Work Experience for Science Degree

How important is work experience for degrees like chemistry, physics or biochemistry, natural sciences etc
I’ve heard unis like Cambridge and most top unis only care about super curriculars like reading beyond the curriculum and having really strong grades, is this true or should I be looking for work experience?
Anyone who’s applied and gotten an offer or studying a degree rn, I’d be super grateful for your opinions!!!

Hiya,

I'm a current 3rd year astrophysics and cosmology student at Lancaster Uni and I found when I was applying to uni, the main things we were asked to include and talk about in our personal statements were supercurriculars as they really show how much you want to explore a certain subject outside school settings / compulsory learning.

If you haven't got work experience surrounding a field of study you wish to pursue at uni, don't worry! There are loads of supercurriculars that could express your enthusiasm just as well. However, if you have the chance to apply and complete some work experience within a field you wish to study further, I would highly recommend you do it as it is a great experience to talk about in your personal statement and future CVs.

The other option is completing courses surrouding your chosen subject. I found various courses (both online and in person) that I completed as a way to make me stand out and show that I am genuinely interested in physics / STEM subjects. I recommend using sites like Smallpeice, Cyberfirst, Springpod as I completed some of their courses and they have quite a few to explore, so feel free to check them out.
If you have a chance to shadow someone within one of these fields, that would also be really good as it shows your initiative to delve into how your subject is applied to real-life situations.

Don't feel like you have to do all these things. They are really beneficial and do help you stand out, but so does reading around your chosen subject / doing independent research / entering essay competitions / doing subject olympiads / etc. Unis look if you have done anything outside baseline learning for your A-Levels, so if you are struggling for things to do / talk about to make yourself stand out, talk to your teachers or other students and see if anything is of interest to you to complete that they may suggest, outside your current learning.

I hope this all helps and I wish you all the best with your applications! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
-- Arya (Lancaster Univeristy Student Ambassasdor)

Hiya,

I'm a current 3rd year astrophysics and cosmology student at Lancaster Uni and I found when I was applying to uni, the main things we were asked to include and talk about in our personal statements were supercurriculars as they really show how much you want to explore a certain subject outside school settings / compulsory learning.

If you haven't got work experience surrounding a field of study you wish to pursue at uni, don't worry! There are loads of supercurriculars that could express your enthusiasm just as well. However, if you have the chance to apply and complete some work experience within a field you wish to study further, I would highly recommend you do it as it is a great experience to talk about in your personal statement and future CVs.

The other option is completing courses surrouding your chosen subject. I found various courses (both online and in person) that I completed as a way to make me stand out and show that I am genuinely interested in physics / STEM subjects. I recommend using sites like Smallpeice, Cyberfirst, Springpod as I completed some of their courses and they have quite a few to explore, so feel free to check them out.
If you have a chance to shadow someone within one of these fields, that would also be really good as it shows your initiative to delve into how your subject is applied to real-life situations.

Don't feel like you have to do all these things. They are really beneficial and do help you stand out, but so does reading around your chosen subject / doing independent research / entering essay competitions / doing subject olympiads / etc. Unis look if you have done anything outside baseline learning for your A-Levels, so if you are struggling for things to do / talk about to make yourself stand out, talk to your teachers or other students and see if anything is of interest to you to complete that they may suggest, outside your current learning.

I hope this all helps and I wish you all the best with your applications! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
-- Arya (Lancaster Univeristy Student Ambassasdor)