Uni physics advice

Hey, I'm in year 11 and thinking about physics at uni. I was wondering if any current or past uni physics students could recommend the best things for me to do now/over the summer after I finish gcses to prepare for it or help me get into a good uni.

Any and all advice appreciated, thanks.

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by catsforever1154

Hi there!

I'm not studying physics but I'm studying Mechanical Engineering at Lancaster University so I thought I could help out with this one. First of all I would say definitely don't stress about your uni application at this stage. You have loads of time and most universities look for evidence that you are passionate about your subject, which can be shown in lots of different ways.

If you have some spare time, it's always a good idea to look into a project that you could work on. Learning a coding language or doing one of the many free online MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) in your subject area is quite a nice way to get started, the Open University has some great free courses that you could look at.

You could also have a look at university outreach events that you could apply for in advance, I did the Oxford UNIQ summer school in year 12 which was really fun and looked good on my university application - it also helped me to decide what degree I would want to take. I also did a work placement with the MET Office at the end of year 12. Looking around for this type of thing early is always handy as their application portals close in advance of them starting.

Furthering 'softer' skills through volunteering, such as at a local charity shop, or with a summer job, is always a good way of advancing team working skills too, even if it isn't directly related to your course.

Overall, make sure to give yourself a good break after your GCSEs. As I mentioned, a lot of universities will look at how passionate you are about your subject, so anything that shows you have looked outside of your course for related opportunities will look great on your application.

Best of luck with everything and let me know if you have any questions about anything :smile:

-Bethan (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 2

Ghostlady

Original post by catsforever1154

Hey Mum here of a physics daughter who studies at Lancaster too.

Ill tell you a little background info and how she came to where shes at now and what she did leading up to university.
She used to want to do astrophysics from about 11 years old. We used to go to astronomical society in Nottingham and there was some lecturers that would present once a month about space, light polution, telescopes etc.
That went on until she got to year 11- year 12.
After her GCSES' she did an online MOOC. its a free course you can take. You are not obliged to buy the certificate, and it looks really good on your personal statement.
She did a Chemistry one with her taking alevel chemistry so thought a sciency based subject would do her well.
You can do this too this summer.(my youngest did this too in animal behaviour(shes yr 13 wanting zoology)

So thats the first thing you can do this summer.
Year 12 came and by the Christmas she had applied to UNIQ, which is the summer school at Oxford. She did fall into the catagory of living in an area which classified it not many businesses there, school students didnt go to uni in that area etc etc. Its called POLAR on line and you can find out your area by postcode. You can apply to more than one summer school, the youngest applied to Sutton trust and also Edgehill summer school and she got in there. You can google Summer school at uni, or Summer residentials at uni and theres a few. Lancaster even does one as well.
She ended up going to Oxford for a 4 day residential in the summer of 2019.
Also during the winter she looked up that Nottingham uni was doing a physics work experience. So it worth checking out local unis to see if they do one. (youngest did a psychology one online called spring pod https://www.springpod.com/virtual-work-experience so worth checking that out too)
So summer comes and eldest did a particle physics and cosmology work experience. This is the turning point where she goes from astro to particle physics. She fell in love with it. She also bought a book online called professor poveys perplexing problems and thats physics based which she mentioned in her PS.
All of year 12 and start of 13 she went to uni open days.
Dont wait until year 13 to do this. I only say this so that students parents are not forking out a fortune on travel and hotels in the whole of sept-november in year 13. Definitely have a look at some in year 12.

So this is where I leave this post now, because all the rest is here https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6562744
Its got all the trips on open days interviews, all the way to the end of first year of uni

So for now, check out those MOOCs in the summer. they are free and really do look good for your application :smile:

And wheres shes at now? At Lancaster uni studying physics, but branched into particle physics and cosmology and shes just finished her third year :smile:

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

catsforever1154

Thank you so much to both of you! All your advice has been really helpful and I will definitely look into doing a MOOC because they sound really interesting. I've been going to a few open days recently and will keep an eye out for any workshop/residential courses ran by universities. Again thank you so much :smile:

Reply 4

maryam!!

