
Could I ask what grades you received at A-level, and what subjects you took?
Also, what did you get at AS, and what were the grades for your conditional offer to Exeter?
Thanks
I got an offer for ABB and was accepted with 3 Bs in biology, psychology and RS. I also took chemistry for AS go very well, I got a D in the end so I obviously dropped it! I got Bs for the other three at AS as well but I also did voluntary work and wildlife surveys which really helped with my application. I also went to Borneo and helped with conservation projects which I think was main reason (apart from grades) I got an offer. Good luck with exams!
Posted from TSR Mobile
but I also did voluntary work and wildlife surveys which really helped with my application. I also went to Borneo and helped with conservation projects which I think was main reason (apart from grades) I got an offer. Good luck with exams! Posted from TSR Mobile
Do you know anyone from cumbria/north? I have my eyes set on the conservation biology and ecology course. I do have relatives in penryn, which makes the 9hour distance much less daunting! X
Hi, I do know people who have come from up North, and a lot of them fly to and from uni as I think it is cheaper and quicker than getting the train. It always helps knowing people outside of campus, I had a family friend move to Cornwall around the same time as me and it really helped me settle in. The distance is manageable, and not many people go home all the time, only really for the holidays, but it's totally up to you have often you go home
Hope this helps!
Posted from TSR Mobile
Hope this helps!
Posted from TSR Mobile
Thanks! Weekend breaks are certainly out of the question! also, do you find that the contact time is enough?
also, do you find that the contact time is enough?We have around 8 lectures and 1 or 2 lab practicals a week, although labs can vary. I feel this is enough contact time as for first year, you don't need to do outside reading for the exams, and you only have 1 essay, but you do have a few lab reports. For the lab reports you need to do some outside reading, but not too much. To put this is an more everyday explanation, I haven't taken a single book put from the library this year! (Although I did buy 2 books). Hope this helps!
Posted from TSR Mobile
Posted from TSR Mobile
Hi I am going to be doing Conservation Biology and Ecology at Exeter, I was so stuck between zoology and Conservation Biology and Ecology because the courses looked exactly the same! So I e-mailed Exeter and they told me that they were exactly the same course in the first year and that the only difference were some modules you could pick and I could transfer if I wanted so thats great. My offer is ABB and I am doing Biology Geography and Art I did Chem as an AS as well but was so not my best subject :P. I was wondering how lenient they were on grades? I am predicted ABB but you never stop worrying that you will not get these grades. I took a gap year between my IGCSE's and My A-Levels as I skipped a grade when I was younger and my Mother didn't want me to go to uni at 17. So I worked as a Marine Mammal Trainer for a year at Ocean Park Hong Kong (cause I live in HK) and I am fully trained now which I put on my personal statement. I have also worked with Macaques and helped to design a enrichment program for them. I have done a few other work placements in Australia, England, Langkawi and such. Will this help if I do not (knock on wood) get the grades?
I have also Applied for Housing at Glasney Village, How is it?
Sorry for a bit of an essay :P I am just so excited and scared because I have wanted to go to this Uni forever and its so close yet so far haha.
I have also Applied for Housing at Glasney Village, How is it?
Sorry for a bit of an essay :P I am just so excited and scared because I have wanted to go to this Uni forever and its so close yet so far haha.
Hi,
I got an offer for ABB and was accepted with 3 Bs in Biology, Psychology and RS. I think a lot of university's are more lenient now due to less people coming doing undergraduate degrees, but obviously still aim for the best results you can get.
Glasney village is great, it's a maximum of a 3 minute walk to main campus depending on where you are and the staff are really nice.
The first years are more or less identical for biosciences so I don't think changing courses will be a problem.
Hope this helps
Posted from TSR Mobile
I got an offer for ABB and was accepted with 3 Bs in Biology, Psychology and RS. I think a lot of university's are more lenient now due to less people coming doing undergraduate degrees, but obviously still aim for the best results you can get.
Glasney village is great, it's a maximum of a 3 minute walk to main campus depending on where you are and the staff are really nice.
The first years are more or less identical for biosciences so I don't think changing courses will be a problem.
