What our students think

You gain a lot of transferrable skills from this degree, mainly, time management, meeting deadlines, revision techniques and team work.

I'm still using chemistry every day. My degree at Southampton gave me the knowledge, training and confidence to push the boundaries of where and how chemistry is used to develop new technologies.

One of my highlights of my time here has been starting my research project. I have access to so many amazing facilities and a lot of independence. I think this is the perfect way to prepare me for a career in chemistry!

A defining feature of this department is the way in which undergraduates are treated as partners in the learning process, with lecturers willing to take feedback and correction from students in a positive fashion.

I completed a summer placement in London at the Institute of Cancer Research after my 2nd year of university, working in the research labs as part of an enzyme trial. I will be going on a 3 month industrial placement at BASF in Germany in summer 2016 to work in their research labs working on fungicides for crops.

My best memory has been working in the research labs in 4th year. I met some really friendly new people and I was able to experience the world of research, which ultimately led to me wanting to further my studies with a PhD in Organic Chemistry.

My favourite part of my time here was the ability to complete a six-month placement at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. It offered a great insight into how chemistry is utilised outside of academia and inspired me to pursue a career in this area.

The work was very rewarding and I enjoyed making a contribution to the manufacture of a globally important medicine.

My studies have not only enabled me to develop a greater depth of understanding in physical, organic and inorganic chemistry but have advanced my practical laboratory, study and independent working skills.

With chemistry, there is a large overlap with maths and the other sciences, so it is always really varied even when just considering core chemistry modules.

I am very grateful for the number of opportunities available at all stages of the degree; from part-time jobs at the University to summer-long internships right across the city. There is so much support for achieving your chosen career path at the end of the degree or for searching for one that suits you.

The highlight of my time here has been my six month placement at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. This allowed me to build on independent project work I began undertaking in my third year, and to experience an entirely new culture and environment as part of my degree.

The best part about studying in Southampton by far was the year in industry part of my course. I got to work as part of a team of real professionals in the Neuroscience department of Janssen Pharmaceutica, Belgium, working on the design and synthesis of drug molecules. This placement showed me just how great working in chemistry is and helped me decide what I wanted to do with my life

I chose MChem Chemistry with a Year Long Placement, as I knew it would allow me to develop lots of new skills, as well as giving me an insight into what industrial chemical research involved. I thoroughly enjoyed my placement and it has confirmed that I would like to pursue a career in the chemical industry, as well as solidifying the area of research I would like to be involved in.

I chose to study at Southampton for its reputation as a great Russell group university. During open days, the academics were very welcoming and the beautiful campus helped swing the favour.

All the lecturers are very professional and helpful. There is lots of learning support in the form of tutorials, workshops and additional problem sets. The staff are very approachable and are always welcoming when you have a question, so I have never had problems with understanding the material.

I was in Caen in northern France researching organo-boron catalysis.

I really liked the course, it has a lot of choice and you can change your direction of your studies if you want.

The combination of the range of content, from both core and optional material, paired with the time you get in a lab environment as an undergraduate really gives you a well-rounded knowledge of the subject.

After my MChem, I’m going to stay on at Southampton and do a PhD in electrochemistry with Professor Andrea Russell

My highlight during my course was my six month placement in New Zealand. It was an amazing experience, I made a lot of new friends and had the opportunity to visit some really beautiful places. I also worked on a very interesting project. The placement was very well organised and I had constant support from Southampton.

During my time at Southampton, I signed up for several placements. They included a summer project at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel with undergraduates from around the world.

I chose Southampton because sailing has always been a big part of my life. It is my favourite sport, and there are some great sailing opportunities on offer here. A highlight was winning the University National Keel Boat Championships, which was a great achievement.

I will be starting a graduate position in Corporate Strategy at Jaguar Land Rover. The fact I was doing an analytical, problem solving focused degree in Chemistry really helped me perform in the assessment centre for this job, as I could draw from my experiences and articulate how these would help me perform in a professional environment.

Chemistry has completely new teaching laboratories which provides me with hands-on experience using up-to-date technologies and analytical methods. The teaching staff are well prepared, teaching is excellent and we are given proper support on trickier parts of the modules.

I chose the placement course since it is always good to gain experience which would be needed for future jobs and this way it was tied in with my degree.

The course here is great; the work is appropriately challenging and the lecturers make an effort to highlight and explain the relevance of the subject material to real life.

I was very impressed by the University, I liked the look of the campus and everyone was very friendly.

Going to University was an amazing experience and I’ll look back on making lots of new friends as well as all the hard work.

I stayed close to home, working for a successful but close-knit company called Vertex Pharmaceuticals near Oxford. They specialise in anticancer therapy and Cystic Fibrosis in a specific subgroup of patients, and have previously revolutionised treatment for Hepatitis B. My interest in this field stemmed from my research project and really complimented the placement.

At the end of my third year, I secured the opportunity to work with NASA at their Ames Research Centre located in Silicon Valley, California. Southampton was extremely supportive with helping me make this placement a reality.

During my fourth year, I worked at Chemtura Organometallics GmbH in Germany. I helped to develop and optimise the synthesis of two compounds used in the production of plastics. Ultimately, the research that I completed whilst in Germany contributed to the expansion of Chemtura’s product portfolio.

My placement was in the University of Auckland and my project involved using electrochemical methods to study red wines.

There are so many likeminded people at university who will build you up and want to see you succeed

On my six-month placement I was able to solve a problem that the organisation I worked at had faced for a number of years.