best uni for biochem???

I have offers from warwick , york, bristol , bath and Birmingham which uni is best for biochemistry?? I have looked at uni rankings but they differ so much so i’m not sure. Feel free to leave input 🙏

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post by planteater27

I have offers from warwick , york, bristol , bath and Birmingham which uni is best for biochemistry?? I have looked at uni rankings but they differ so much so i’m not sure. Feel free to leave input 🙏

What does the word "best" mean to you in this context? What are your criteria?

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

17

Original post by planteater27

I have offers from warwick , york, bristol , bath and Birmingham which uni is best for biochemistry?? I have looked at uni rankings but they differ so much so i’m not sure. Feel free to leave input 🙏

Hi @planteater27

Aside from deciding which university is subjectively "best", I'd recommend reading through the core and optional modules for each degree, to see what modules you'll be required to take and if any of your areas of interest are covered in more detail in an optional module. Despite all the degrees being called "biochemistry", they will cover slightly different areas outside of core principles. I chose Lancaster because I could tailor my degree to choose less clinical biochemistry and human body study, and more analytical chemistry and molecular biology.

Look into the department and see what support they offer. How much of the course is practical based? Is there a good careers team who can provide advice for applying to internships/placements and graduate opportunities? Is there an internship scheme in place?

I'd also recommend looking at what research the bioscience department does at each university. Usually each university will have certain research themes which they focus on (e.g. at Lancaster our department focusses on Ageing and Neurosciences, Cancer Biology and Genome Stability, and Parasitology and Microbiology). These research themes might affect internships available at the university and final year research projects (depending on university curriculum). It shouldn't be a make-or-break piece of information - but if you have a specific area of biochemistry you love it might be worth a quick look!

Finally, I truly believe that the "vibe" of a university is key. I think it's really important to go visit a university, or watch virtual tours and vlogs. Picture yourself living there for 3+ years. In the end, university choice is personal - I can't really think that your future opportunities would be limited by choosing any of those 5 universities.

Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 3

planteater27

OP

6

Original post by DataVenia

What does the word "best" mean to you in this context? What are your criteria?

as in if an employer looked at these unis would they have strong preference towards one of them

Reply 4

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by planteater27

as in if an employer looked at these unis would they have strong preference towards one of them

What kind of employer, for what kind of role? A lab tech role at a university? An investment banking analyst role at a bulge-bracket bank? A project manager role at a pharma company? All might have different perspectives on such matters.

The world is not so black and white as you seem to think, that you can just pick a "good" university and therefore tick the right box to get interviewed on that basis alone. Realistically most employers aren't making decisions based on what university you attended. This is largely limited to investment banking, management consultancy, and possibly some City law firms for graduate schemes in the respective fields - those also represent a very small number of graduate schemes and graduate roles otherwise available.

Realistically for the vast majority of grad schemes they don't care where you studied (or often even what you studied, and what will make the difference is in what you do to make yourself employable during your time at university (whichever university you are at).

Reply 5

McGinger

20

Original post by planteater27

as in if an employer looked at these unis would they have strong preference towards one of them

Employers are not as obsessed about 'which Uni' as school-leavers think.
They dont actually use that as a sift for job applications.

Go to Offer Holder days - look around more critically, ask questions, look at the town/city, and think about where you will feel happiest for the next 3 or 4 years of your life.

Reply 6

LaoiseB

2

I’ve firmed bath for biochem, personally for me Bath bioscience is highly regarded in terms of graduate prospects which is one of the most important factors to me in this climate of employment as well as their strong industry connections and placement years.

Reply 7

University of York

Official Rep

13

Original post by planteater27

I have offers from warwick , york, bristol , bath and Birmingham which uni is best for biochemistry?? I have looked at uni rankings but they differ so much so i’m not sure. Feel free to leave input 🙏

Hi!

Have you visited any of the universities? It can be such a good way to get a feel for each place and see if you can imagine yourself living there! You can also chat to staff and students on offer holder days to find out more about the study side of things 🙂

best uni for biochem???

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