Hope this helps
Posted from TSR Mobile
Oh, and the volunteering sounds good. I went to Borneo for a month and I think that really helped my personal statement
Posted from TSR Mobile
Posted from TSR Mobile
Just wondering- how many exams did you have overall? And how many in summer? Oh and the rough ratio if exams to coursework Thanks!
Posted from TSR Mobile
Thanks! Posted from TSR Mobile
Hi,
During the first term we had 4 exams for genetics, 3 for inverts, 2 for ecology and conservation and 2 for key skills. We also had a couple of lab reports, but these only count for around 10% of each module overall. We did have an essay (1000 words) for key skills which counts for 60%.
In term 2 we have 3 vertebrate exams, 2 evolution exams, 2 physiology exams and 1 field and lab exam. The lab reports are the same as last term, taking a lot of time but not counting for much. We also have to gather a collection which counts for 50% of the field and lab module.
Hope this helps!
Posted from TSR Mobile
During the first term we had 4 exams for genetics, 3 for inverts, 2 for ecology and conservation and 2 for key skills. We also had a couple of lab reports, but these only count for around 10% of each module overall. We did have an essay (1000 words) for key skills which counts for 60%.
In term 2 we have 3 vertebrate exams, 2 evolution exams, 2 physiology exams and 1 field and lab exam. The lab reports are the same as last term, taking a lot of time but not counting for much. We also have to gather a collection which counts for 50% of the field and lab module.
Hope this helps!
Posted from TSR Mobile
Hi, I'm currently an AS student and thinking about courses to apply for next year. At the moment I am torn between Marine Biology and Conservation Biology and Ecology, just wondering if you had any thoughts on these courses or have heard anything about them? Also, how far in depth science do the biosciences go into if that makes any sense? As I am taking AS Biology at the moment and finding parts of that rather a struggle. I am fascinated by animals and the natural world but not so much on cell structure and the like 
I am hoping to go into the area of marine conservation in the future.
Thanks any help will be very welcome!
I am hoping to go into the area of marine conservation in the future.Thanks any help will be very welcome!
Hi, I'm planning on applying for 2016 entry to the evolutionary biology course as it us a subject I have a great passion for and have done a lot of reading around, and I was wondering if lack of work experience would be a hindrance to my application? I would like to have gotten some work experience but I haven't had time between doing schoolwork and holding down a job to help pay bills as my family needed help.
Any response would be much appreciated
Posted from TSR Mobile
Any response would be much appreciated
Posted from TSR Mobile
Hiya, I'd like to do volunteering this summer for interest, but also as a cheeky way of boosting my application if my grades faulter :/ would they count anything done this year for 2015 entry?
Also, which has the better facilities The student village, or the sidings?
Plus is shared accommodation good value for money, or is better to pay out for solo living? Thanks
Also, which has the better facilities The student village, or the sidings?
Plus is shared accommodation good value for money, or is better to pay out for solo living? Thanks
Long post alert, haha! I've just finished my first year of Zoology.
Personally I can't say much for Marine Biology, because it's a new course being brought in this year so I don't know anyone on it. However I do know lots of people on conservation biology! In first year I'm sure it'll be pretty much the same for this year as in every course does exactly the same modules. However in second year it becomes more specific and you do more conservation based modules (obviously). I'm doing Zoology, but I've picked both conservation modules as my optional choices. I'd recommend it but with all of the specific courses there are certain modules you can't take in second year, apart from Zoology for which you can pretty much pick any you like. As to your second question, it's not been massively specific for first year! Genetics is about as hard as it gets, which I hate (i'm not a geneticist at all) but I surprisingly found it pretty easy. So far I've not had to do anything along the lines of cell structure etc really - there's a bit about applied sciencey stuff in field and lab techniques in second term and a tiny bit in evolution but in all honesty it's not tricky at all!
I wouldn't say it would be a hindrance at all! I know loads of people who got in with little or no experience, I don't think they mind at all.
