Chemistry MSci Bristol uni

1.

Generally a chemistry degree involves a bit of everything; maths, physics and sometimes biology as well. I didn't do any of those for my A-levels and I still found the content accessible as the lecturers explain these topics without assuming students have prerequisite knowledge from those A-levels. So I wouldn't worry about not having a physics A-level.

2.

Chemistry has more contact hours than a lot of other degrees which I find is quite rewarding, this includes: lectures, workshops and labs. In Lancaster, first years have about one 4-hour lab a week and when you progress to second year, students will have one 9am-6pm lab per week. It may sound daunting but this allows for a lot of hands-on lab experience which is ideal when applying for chemistry graduate jobs or further education.

3.

While preparing academically is never a bad thing, I wouldn't say it isn't necessary as first year generally revisits A-level content and then goes on to greater depth. For example, in my first year organic chemistry module we first looked at how to draw and name molecules and then learned about the molecular orbital interactions and new concepts.

4.

As you progress in the degree, it may get busier with things you'll have to do. For Lancaster, in first year you would have your lectures and workshops and most modules would ask for some coursework whether that be a worksheet or a lab report. Third years would have more to do such as: group project in labs or presentation to build your teamworking skills and public speaking.
During exam time, it really depends on how you worked throughout the year. For my year we only had summer exams so keeping up with the content throughout meant that I didn't have to stress a lot when it came to exams season. We also had no lectures in the summer term, we had revision sessions with the lecturer of the module to ask questions or go through past papers.