University of Birmingham pharmacy

Hi,
I’m starting my MPharm course this September. Does anyone have any advice in how to approach the course. Also how does your day look like as a student on a weekly basis?

hey isma! congrats on your place on the MPharm course at UoB!

i'm jodie, a 2nd year MPharm student at UoB, and would love to help answer some of ur questions! (if u see me around in med school, deffo come up to me and say hi )
in approaching the course, it may feel a lot different to college/sixth form in terms of the workload, type and structure of assignments, and the way the content is taught by lecturers/professors.
for the first point (workload), first year content is not as heavy, but it definitely is quite intense, only if and when you do not stay on top of your work. if you are a crammer (like me haha) it may get very stressful, so i would advise to try your best to finish your notes from a lecture and finish assignments as soon as you can! it really makes a difference and ensures that the quality of your work doesn't reduce (especially when you're trying to get those references on your essays done literally the night before the deadline🥲).
on the topic of types of work you will get might be quite different to what you've known: essays, lab reports, practical assessments. with essays, you will need to understand how important referencing and plagiarism is to university. i find it helpful to make a reference table to keep track of which websites/books/videos i've referred to and allows for me to implement literary criticism + critiquing the articles that i want to include in my references.
also, because the work is extremely independent at uni, USE YOUR RESOURCES! the lecturers and your module leads are there to help you (and are getting paid to do so lol). they are more than happy to answer your questions, so pop them an email or speak to them after the lecture if you have a question; building that rapport with them also helps you in the long run since you'll be more comfortable approaching them. during the lecture, your teacher will appreciate that you want to know more, and even some of your fellow coursemates are gonna appreciate it a lot more because you're gonna be asking questions on things they were confused about🤣. also, wider reading (even though most of us don't do it), it really helps deepen and even clarify some things you have already learned (and your lecturers will love you when you do).
and something i want to add: Small Group Teachings (SGTs) are gonna be your best friend! they are so useful because you will be able to clarify everything you will need to know for exams and assignments, so i would encourage you to attend all of those teachings, and it is another perfect opportunity to ask questions if you have any

your timetable will not be as consistent as other courses, so try not to compare to theirs. for first year, it will generally look like a 9-5, but this will vary with some gaps and time for you to have a break in between lectures e.g. a lecture at 9-10 am then not another lecture until 3-4 pm. there are also some lectures which may end later than usual i.e. a 6-7 pm tutorial.
you will also have placements (community and hospital), so this will change your timetables as well, but the course staff should let you know about that in advance.

i can say a lot more, but i wanted to ask if you wanted to know anything else in particular?

also i’m an international student doing ap chemistry instead of a level chemistry. i’ve researched the differences and a level chemistry includes a good chunk of organic chemistry while ap chem does not. is a good knowledge of org chem necessary before starting the course or is it something they kind of go over in first year?

Which country are you from if you don’t mind me asking?

Hiii!, I have also applied for MPharm at UoB but still havent heard anything, which is stressing me out. Can you let me know how your interview went?!

ok thats great! thank you

Hey my interview actually went quite well and i received an offer, just be prepared for questions like why pharmacy, skills you have, work experience.