Personally I wouldn't say volunteering would boost your application much at all. I did tons of work experience etc from wanting to be a vet before changing my mind but I got in with as much merit as people who did none. I've spent a year in the student village so I'm biased but pros and cons - Glasney has huge rooms, nice en-suites, big kitchens with more storage space, on campus so you can leave 5 minutes before a lecture. Sidings is obviously a long walk (uphill, ugh), smaller rooms and kitchen, but the quality is nicer plus you get sofas, better fridges etc and also a much nicer tv. Also wifi is free in Glasney but you have to pay in Sidings. I had solo living, but two guys in my flat shared. I personally preferred it and would recommend it because I like having the space but I know the guys I lived with didn't mind it at all and hooked up all their gaming systems etc, so it's just whether you'd mind living with someone or not.
Original post by easton03
Hi, I'm currently an AS student and thinking about courses to apply for next year. At the moment I am torn between Marine Biology and Conservation Biology and Ecology, just wondering if you had any thoughts on these courses or have heard anything about them? Also, how far in depth science do the biosciences go into if that makes any sense? As I am taking AS Biology at the moment and finding parts of that rather a struggle. I am fascinated by animals and the natural world but not so much on cell structure and the like I am hoping to go into the area of marine conservation in the future.
Thanks any help will be very welcome!
I am hoping to go into the area of marine conservation in the future.Thanks any help will be very welcome!
Personally I can't say much for Marine Biology, because it's a new course being brought in this year so I don't know anyone on it. However I do know lots of people on conservation biology! In first year I'm sure it'll be pretty much the same for this year as in every course does exactly the same modules. However in second year it becomes more specific and you do more conservation based modules (obviously). I'm doing Zoology, but I've picked both conservation modules as my optional choices. I'd recommend it but with all of the specific courses there are certain modules you can't take in second year, apart from Zoology for which you can pretty much pick any you like. As to your second question, it's not been massively specific for first year! Genetics is about as hard as it gets, which I hate (i'm not a geneticist at all) but I surprisingly found it pretty easy. So far I've not had to do anything along the lines of cell structure etc really - there's a bit about applied sciencey stuff in field and lab techniques in second term and a tiny bit in evolution but in all honesty it's not tricky at all!
Original post by KiNg_TurTLeFaCe
Hi, I'm planning on applying for 2016 entry to the evolutionary biology course as it us a subject I have a great passion for and have done a lot of reading around, and I was wondering if lack of work experience would be a hindrance to my application? I would like to have gotten some work experience but I haven't had time between doing schoolwork and holding down a job to help pay bills as my family needed help.
Any response would be much appreciatedPosted from TSR Mobile
Any response would be much appreciated
Posted from TSR MobileI wouldn't say it would be a hindrance at all! I know loads of people who got in with little or no experience, I don't think they mind at all.
Original post by JBlad
Hiya, I'd like to do volunteering this summer for interest, but also as a cheeky way of boosting my application if my grades faulter :/ would they count anything done this year for 2015 entry?
Also, which has the better facilities The student village, or the sidings?
Plus is shared accommodation good value for money, or is better to pay out for solo living? Thanks
Also, which has the better facilities The student village, or the sidings?
Plus is shared accommodation good value for money, or is better to pay out for solo living? Thanks
Personally I wouldn't say volunteering would boost your application much at all. I did tons of work experience etc from wanting to be a vet before changing my mind but I got in with as much merit as people who did none. I've spent a year in the student village so I'm biased but pros and cons - Glasney has huge rooms, nice en-suites, big kitchens with more storage space, on campus so you can leave 5 minutes before a lecture. Sidings is obviously a long walk (uphill, ugh), smaller rooms and kitchen, but the quality is nicer plus you get sofas, better fridges etc and also a much nicer tv. Also wifi is free in Glasney but you have to pay in Sidings. I had solo living, but two guys in my flat shared. I personally preferred it and would recommend it because I like having the space but I know the guys I lived with didn't mind it at all and hooked up all their gaming systems etc, so it's just whether you'd mind living with someone or not.
Hi
I'm in my first year studying a btec in animal management lvl 3 and will be doing my extended diploma next year and was just curious to know what
grades they are looking for and how lenient they are on accepting applicants with btecs.
Thank you
I'm in my first year studying a btec in animal management lvl 3 and will be doing my extended diploma next year and was just curious to know what
grades they are looking for and how lenient they are on accepting applicants with btecs.
Thank you
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