Y12 Lab/Shadowing Stem Experience UK

I know that unis like Oxbridge or imperial college London love if it if students have lab experience or shadowing experience for students hoping to study science. I am considering either Physics, Chemistry or Material Science at the moment and I'm just wondering if anyone knows of any places that offer these sorts of opportunities relatively close in time and within the UK. Preferably close to Manchester but I can travel. Thanks

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Just do stuff through your school, enter into science fairs (e.g. the Big Bang Fair and similar), stuff like that. Note that's not even necessary and above all especially Oxbridge are extremely aware not all students have the same access to various extracurricular activities so they are not going to privilege someone whose parent is an executive at Pfizer and lets them mess about in one of the research labs there, or who has family connections with multiple advanced degrees who can foist them off onto the lab techs in their department to do some little project or another.

I don't really see "shadowing" experience in a lab as especially useful or productive, you could just as well have used that time to do something to actively engage in your interests such as wider reading (which is accessible in principle for any student) or school based activities and science fairs and such which are somewhat more accessible for most students anyway (although as noted not having done those need not disadvantage you).

Reply 2

Rob Bellic

There isn't much lab shadowing opportunities available for Y12s but there are plenty of work experience options. Local engineering companies would probably have work experience placements that typically involve some degree of Physics, Material science etc.