How long did you have to wait to receive your offer

2 days

hey isma! congrats on your place on the MPharm course at UoB!
i'm jodie, a 2nd year MPharm student at UoB, and would love to help answer some of ur questions! (if u see me around in med school, deffo come up to me and say hi )
in approaching the course, it may feel a lot different to college/sixth form in terms of the workload, type and structure of assignments, and the way the content is taught by lecturers/professors.
for the first point (workload), first year content is not as heavy, but it definitely is quite intense, only if and when you do not stay on top of your work. if you are a crammer (like me haha) it may get very stressful, so i would advise to try your best to finish your notes from a lecture and finish assignments as soon as you can! it really makes a difference and ensures that the quality of your work doesn't reduce (especially when you're trying to get those references on your essays done literally the night before the deadline🥲).
on the topic of types of work you will get might be quite different to what you've known: essays, lab reports, practical assessments. with essays, you will need to understand how important referencing and plagiarism is to university. i find it helpful to make a reference table to keep track of which websites/books/videos i've referred to and allows for me to implement literary criticism + critiquing the articles that i want to include in my references.
also, because the work is extremely independent at uni, USE YOUR RESOURCES! the lecturers and your module leads are there to help you (and are getting paid to do so lol). they are more than happy to answer your questions, so pop them an email or speak to them after the lecture if you have a question; building that rapport with them also helps you in the long run since you'll be more comfortable approaching them. during the lecture, your teacher will appreciate that you want to know more, and even some of your fellow coursemates are gonna appreciate it a lot more because you're gonna be asking questions on things they were confused about🤣. also, wider reading (even though most of us don't do it), it really helps deepen and even clarify some things you have already learned (and your lecturers will love you when you do).
and something i want to add: Small Group Teachings (SGTs) are gonna be your best friend! they are so useful because you will be able to clarify everything you will need to know for exams and assignments, so i would encourage you to attend all of those teachings, and it is another perfect opportunity to ask questions if you have any
your timetable will not be as consistent as other courses, so try not to compare to theirs. for first year, it will generally look like a 9-5, but this will vary with some gaps and time for you to have a break in between lectures e.g. a lecture at 9-10 am then not another lecture until 3-4 pm. there are also some lectures which may end later than usual i.e. a 6-7 pm tutorial.
you will also have placements (community and hospital), so this will change your timetables as well, but the course staff should let you know about that in advance.
i can say a lot more, but i wanted to ask if you wanted to know anything else in particular?

Hiii!, I have also applied for MPharm at UoB but still havent heard anything, which is stressing me out. Can you let me know how your interview went?!

Hey! Im a year 13 student and have applied for Mpharm at UOB and have my interview next week. Any tips on what to expect and how to prepare. Would be very helpful as UOB is my first option!!

hey isma! congrats on your place on the MPharm course at UoB!
i'm jodie, a 2nd year MPharm student at UoB, and would love to help answer some of ur questions! (if u see me around in med school, deffo come up to me and say hi )
in approaching the course, it may feel a lot different to college/sixth form in terms of the workload, type and structure of assignments, and the way the content is taught by lecturers/professors.
for the first point (workload), first year content is not as heavy, but it definitely is quite intense, only if and when you do not stay on top of your work. if you are a crammer (like me haha) it may get very stressful, so i would advise to try your best to finish your notes from a lecture and finish assignments as soon as you can! it really makes a difference and ensures that the quality of your work doesn't reduce (especially when you're trying to get those references on your essays done literally the night before the deadline🥲).
on the topic of types of work you will get might be quite different to what you've known: essays, lab reports, practical assessments. with essays, you will need to understand how important referencing and plagiarism is to university. i find it helpful to make a reference table to keep track of which websites/books/videos i've referred to and allows for me to implement literary criticism + critiquing the articles that i want to include in my references.
also, because the work is extremely independent at uni, USE YOUR RESOURCES! the lecturers and your module leads are there to help you (and are getting paid to do so lol). they are more than happy to answer your questions, so pop them an email or speak to them after the lecture if you have a question; building that rapport with them also helps you in the long run since you'll be more comfortable approaching them. during the lecture, your teacher will appreciate that you want to know more, and even some of your fellow coursemates are gonna appreciate it a lot more because you're gonna be asking questions on things they were confused about🤣. also, wider reading (even though most of us don't do it), it really helps deepen and even clarify some things you have already learned (and your lecturers will love you when you do).
and something i want to add: Small Group Teachings (SGTs) are gonna be your best friend! they are so useful because you will be able to clarify everything you will need to know for exams and assignments, so i would encourage you to attend all of those teachings, and it is another perfect opportunity to ask questions if you have any
your timetable will not be as consistent as other courses, so try not to compare to theirs. for first year, it will generally look like a 9-5, but this will vary with some gaps and time for you to have a break in between lectures e.g. a lecture at 9-10 am then not another lecture until 3-4 pm. there are also some lectures which may end later than usual i.e. a 6-7 pm tutorial.
you will also have placements (community and hospital), so this will change your timetables as well, but the course staff should let you know about that in advance.
i can say a lot more, but i wanted to ask if you wanted to know anything else in particular?

hi , i was wondering if UOB accept students onto pharmacy who have a medicine personal statement .

what did u get in ur gcse and predicted a levels

where do most mpharm students stay in 1st yr? i've heard the vale is popular generally but seems quite far from the med schoool.

i’m applying to uob for pharmacy as well, i’m wondering if it’s feasible to have a part-time job while being on the course? and what is the exam structure like?