Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Biochemistry - Warwick, Exeter or Lancaster

73 replies

Delphigirl · 01/05/2021 20:37

Sorry I started this in the wrong section. Will try again!

Need to advise young relative who is at school in uk but lives abroad re uni choices. He has offers for these three unis. Rejected for Ox and imperial. Expects A A A. Hasn’t visited a single uni ever 😱 so am going to take him to Warwick and Lancaster this weekend and will try to get to Exeter next weekend. But I know nothing about biochemistry. Which has best dept? Which do employers prefer? Should I be concerned that Exeter doesn’t have a chemistry undergrad offer? All campus unis so although he may prefer one over the other, he may not. My instinct is that all other things being equal he should go to Warwick (better funded, more prestigious) but is that right?

OP posts:

gwilt · 01/05/2021 20:42

Warwick is awesome.

Disclaimer: I didn't go there and I have no connections.

HoneysuckIejasmine · 01/05/2021 21:02

Warwick is a lovely place but most of the students tend to live in Leamington Spa, which is also nice, or Coventry which is less nice. Just something to think about.

ShanghaiDiva · 01/05/2021 21:12

I think Warwick is regarded as quite prestigious, particularly the business school. It’s a pleasant enough campus with regular buses to Coventry. Travel to leamington can be quite painful when the traffic is heavy and you basically end up staying on campus all day as it takes too long to get there and back. Living in Coventry is more convenient, but leamington is more attractive imo.
My ds is in year 3 at Warwick and has been underwhelmed by how they have managed during the pandemic: online exams have been chaotic with some students unable to download the paper, assessment methods changed etc. This was to be expected in his second year, but they should have got their act together by now.

lilyfire · 01/05/2021 21:25

At Warwick you usually only live out in your second year. First and third on campus. I lived in Leamington which was a nice change.

Original poster

Delphigirl · 01/05/2021 21:45

Thanks everyone - @ShanghaiDiva that’s interesting to know that they haven’t managed the pandemic well at Warwick. Also unusual to have 3rd years back on campus - I will tell him about that, thanks
Does anyone know what biochemistry is like at these places?

OP posts:

HasaDigaEebowai · 01/05/2021 21:49

Lancaster is the best university.

I’m completely biased though. I had an amazing time.

MarchingFrogs · 01/05/2021 22:19

DS1 applied to Warwick for Biochemistry, but in the end decided to go to Birmingham. The facilities at Warwick are good, from what I remember. Biochemistry is based on the Gibbet Hill campus, which is a few minutes' walk (uphill, but pretty) from the main campus.

BCBG · 01/05/2021 22:42

DD is at Lancaster reading Law and I'm not sure but I think @sammyjoanne has a DD studying something similar ans might have more info - it a a fabulous university with a brand new Innovation campus and beats Warwick hands down any day! Right now I'm up in Lancaster having come for DD's birthday and she's out in the City with friends - it's a beautiful campus with a small city five mins down the road.

Original poster

Delphigirl · 01/05/2021 23:31

What’s an innovation campus? Sounds interesting...

OP posts:

Original poster

Delphigirl · 01/05/2021 23:34

Marching Frogs I don’t think he had any advice really when applying for unis, and he can’t really tell me why he has chosen these three compared to others. Do you know if any of them are better for biochemistry than the others? Or should he be looking out for other unis in clearing, assuming he does as well as I think he will?

OP posts:

RandomMess · 01/05/2021 23:50

It's a Health Innovation Campus (plans to extend it by a further 2 stages) focused on the fact we are an aging population and how to change things now. Aim is to
Integrate with business including NHS etc.

There is also Eden North coming to Morecambe so big links to that which again is on the nature and science side.

Badbadbunny · 02/05/2021 08:41

@HasaDigaEebowai

Lancaster is the best university.

I’m completely biased though. I had an amazing time.

I agree, Lancaster has a really good campus, good facilities (both educational and social, with bars, shops, takeaways, etc), large open spaces, lots of woodland, lake, etc.

BUT, it's not handled covid well at all. It's pretty grim at the moment as very few staff/lecturers on campus, entire buildings locked and gathering dust, etc. From what is being said, more of the same in October's return as lecturers being told to stay at home again (unless a practical/lab course, but even F2F for them is still essential only).

