What is it like doing chem vs natural sciences at uni?

Natural Sciences is different at each Uni - its a multi-science program so it depends on the science subjects taught at that Uni and how flexible their program is. For example, you can include Pharmacology at Bath, and also access Management units - at other Unis you can include Environmental Science, Earth Sciences, Anthropology etc.

As you are in Year 12, you should plan on going to some Open Days in May/June to check out these differences - and you can have a look at Chemistry at the same Unis at the same time. There will be subject presentations at each, and you get a chance to ask questions, and chat to current students etc.

Hello, I'm in year 12 taking physics, chemistry, maths and further maths and I'm struggling to decide what I want to do in the future and I'm becoming quite stressed as my teachers keep pressuring me to make a decision which I guess is fair because I need to start doing work experience soon but I'm just really stuck.
I used to really enjoy maths but I'm not sure if it's because I do so much maths now but I've grown to find maths tiring and I'm finding chemistry much more enjoyable.
I was just wondering if anyone could give some advice on what it's like to do chemistry at uni because I'm assuming it's a lot of lab work and altho I don't mind that, I do prefer the theory so I was wondering if someone could provide an average ratio of how much practical work there is compared to theory or just a general overview of how the courses usually work. I know it's diff for every uni... I was also considering natural sciences but again I'm not really sure how that works - I'm assuming it's much more varied and open which I feel might be best for me in case I develop new interests?
I know I haven't really asked any clear questions but just any advice on what either natural sciences or chemistry is like at uni and maybe which unis offer the best chem courses would be helpful!

Hey!

I’m Oliver and am currently a fourth year in natural sciences at Lancaster, I'm actually studying synthetic chemistry and biochemistry pathways so can give a pretty good comparison between natural sciences and my friends who take chemistry.

I'll start by giving a brief overview of what natural sciences is. Natural sciences is definitely one of the most flexible degrees out there as you can basically study modules across two or three different departments. At Lancaster, in first year, you will choose three pathways from across all branches of chemistry, physics, maths, biology, geography and psychology, just to name a few. You can choose two pathways in the same subject and one from another or three pathways from three completely different subjects. Each university will do pathways slightly differently and a have a varied range of possible combinations so definitely check that out on the relevant websites. The full list of pathways and entry requirements for Lancaster can be found here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/natural-sciences/
I know there is also there is also the option to take a non science subject as your third pathway and throughout your degree 25% of your credits can be in a non science subject.

There is also the option to alter you pathway choices as you progress through your degree. For me this was extremely valuable as I was able to drop my physical chemistry pathway after first year to allow for a greater focus on biochemistry.
You study alongside the single honours students, you get to meet so many people from all the different departments.

This also means that there is no difference in the content you learn in each module when compared to the the single honours students. The main difference is in the modules you choose. While chemistry students will have to take modules from all aspects of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry, with natural sciences, if some of these modules don't appeal, you can study different modules from another department (such as biology or maths) instead.

In terms of what it's like to study chemistry. In first year you will typically have around 9 lectures, 2-3 workshops and 1-2 tutorials each week along with a full day in the lab. Workshops are classroom type sessions with around 20 people where you work through a problem sheet together while tutorials are similar but in much smaller groups of around 5-6 people. Assessments typically include similar problem sheets along with lab reports based on the practical sessions. As you move thorough the degree, there is slightly less lectures and workshops and a slightly greater focus on labs. For example, in final year you will carry out a research project where around half you week will be in the lab.

Hope that is helpful and best of luck with your decision 😊 Feel free to ask me any other questions if you have any

Oliver (Student Ambassador)

Bear in mind that you don't need to have chemistry or any real science work experience to apply and get into top universities. It's very rare to get this kind of work experience as most pharmaceutical companies aren't going to let a sixth former with no training go anywhere near a lab and handle dangerous chemicals, mainly due to the obvious health and safety implications but also due to the fact that such a person wouldn't be covered by accident insurance as they're not an employee of the company. The most you could probably do is shadow a scientist for a week but it's important to reiterate that absolutely no UK university (not even Oxbridge) expects you to have this kind of work experience and having it won't give your application any real advantage. In regards to ratio of labs to theory, there's always far more theory in every kind of science degree, the bulk of your time will be spent attending lectures, tutorials, self-studying and so on. In a chemistry degree you will typically have 3 lab modules a year: organic, inorganic and physical. The labs for physical are typically quite short and not very ''labby'' whereas for organic it's not uncommon to have weekly or biweekly sessions of 4 hour (or more) labs for the duration of the module. Inorganic labs are generally more like organic than physical, but they don't last as long nor do they typically require as many purification techniques. As you specialise your lab hours will generally increase quite a bit if you end up on the organic side of things and on the flipside, lab hours will virtually disappear if you go down the path of physical chemistry, it's a running joke that students who specialise in physical chemistry just go into the ''lab'' to input a few numbers and then let a simulation run all night. A chemistry degree is typically for someone who already knows that chemistry is their favourite subject whereas natural sciences is generally depicted as a degree for someone who isn't completely sold on any just yet and wants to be exposed to a greater variety of science and science-related modules before committing to a more specialised stream.