Biology/ Biological science at Lancaster 2017 applicants
Hi, I will be applying for this course this year and was looking to get both more information about the course and people that are looking to apply. I am a BTEC applied science student target grade D*D*D*. Can I ask how much of a disadvantage is studying BTEC on this course? because from what I see most of the assessment is by coursework.
Original post by eyyyooo98
Hi, I will be applying for this course this year and was looking to get both more information about the course and people that are looking to apply. I am a BTEC applied science student target grade D*D*D*. Can I ask how much of a disadvantage is studying BTEC on this course? because from what I see most of the assessment is by coursework.
Hi are you still looking for more information? I have just graduated from Lancaster University as a biological sciences student and i came to lancaster after having done a BTEC course so I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!
Jess
Original post by EcoJess
Hi are you still looking for more information? I have just graduated from Lancaster University as a biological sciences student and i came to lancaster after having done a BTEC course so I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!
Jess
Jess
Hey,
I'm not OP and I'm not doing BTEC but do you mind if I ask you some questions about your course? I really want to study biology/biological sciences and I am considering Lancaster. Am in year 12 at the moment but beginning to consider my options!
Original post by ConfusedSnowball
Hey,
I'm not OP and I'm not doing BTEC but do you mind if I ask you some questions about your course? I really want to study biology/biological sciences and I am considering Lancaster. Am in year 12 at the moment but beginning to consider my options!
I'm not OP and I'm not doing BTEC but do you mind if I ask you some questions about your course? I really want to study biology/biological sciences and I am considering Lancaster. Am in year 12 at the moment but beginning to consider my options!
Hi, of course! Any questions about the course or lancaster i am happy to try and answer!
Original post by EcoJess
Hi, of course! Any questions about the course or lancaster i am happy to try and answer!
Thank you! Okay I was wondering, because the course at Lancaster looks really flexible, did you towards the end start choosing more specific modules and specialising in something? And did your interests change from starting to finishing your course or were you pretty set on one area the whole way through? I don't know what I'm specifically interested in so I like the idea of the flexibility Lancaster offers.
Also, did you go on many field trips and were they useful/interesting?
How much independent study is necessary would you say?
Thank you for being willing to answer my questions!
Original post by ConfusedSnowball
Thank you! Okay I was wondering, because the course at Lancaster looks really flexible, did you towards the end start choosing more specific modules and specialising in something? And did your interests change from starting to finishing your course or were you pretty set on one area the whole way through? I don't know what I'm specifically interested in so I like the idea of the flexibility Lancaster offers.
Also, did you go on many field trips and were they useful/interesting?
How much independent study is necessary would you say?
Thank you for being willing to answer my questions!
Also, did you go on many field trips and were they useful/interesting?
How much independent study is necessary would you say?
Thank you for being willing to answer my questions!
The course is super flexible at Lancaster which is why i personally chose it, I found other Uni's had way less choice and as I didn't really know what i wanted to do either and was leaning more towards Genetics based modules, i really needed the flexibility! When i got to Lancaster i quickly realised the human biology side wasn't for me at all and they were amazing and helped me change them to different modules that suited me better! I would say as the course goes on you really get an idea of your main interest, at the end of first year i knew my passion lied in ecology and conservation more than anything else and Lancaster really supported me in choosing modules that would help me with that! So i would say the course is perfect if your unsure and i wouldn't panic about not having a clear path at all
You go on lots of field trips, obviously for the ecology modules you probably go on more than the biology but still plenty! Lots of practical skills are learnt on field trips and my favourite trips of all was the trip to Spain in first year and Scotland in second year! It was incredible
They were definitely my highlight of my Undergrad! I would say like most universities the further in to the course you get the more independent study is expected, in first year there was a small amount of independent study where as in third you were expected to do a lot, but they ease you in to all of that!
Happy to answer any questions, if you have any more just ask away! I know i had plenty when i was choosing universities so honestly happy to help!