Original poster

Delphigirl · 02/05/2021 08:47

Oh god why are lecturers being told to stay away from Sept at Lancaster? That is very worrying... I haven’t heard that other places are saying that. I assumed it would be relatively back to normal with some social distancing remaining. Every adult is mean to be vaccinated by then, so why? Are there financial drivers? Hmmm

OP posts:

Original poster

Delphigirl · 02/05/2021 08:48

Sorry should have tagged you @badbadbunny

OP posts:

RandomMess · 02/05/2021 09:03

@Badbadbunny that's really strange I don't have a student facing role yet we have been told to expect to be on campus from sept although we are moving towards a hybrid WFH/campus model to save office space via hot desking? Also stops campus being as busy too.

ringmybells · 02/05/2021 09:19

You've used the word prestigious yourself..... therefore he should choose Warwick or Exeter because they're in the prestigious Russell Group. Plenty of people will come along now and say it doesn't matter, but it definitely still matters to many people and employers.

PresentingPercy · 02/05/2021 09:19

The Complete University Guide rates these all as top 10 for the subject so I suspect employers really won’t care. If he’s bothered about employability, do any courses have links with employers? That could be a defining issue. Exeter isn’t really seen as a string science university but as this course is highly rated it’s clearly good at this subject. Warwick is more science - don’t know about Lancaster.

They are all campus. They are pretty similar in lots of ways! Not big cities, countryside near, but everything on site if you want to stay there.

Are transport links an issue? Getting home? What about getting to a bigger city from time to time?

PresentingPercy · 02/05/2021 09:21

Lancaster is rated much higher than lots of RG universities for lots of courses. For Biochemistry, Lancaster is highly ranked. As it is in general.

noblegreenk · 02/05/2021 09:23

My friend did biochemistry at Warwick and loved it. She did very well there and also loved the local area.

Billowingbilson · 02/05/2021 09:23

I did my degree and PhD in biochem at Warwick and still hold ties to academic staff there.
It is a lovely university with excellent facilities. Only negative I would say is that it is its own bubble unlike city universities. If you want to go anywhere else it can be quite difficult as they make it difficult for students to bring cats onto campus and it's a bit of a way out.

minniemomo · 02/05/2021 09:32

It's a good university but not suited to everyone. I know 4 young people who have dropped out of Warwick because their support structure isn't good, none were doing biochem. (All have achieved their degrees at other universities so it wasn't lack of ability). Exh lectures there, he likes it.

Exeter is a nicer place to live in my opinion though and a good university, Lancaster is down the scale imho.

He should have a back up plan though as grades may slip, it happens so Lancaster as a reserve would work

Daisysway · 02/05/2021 09:32

Dd doing Biomed at Warwick. The facilities are very good and they have just opened a new large research centre although I don't think the Bio students will use this until Yr3. You may have noticed that quite a few of the Life Science academics at Warwick form part of the government advisory committee on Covid (maybe considered good or bad).

Im terms of handling covid. Warwick did manage f2f tutorials and labs in term 1 and the students are once again doing f2f tutorials and labs now in term 3. There some adjustments to online learning but the Life Sciences department have listened to the students.

Just to give you an example of supporting a student... My dd had labs this week she attended two optional labs on Mon and Tuesday but had a compulsory lab on Thursday, she wasn't well on Thursday morning and the lecturer was not only sympathetic to rearrange the lab to the following afternoon but also took the time to talk to her during the lab because she'd become quite stressed over the situation. Dd was incredibly impressed that senior lecturer showed genuine consideration.

I haven't visited Lancaster but its way up North.. Warwick is more central. We visited Exeter but did not like the city although I appreciate the area has lots to offer like the coast.

MarchingFrogs · 02/05/2021 09:33

they make it difficult for students to bring cats onto campus

Sorry, I know that's a typo, but my first thought was that the ducks have been trained to attack instantly on sighting anything feline...

YourEyesCanBeSoCruel · 02/05/2021 09:36

Lancaster is actually opening up now with plans for face to face teaching from next academic year. Campus is opening up, lots of food places and shops. Staff are starting to work back on the campus and loads of students there as well! Staying away is not the message I have had Biochem is teaching in person in the labs now.

sammyjoanne · 02/05/2021 10:04

@BCBG aww your close, she does a a science. she does physics particle physics and cosmology, but her next door neighbour in her flat does biochemistry and absolutely loves the course. Lancaster has really opened up now and DD has been going to the college bars. There's also plans to have the yearly extravs (mini college festival) this year. DD also been going to the cities bars and restaurants making up for lost time during lockdown.
There is a girl in her flat who parents work in dubai so she lives there and flies over to study at Lancaster.
Lancaster is good for transport routes (think thats one of the reasons why it won international uni of the year 2020) since you can fly to Manchester, then get the train from Manchester to Lancaster city, then the uni bus to campus.

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread