A schoolteacher inspired me
I had a really good chemistry teacher at school, who was a chemical engineer before going into teaching. Hearing about her work at an oil rig facility piqued my interest, and I thought I’d like to do something similar. Doing this degree has solidified my career plans – I’m aiming to go into the oil or nuclear industry when I graduate.
The degree has the right focus for me
In similar courses at other universities, the early part of the degree is very broad across all areas of engineering. I chose Southampton because there is a greater focus on chemistry and it includes a lot of practical lab work, which is a huge bonus for me.
I’m enjoying hands-on lab work
Working in the chemistry and chemical engineering labs has been a great experience. I’ve learned how to use instruments that are commonly used in industry, like nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for identification of molecules.
In the third and fourth years we have a dedicated lab with lots of equipment, and we have our own specific computers that run industry-standard chemical engineering modelling software.
You get a taste of industry
We have lots of industry guest speakers, and for our main group project in the third year we are working on projects with representatives from companies, including big energy companies like Exxon Mobil.
There’s also a virtual control room set up with control panels and alarms, where you get the experience of fixing problems as if you were in a factory control room.
It all helps us to build connections with industry, and gives us practice in developing and running chemical engineering processes.
Student societies boosted my confidence
Getting involved in student societies is a great way to meet new people and progress your skills through your hobbies.
I’ve really enjoyed my role as the social secretary of the Chemical Engineering Society. We organise field trips to industrial sites, as well as fun team-building events. I also joined the Art Society – I really like the vibe and it’s good to do something that’s different to my studies.
I was a much quieter person when I started university; being involved in societies has definitely helped me become more confident and outgoing.
