Stephanie Newland MChem Chemistry, 2012

PhD, Inorganic Chemistry, University of Southampton

Hi, I'm Stephanie Newland and I studied MChem Chemistry within Chemistry at the University of Southampton.

Chemistry gives plenty of opportunities to volunteer and get experience in industry.

I was firstly attracted to Chemistry in Southampton because of its reputation. Southampton has consistently been ranked as one of the country’s top universities for chemistry. But it was during my visit to the University on the open day that I really decided I wanted to go there; the campus had a ‘buzz’ about it and I wanted to be a part of it.

I have really enjoyed studying chemistry so far, the lab sessions have been a particular highlight. The real strength of the department has got to be the support that you are given as an undergraduate. There are workshops every week to make sure you actually understood the lectures and all lecturers are happy to answer any questions we have about the course. There is also support from the older students via the parent mentoring scheme.

Aside from the work, Chemistry gives plenty of opportunities to volunteer and get experience in industry. I have been a part of outreach and the summer school. Outreach involved increasing the enthusiasm of GCSE students to study science by introducing them to practical work. The summer school is a fantastic opportunity to see what it would be like to work in industry. It involves three large pharmaceutical companies hiring us to synthesise and characterise compounds.