Original post by EcoJess
The course is super flexible at Lancaster which is why i personally chose it, I found other Uni's had way less choice and as I didn't really know what i wanted to do either and was leaning more towards Genetics based modules, i really needed the flexibility! When i got to Lancaster i quickly realised the human biology side wasn't for me at all and they were amazing and helped me change them to different modules that suited me better! I would say as the course goes on you really get an idea of your main interest, at the end of first year i knew my passion lied in ecology and conservation more than anything else and Lancaster really supported me in choosing modules that would help me with that! So i would say the course is perfect if your unsure and i wouldn't panic about not having a clear path at all
You go on lots of field trips, obviously for the ecology modules you probably go on more than the biology but still plenty! Lots of practical skills are learnt on field trips and my favourite trips of all was the trip to Spain in first year and Scotland in second year! It was incredible They were definitely my highlight of my Undergrad!
I would say like most universities the further in to the course you get the more independent study is expected, in first year there was a small amount of independent study where as in third you were expected to do a lot, but they ease you in to all of that!
Happy to answer any questions, if you have any more just ask away! I know i had plenty when i was choosing universities so honestly happy to help!
You go on lots of field trips, obviously for the ecology modules you probably go on more than the biology but still plenty! Lots of practical skills are learnt on field trips and my favourite trips of all was the trip to Spain in first year and Scotland in second year! It was incredible
They were definitely my highlight of my Undergrad! I would say like most universities the further in to the course you get the more independent study is expected, in first year there was a small amount of independent study where as in third you were expected to do a lot, but they ease you in to all of that!
Happy to answer any questions, if you have any more just ask away! I know i had plenty when i was choosing universities so honestly happy to help!
That's really, really helpful to know, I'm attracted by the flexibility and choice too and I'm just the sort of person who will probably end up changing my mind over what I wanted to specialise in; I only realised how much I love biology and want to study it since starting sixth form - before then I was planning to do a German degree! - which makes starting off broadly really important to me.
What were your top three uni choices? (I'm assuming Lancaster was one of the top three). I've been looking at Exeter but those two are the only ones I really like the look of so far - and I haven't been on any open days yet so I'm purely basing it on course content. I wondered where else you looked at and liked the course for?
What's the accommodation/campus like? Did you stay in halls for your first year?
A really stupid question (I apologise) but is Lancaster really particularly especially cold? It just seems so far north from where I live, I worry that I'll find it to be too cold!
(hilarious that this is a factor I'm considering in terms of uni choices really, but hey, we all have our priorities)
I was also wondering, did you find it to be an incredibly large jump from A Level to Uni? Were there some overlaps with things you already knew from sixth form? And was there anything that you had to relearn because you learnt it wrong in school? (I've been struggling with this since coming up from GCSE, and coming to terms with the fact that "glandular tissue" does not exist and was a GCSE fabrication, same with the idea that there are 46 chromosomes per body cell not 23, and also trying to get my head around how MASSIVE the simplification of the explanation of white blood cells was that I've been learning since year nine....)
I'm really grateful that you're so happy to help, it's really useful to talk to someone who has been doing exactly what I hope to
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by ConfusedSnowball
That's really, really helpful to know, I'm attracted by the flexibility and choice too and I'm just the sort of person who will probably end up changing my mind over what I wanted to specialise in; I only realised how much I love biology and want to study it since starting sixth form - before then I was planning to do a German degree! - which makes starting off broadly really important to me.
What were your top three uni choices? (I'm assuming Lancaster was one of the top three). I've been looking at Exeter but those two are the only ones I really like the look of so far - and I haven't been on any open days yet so I'm purely basing it on course content. I wondered where else you looked at and liked the course for?
What's the accommodation/campus like? Did you stay in halls for your first year?
A really stupid question (I apologise) but is Lancaster really particularly especially cold? It just seems so far north from where I live, I worry that I'll find it to be too cold!
