"Manage your time well and speak to lecturers at any time if you have a problem."
Natalie Bird
Age: 21
Course: Chemical Engineering (third year)
“I applied to Nottingham because I knew it had a good academic standard. Then, when I came to visit, I got a really good feeling about it. The people seemed really friendly and the campus is beautiful.
I enjoy my course because it’s challenging. I didn’t want to do just maths or physics or chemistry, and this course combines different elements from them and gives them a practical slant. It teaches you how to apply the knowledge to something useful.
There’s a lot of problem solving and a lot of reward in managing to find a solution. I’ve particularly enjoyed the modules in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, and all the key chemical engineering modules. We spend quite a lot of time in the labs so you get the practical side to the theory and that’s key to understanding it properly.
I’m the president of the ChemEng Society, so I help organise social and sports events. There are football matches every Saturday and an annual sports day which departments from across the country take part in. It’s nice to meet people from other universities and gives a really friendly feel to the Department. Last summer we had our first football match between staff and students, too.
After I graduate, I’d like to go into chemical engineering and work in the food or oil industry. The course helps you develop lots of different skills, though, so you don’t have to go into engineering. It’s been good for my presentation and time management skills because I have to fit in lectures and work. Providing you manage your time well, it’s easy to have a good social life too.”