Original post by Ghostlady

Hey Mum here of a physics daughter who studies at Lancaster too.
Ill tell you a little background info and how she came to where shes at now and what she did leading up to university.
She used to want to do astrophysics from about 11 years old. We used to go to astronomical society in Nottingham and there was some lecturers that would present once a month about space, light polution, telescopes etc.
That went on until she got to year 11- year 12.
After her GCSES' she did an online MOOC. its a free course you can take. You are not obliged to buy the certificate, and it looks really good on your personal statement.
She did a Chemistry one with her taking alevel chemistry so thought a sciency based subject would do her well.
You can do this too this summer.(my youngest did this too in animal behaviour(shes yr 13 wanting zoology)
So thats the first thing you can do this summer.
Year 12 came and by the Christmas she had applied to UNIQ, which is the summer school at Oxford. She did fall into the catagory of living in an area which classified it not many businesses there, school students didnt go to uni in that area etc etc. Its called POLAR on line and you can find out your area by postcode. You can apply to more than one summer school, the youngest applied to Sutton trust and also Edgehill summer school and she got in there. You can google Summer school at uni, or Summer residentials at uni and theres a few. Lancaster even does one as well.
She ended up going to Oxford for a 4 day residential in the summer of 2019.
Also during the winter she looked up that Nottingham uni was doing a physics work experience. So it worth checking out local unis to see if they do one. (youngest did a psychology one online called spring pod https://www.springpod.com/virtual-work-experience so worth checking that out too)
So summer comes and eldest did a particle physics and cosmology work experience. This is the turning point where she goes from astro to particle physics. She fell in love with it. She also bought a book online called professor poveys perplexing problems and thats physics based which she mentioned in her PS.
All of year 12 and start of 13 she went to uni open days.
Dont wait until year 13 to do this. I only say this so that students parents are not forking out a fortune on travel and hotels in the whole of sept-november in year 13. Definitely have a look at some in year 12.
So this is where I leave this post now, because all the rest is here https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6562744
Its got all the trips on open days interviews, all the way to the end of first year of uni
So for now, check out those MOOCs in the summer. they are free and really do look good for your application :smile:

And wheres shes at now? At Lancaster uni studying physics, but branched into particle physics and cosmology and shes just finished her third year :smile:

Hi,, can i ask did your daughter do further maths alevel? I’m doing physics maths geo and i wanna know if doing a physics degree without further maths would put me at a disadvantage

Reply 5

Ghostlady

Original post by maryam!!

Hi,, can i ask did your daughter do further maths alevel? I’m doing physics maths geo and i wanna know if doing a physics degree without further maths would put me at a disadvantage

Hi Maryam,
My daughter did do further maths. The degree at lancaster took elements of futher maths alevel but not all. She was glad to have ditched network flow. But anyone who has not done further maths will do it (alevel standard) at the start of the degree so you catch up anyway. She wouldnt say it would be a disadvantage if you didnt do it though. Plus also she did problem sheets each week and the group collaborated anyway on group chats and helped each other. Plus you have the lecturers are more than happy for you to drop in and any on anything you are not grapsing.

Reply 6

Kiddo276

Original post by maryam!!

Hi,, can i ask did your daughter do further maths alevel? I’m doing physics maths geo and i wanna know if doing a physics degree without further maths would put me at a disadvantage

Hi Maryam, I wanted to say I'm a first year at open uni. I do physics too.

In our uni, which is roughly average, the topics of maths you cover in first year includes any further maths topics, I'll give you a break down of the maths in each modules I'm doing in first year:

Module1: Algebra, Graphs, Functions, Trig, Geometry, Differentiation, Integration, Matrices, Sequences, Series, Taylor Polynomials, Complex numbers

Module2: Number theory, conics, Statics, Geometric transformations, Calculus continued, Differential Equations, Math Language and Proof, Mechanics, Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors, Combinatorics.

Most universities cover the material in first year that you may have missed in further maths

Reply 7

maryam!!

Original post by Kiddo276

Hi Maryam, I wanted to say I'm a first year at open uni. I do physics too.
In our uni, which is roughly average, the topics of maths you cover in first year includes any further maths topics, I'll give you a break down of the maths in each modules I'm doing in first year:
Module1: Algebra, Graphs, Functions, Trig, Geometry, Differentiation, Integration, Matrices, Sequences, Series, Taylor Polynomials, Complex numbers
Module2: Number theory, conics, Statics, Geometric transformations, Calculus continued, Differential Equations, Math Language and Proof, Mechanics, Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors, Combinatorics.
Most universities cover the material in first year that you may have missed in further maths

Thankyouuu so much!!