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Good Universities for Ochem?

so basically, I really like synthetic organic chemistry. does anybody know any universities that are prestigious for synthetic organic chemistry? For reference, I am in year 11, so i still have lots of time to decide on a specific uni. Thanks

Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

@CheeseIsVeg might have some advice about which unis have strengths in that area potentially?

That said bear in mind undergraduate chemistry courses will invariably cover the breadth of chemistry for the majority of the course anyway :smile:

Reply 2

TypicalNerd

Original post

by TL got a BBL

Well, you’d probably need to consider places offering a full chemistry degree as I don’t believe there are many (or even any) universities that offer just (synthetic) organic chemistry at undergraduate level. Postgraduate level, you can find qualifications that are purely organic, however.

I wouldn’t necessarily worry about prestige as such - look at where the universities focus their research and whether those areas are of interest and what the course structures are like. For example, I chose Oxford university for my own chemistry degree as I am very invested in things like catalyst design and inorganic synthesis, which are areas of research at Oxford and the fourth year is dedicated to research in a field of your choosing. That, and the lack of a modular course structure means you get a better understanding of how the various areas of chemistry are interconnected than you would with a degree that segregates everything into individual modules.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

TL got a BBL

Thanks, I understand that undergraduate level is very broad, me mentioning the synthetic organic thing was just random really. But what do you mean prestige doesnt matter much?

Reply 4

TypicalNerd

This day and age, employers tend to care more that you have a (relevant) degree than where you got it from. The universities regarded as prestigious depend an awful lot on who you ask, but the ones that pretty unanimously are regarded as the best tend to be the hardest to get into.

So by all means apply to Oxford (or Cambridge if you want to do natural sciences initially and then specialise into chemistry), Durham, Imperial etc if you find them sufficiently appealing for whatever reason and have the grades to do so, but know that meeting the entry requirements does not guarantee landing a place there and that some of these universities may expect a lot more from you when a student there than other places. Oxford and Cambridge, particularly, given the terms are about 3 weeks shorter than everywhere else.