(hilarious that this is a factor I'm considering in terms of uni choices really, but hey, we all have our priorities)
I was also wondering, did you find it to be an incredibly large jump from A Level to Uni? Were there some overlaps with things you already knew from sixth form? And was there anything that you had to relearn because you learnt it wrong in school? (I've been struggling with this since coming up from GCSE, and coming to terms with the fact that "glandular tissue" does not exist and was a GCSE fabrication, same with the idea that there are 46 chromosomes per body cell not 23, and also trying to get my head around how MASSIVE the simplification of the explanation of white blood cells was that I've been learning since year nine....)
I'm really grateful that you're so happy to help, it's really useful to talk to someone who has been doing exactly what I hope to
What were your top three uni choices? (I'm assuming Lancaster was one of the top three). I've been looking at Exeter but those two are the only ones I really like the look of so far - and I haven't been on any open days yet so I'm purely basing it on course content. I wondered where else you looked at and liked the course for?
What's the accommodation/campus like? Did you stay in halls for your first year?
A really stupid question (I apologise) but is Lancaster really particularly especially cold? It just seems so far north from where I live, I worry that I'll find it to be too cold!
(hilarious that this is a factor I'm considering in terms of uni choices really, but hey, we all have our priorities)
I was also wondering, did you find it to be an incredibly large jump from A Level to Uni? Were there some overlaps with things you already knew from sixth form? And was there anything that you had to relearn because you learnt it wrong in school? (I've been struggling with this since coming up from GCSE, and coming to terms with the fact that "glandular tissue" does not exist and was a GCSE fabrication, same with the idea that there are 46 chromosomes per body cell not 23, and also trying to get my head around how MASSIVE the simplification of the explanation of white blood cells was that I've been learning since year nine....)
I'm really grateful that you're so happy to help, it's really useful to talk to someone who has been doing exactly what I hope to
If your unsure like i was, choosing a flexible course is the wisest thing you can do for sure! Looking back if i had been forced to do set modules i know things may not have ended up as well as they have!
My top three choices were Lancaster, Leicester and then Liverpool. To be fair i never really liked Liverpool as whenever i went to their open days i always felt like a number and not a person as their department was so vast. Leicester i was tempted by but looking back i would have been very unhappy doing such a strict and traditional biology course, they had no module choice and being forced to do things i wasn't interested in would mean i wouldn't have put the same amount of effort in!
I stayed in halls in Grizedale college and it was really nice accommodation, ensuite was also really important to me and it was nice having your own small modern bathroom.
Everyone always asks me about the weather but as a northern girl myself it has never bothered me, neither have any of my friends from down south or even abroad complained too much, my only advice would be pack an extra scarf in winter but apart from that it's cold but not the arctic for sure! Also we have had some amazing summers since I've been here
For me i did BTEC so i had a lot of practical skills and no experience in exams etc so you will be more equipt than i was , it was a jump however you have to remember everyone is in the same boat as you and all the lecturers know your new to the whole Uni thing and so are super helpful and take it easy on you! I had to teach myself a lot but first year is all about getting everyone on the same page and making sure everyone has the basics to move forward. Everyone i know at all unis have said it was a learning curve, however you will be surprised at how quickly you adapt and settle in! dont let anyone scare you with talk of it being ridiculously hard straight away!
Honestly no worries, if i can survive three years and walk away with a good degree anyone can!
Original post by ConfusedSnowball
That's really, really helpful to know, I'm attracted by the flexibility and choice too and I'm just the sort of person who will probably end up changing my mind over what I wanted to specialise in; I only realised how much I love biology and want to study it since starting sixth form - before then I was planning to do a German degree! - which makes starting off broadly really important to me.
What were your top three uni choices? (I'm assuming Lancaster was one of the top three). I've been looking at Exeter but those two are the only ones I really like the look of so far - and I haven't been on any open days yet so I'm purely basing it on course content. I wondered where else you looked at and liked the course for?
What's the accommodation/campus like? Did you stay in halls for your first year?
