Chemistry (York) student studying/procrastinating, ask me anything about chem@york

No of course not, I wouldn't classify chemistry as an easy degree anywhere (except maybe the likes of london met if they even offer chemistry...), but perhaps it's not as difficult as the other top universities.But what the hell do I know, I'm a Bristol chemist not a York chemist. Saying that, I wish chem at Bristol was easier, I'm so desperate for a first so you're luckier in that respect

I'm sure you aren't intentionally being a knob but nonetheless you are belittling mine and other peoples degree.Given many academic sources and university rankings systems (e.g. Complete university guide and the guardian) consider Yorks chemistry department to be better than Bristol's it very much implies you are wrong in your belief that our degree is "easier" and more implies it is a reflection on your own ability.Chemistry is hard and achieving a first is hard but to say a degree is easier because some people get firsts is ridiculous.None the less should you find yourself in York I, and I'm sure the other posters, will happily take you on a chemistry challenge :P

Haha, I'm not. You should know by now that league tables should be taken with a pinch of salt and just because York ranks higher than Bristol doesn't mean your course is harder than ours. And our research (REF) is actually better than York's, which arguably is quite important for chemistry. Also if York was so much better than Bristol like you claim it to be, why did Clayden move to our department...?

A good friend of mine has a twin who does Chemistry at York and they had a look at each other's papers in first year and he even said your exams are easier. I'm not belittling York, it is what it is. Also, it's kind of a big red flag when you don't even need Maths to get in! That says a lot about the pace they teach you maths. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as a nob, but I'm just laying down the facts. It does not detract from the fact that York is a good university and I'd have been happy to go there if I didn't get into Bristol, but to say it is better than Bristol is a bit silly.

Edit: Also, having played around with CUG, the only reason why Bristol ranks lower than York is because our graduate prospects are slightly lower and our student satisfaction is low...Courses that are more difficult generally have lower student satisfactions (i.e. Economics at Bath, Engineering at many top unis, etc) so you need to understand the context behind these scores as opposed to saying 'Oh my god York ranks higher than Bristol in the CUG by 2, therefore it must be a harder course!'

Also I literally can't believe you're using Guardian as a source...They are the Donald Trump of league tables. This league table ranks Sussex above Oxford ffs. If you don't think this is a red flag, then I'm worried for you. (Sussex is not bad, but if you think Sussex is even close to York/Bristol, let alone Oxford, I have nothing to say to you).

I am aware league tables should be taken with a pinch of salt, and whilst Surrey as top did give some red flags the league tables are not entirely a work of fiction, merely bizarre use of statistics, they have some basis in the reputations of the department.

The fact we don't need maths A Level does say something about the initial pace we teach maths, although as I hope you are aware maths for chemists can be taught as such it says nothing about the difficulty of maths later in the course or indeed the difficulty of the course as a whole.

Your comment on exam papers was explained earlier as another forum member explicitly stated that our first year may be a little easier to aid the transition to the new style of teaching, learning and living at university. Once again this gives no reflection on the difficulty of the later degree. If anything the graduate prospects score should say more about the calibre of graduates produced.

I am not saying York is superior to Bristol, from what I have seen about both departments they are very much on a par, it is merely your implication that we do not have to work for a first and that Bristol is superior with no real evidence that is really quite arrogant. My offer of a chemistry challenge still stands

That says more about York's course as opposed to a Chemistry degree in general. No offense, but the content you listed for first year was significantly below the level we did in first year in Bristol so don't be quick to imply a chemistry degree is easy.

Yeah I was away to say... At Edinburgh if you came in having only done GCSE maths you would not have had a chance. Most everyone had an A in advanced higher/A level. What year are you at Bristol?

But what the hell do I know, I'm a Bristol chemist not a York chemist. Saying that, I wish chem at Bristol was easier, I'm so desperate for a first so you're luckier in that respect

It is that quote that is arrogant and implies you believe you have a "superior" degree. First year was the year discussed, yet you as a third year seem to have extended that to the whole degree.

A-Level standard maths can be taught and is taught at the university. Hence we don't need it as a formal entry requirement (admittedly about 80% of people do but that is irrelevant)

Even fenton95 agrees that there is a high possibility that York's first year is 'slightly' easier than other similarly ranked universities. That's someone from your own department, mind you...Then there's also my friend's twin so that's already two people against you. The jump to second year is hard everywhere, so it doesn't really mean anything.

Anyway this is really petty so I suggest we stop here

Can someone delete this thread, I got bored, made a silly post, for any excited furture students, and it attracted and argument over who is at the tougher university? What senselessnes. Yea i'm guilty of some badly chosen, not fully explained use of the certain words, but oh well. This is not helping a sngle person.

***Ignore what I said earlier peole, ask anyhing you want, I'll be on in the evening after a good be of studying to chat or whatever***

I'm currently making up for my laziness in Term 2, more studying and catch up to do that I theoretically have time for, but, I'll be fine

I thought I'd be positive with my bouts of procrastination, any future students, or potential ones, ask me anything specific to chemistry here, I can even give some tips for what to watch out for like our villainous NMR Lecturer. And just anything really.

I'm hoping to do chemistry at university, i was wondering if you could tell me what sort of extra/super curricular activities you took part in to gain a place at York(well done BTW).

Aside from the lottle argument , I found this thread really useful. If all goes to plan I should be at York in 2016 to study Chemistry, it all just looked so dreamy

Haha, York Campus has a 'look' to it, you learn to love it I suppose, but the chemistry building/layout it really is one of the best. And you will never have to feel the pain of the overflow room.

Yeah when I went to the interview I got a brief tour, but what's the overflow room?

The reasons chemists hated the biochemists (slight exageraton), we used to have all of our lectures in CA101 I think it is, and for some topics the Biochemists shared some of those lectures with us and maxed out the 250 seating limit. Those of us not early enough would have to go to this tiny room and watch the whole things on a projector that sometimes didn't always work.

Now we just have these bigger shared lectures over in Derwent College.


Also, you'll want to be a good notetaker some of the lecturers just love the blackboard and do not put everything online.

Those darn biochemists

Would you say it's better to handwrite the notes in the lecture or type it? Also, I heard that some lectures and that are put online but do many lecturers permit the use of dictaphones, I spoke to a second year student when I went for my inteeview and he said it'd be worth inventing in one.