Year 12s: what, if anything, would discourage you from attending a uni open day? >>

I graduated from Imperial College London with a 1st in MSci geology, ask me anything

I see a lot of questions on what the best uni for geology is in the UK, and I think because it's a niche subject, students often have a lot of unanswered questions.

If you're interested in studying geology, or want to know more about the university, I'll try my best to answer as many questions as possible.

A little bit about myself:

I graduated in 2021
I've attended multiple outreach events
I'm a long term tutor with undergraduate teaching experience
I've done mentoring
All my independent writing projects and field trips were awarded a 1st class
I have 2 research experiences outside of university
I'm currently applying for planetary PhDs.

Looking forward to your questions :biggrin:

Reply 1

teatree21

how can you get work experience or internships in planetary science? i don't have anything i can talk about on my university application

Reply 2

BellaRobinTT

Original post by teatree21

how can you get work experience or internships in planetary science? i don't have anything i can talk about on my university application

Look for volunteering opportunities at the NHM! Every so often they will advertise some volunteering roles, but there is a long list of applicants.
You can try doing online courses from websites such as coursera or tutorful.co.uk and these can really show you've taken the initiative to prepare for your courses at university!
Another thing I've seen people do (and I personally did also) is briefly mention a planetary book you are currently reading.
Remember that it is quite uncommon for students under the age of 18 to have work experience or internships related to the subject they want to study in university, but showing your passion and focus, and ability to take the initiative to push yourself is often enough!

Reply 3

rakki1812

Hey. I recently got an unconditional offer from UCL for the Msc. Geosciences program. I also have an offer from Australian National University for the Master of Earth Sciences (Advanced) program. I am very confused about which one to take. Could you please give me some clarity ?About myself:-I've graduated with a B.Sc in Geology from India, my passion lies in researching Earthquakes and to work as a seismologist. I want to study in a uni which would make my education stand out. Also, what are my chances of securing employment in the same field as my degree (i.e., Geosciences/Geology) as soon as I finish my postgrad ? And how hard/easy is it to manage the workload in UCL or any UK university as the program only lasts for 1 year and all coursework and research components have to be completed within that period?

Reply 4

Alzar

I’m just about to apply for the UCL Geoscience MSc, coming from a physical geography background. Any tips as to what they might be looking for. I’m about to finish with a first class honours.

Reply 5

Caiwei

HI! could you tell me what textbook do year 1 in imperial studying geology use?

Reply 6

Jefflamqqq123

How lenient is ese imperial on near miss Alevel grade . Or did you meet anyone that is let in despite missing their offer in ese

Reply 7

M36(-)N

Original post by BellaRobinTT

I see a lot of questions on what the best uni for geology is in the UK, and I think because it's a niche subject, students often have a lot of unanswered questions.
If you're interested in studying geology, or want to know more about the university, I'll try my best to answer as many questions as possible.
A little bit about myself:
I graduated in 2021
I've attended multiple outreach events
I'm a long term tutor with undergraduate teaching experience
I've done mentoring
All my independent writing projects and field trips were awarded a 1st class
I have 2 research experiences outside of university
I'm currently applying for planetary PhDs.
Looking forward to your questions :biggrin:

Hello, I know you made this post a couple of years ago however, if you are available, I would be really grateful if you answered my questions:

•

How much programming do we do in the MSci Geology course?

•

How much support would one get from the department if they were struggling with the work?

•

Did you find yourself studying all the time or did you have time to join societies?

•

On the imperial website for geology, in the third and fourth years, there are a lot of optional modules that we can choose from. Are all those modules open for us to choose from every year or does the department only choose to run a few of those modules from that list every year? I guess what I am asking is for the 3rd and 4th years do we actually have the choice to choose from that whole list of optional modules?

•

Is it difficult to secure internship opportunities for this course?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

Reply 8

M36(-)N

Original post by BellaRobinTT

I see a lot of questions on what the best uni for geology is in the UK, and I think because it's a niche subject, students often have a lot of unanswered questions.
If you're interested in studying geology, or want to know more about the university, I'll try my best to answer as many questions as possible.
A little bit about myself:
I graduated in 2021
I've attended multiple outreach events
I'm a long term tutor with undergraduate teaching experience
I've done mentoring
All my independent writing projects and field trips were awarded a 1st class
I have 2 research experiences outside of university
I'm currently applying for planetary PhDs.
Looking forward to your questions :biggrin:

Hello, I know you made this post a couple of years ago however, if you are available, I would be really grateful if you answered my questions:

•

How much programming do we do in the MSci Geology course?

•

How much support would one get from the department if they were struggling with the work?

•

Did you find yourself studying all the time or did you have time to join societies?

•

Is it difficult to secure internship opportunities for this course?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

Reply 9

Megaman101

Original post by M36(-)N

Hello, I know you made this post a couple of years ago however, if you are available, I would be really grateful if you answered my questions:

•

How much programming do we do in the MSci Geology course?

•

How much support would one get from the department if they were struggling with the work?

•

Did you find yourself studying all the time or did you have time to join societies?

•

Is it difficult to secure internship opportunities for this course?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

Hey I can answer these for you as I just did the BSc.

How much programming do we do in the MSci Geology course?
• Bit of R-Studio and Python in some modules but not that much.

How much support would one get from the department if they were struggling with the work?
• Erm a little and you may receive EC if there's a reason behind why your struggling. But this is university your expected to get on with it!

Did you find yourself studying all the time or did you have time to join societies?
• Varies at different points in the module and what year your in. But no way was I studying all the time.

On the imperial website for geology, in the third and fourth years, there are a lot of optional modules that we can choose from. Are all those modules open for us to choose from every year or does the department only choose to run a few of those modules from that list every year? I guess what I am asking is for the 3rd and 4th years do we actually have the choice to choose from that whole list of optional modules?
• You get to choose from the entire list.

Is it difficult to secure internship opportunities for this course?
Yes and no. Roles in the geosciences are hard to secure so you must be proactive about it.

Reply 10

M36(-)N

Original post by Megaman101

Hey I can answer these for you as I just did the BSc.
How much programming do we do in the MSci Geology course?
• Bit of R-Studio and Python in some modules but not that much.
How much support would one get from the department if they were struggling with the work?
• Erm a little and you may receive EC if there's a reason behind why your struggling. But this is university your expected to get on with it!
Did you find yourself studying all the time or did you have time to join societies?
• Varies at different points in the module and what year your in. But no way was I studying all the time.
On the imperial website for geology, in the third and fourth years, there are a lot of optional modules that we can choose from. Are all those modules open for us to choose from every year or does the department only choose to run a few of those modules from that list every year? I guess what I am asking is for the 3rd and 4th years do we actually have the choice to choose from that whole list of optional modules?
• You get to choose from the entire list.
Is it difficult to secure internship opportunities for this course?
Yes and no. Roles in the geosciences are hard to secure so you must be proactive about it.

Hello, thank you for your reply. I do have a few more questions I would like to ask; if you are available. If the questions seem too invasive you do not have to reply.

•

Did you manage to secure any internship opportunities while you were studying. If so in which year did you do yours, what was the application process like and where do we look for internships?

•

Since you have completed your BSc what are your future plans? Are you planning to look for a job in this field?

•

I'm assuming in your 3rd year you did the mapping project, can you tell me a bit about what that involves?

•

For one of my previous questions above, I think you may have misunderstood me. If students have questions about the content or are struggling to understand something, are the professors friendly and approachable or do they get annoyed if you ask too many questions or if you ask them to repeat an explanation?

Apologies if some of these questions are quite forward, I just want to gain an insight into what graduates in my field are doing. Thank you for reading this post.