A really stupid question (I apologise) but is Lancaster really particularly especially cold? It just seems so far north from where I live, I worry that I'll find it to be too cold!
(hilarious that this is a factor I'm considering in terms of uni choices really, but hey, we all have our priorities)
I was also wondering, did you find it to be an incredibly large jump from A Level to Uni? Were there some overlaps with things you already knew from sixth form? And was there anything that you had to relearn because you learnt it wrong in school? (I've been struggling with this since coming up from GCSE, and coming to terms with the fact that "glandular tissue" does not exist and was a GCSE fabrication, same with the idea that there are 46 chromosomes per body cell not 23, and also trying to get my head around how MASSIVE the simplification of the explanation of white blood cells was that I've been learning since year nine....)
I'm really grateful that you're so happy to help, it's really useful to talk to someone who has been doing exactly what I hope to
What were your top three uni choices? (I'm assuming Lancaster was one of the top three). I've been looking at Exeter but those two are the only ones I really like the look of so far - and I haven't been on any open days yet so I'm purely basing it on course content. I wondered where else you looked at and liked the course for?
What's the accommodation/campus like? Did you stay in halls for your first year?
A really stupid question (I apologise) but is Lancaster really particularly especially cold? It just seems so far north from where I live, I worry that I'll find it to be too cold!
(hilarious that this is a factor I'm considering in terms of uni choices really, but hey, we all have our priorities)
I was also wondering, did you find it to be an incredibly large jump from A Level to Uni? Were there some overlaps with things you already knew from sixth form? And was there anything that you had to relearn because you learnt it wrong in school? (I've been struggling with this since coming up from GCSE, and coming to terms with the fact that "glandular tissue" does not exist and was a GCSE fabrication, same with the idea that there are 46 chromosomes per body cell not 23, and also trying to get my head around how MASSIVE the simplification of the explanation of white blood cells was that I've been learning since year nine....)
I'm really grateful that you're so happy to help, it's really useful to talk to someone who has been doing exactly what I hope to
Sorry to interrupt but I'd just like to say about the weather: I am from Surrey and it is colder up in Lancaster than down south, not by very much. Don't let it put you off: just pack a warm coat.
Original post by eyyyooo98
Just in case anybody was wondering I got a conditional offer of DDD or DDM if I firm Lancaster, so it looks like im heading to Lancaster next year.
EcoJess can I ask what modules you took in your first year?
EcoJess can I ask what modules you took in your first year?
First year was over 3 years a go now so I'm not sure if the modules are the same as the ones i took but from what i remember i took modules in Evolution, the Spanish field course, Genetics, Conservation and Human physiology to name a few! I took a good range from the environment centre and the biology department to get a feel for what area suited me best. Hope that helps!
im so excited to start in october to study bio science cant wait, especially once we do our own research and work on the chosen fields cant waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttt
only thing is I'm gonna have to make a 4hour to 5 hour journey to get there
Original post by Enderbat1999
im so excited to start in october to study bio science cant wait, especially once we do our own research and work on the chosen fields cant waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttt
So glad your excited, it will be one of the best adventures of your life i promise! You get to start your own research in third year but it is so much fun finding the answer to a scientific question! Any questions don't hesitate to drop me a message!
Original post by Enderbat1999
only thing is I'm gonna have to make a 4hour to 5 hour journey to get there
With Lancasters great rail links I'm sure you will be fine, definitely invest in a rail card though! They save you a lot of money on train travel!
Original post by EcoJess
With Lancasters great rail links I'm sure you will be fine, definitely invest in a rail card though! They save you a lot of money on train travel!
how and when can I get a rail card, because i was told you get like 30% off or something
Original post by Enderbat1999
how and when can I get a rail card, because i was told you get like 30% off or something
You can get a 16-25 railcard now i believe, they are around £30 but with an NUS card you get a 12% discount off that. You save around 30% off every journey you make so well worth it, they usually pay for themselves after a few visits home. I would recommend the investment. Heres the website: https://www.16-25railcard.co.uk
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