“Join as many societies and get as involved as possible in the first year.”
Edward Walker
Course: MEng Chemical Engineering (fourth year)
“The campus, the size of the city and the facilities in the Faculty of Engineering all helped convince me to apply to Nottingham. It was clear the University was very engineering-focused and on the open day, the admissions tutor was enthusiastic about the course.
Now, I can’t imagine doing any other course because it’s really suited me. It’s mentally stimulating and challenging and includes a good balance of maths and science. The structure of the course means you have time to work independently and the facilities are really good, particularly the computers and the specialist software. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of problems during my time here.
One of my favourite modules has been Process Simulation – a computing module that gave us the opportunity to use lots of different software. I also enjoyed the year-long Research and Development Project as we were given free rein to take the project in whichever direction we thought best. I focused on microwave research, extracting lavender oil from the plant.I’m a member of the Chemical Engineering Society and have been on the committee for the past two years. We arrange social events like quizzes, bowling and an annual ball, and also organise a team for the Frank Morton Games, which is an inter-university event.
In my first year, I lived in catered halls on University Park which was a fantastic experience because I got to meet so many people. The socials, such as formal dinners, helped me with this.In the future, I’d like to go into engineering contracting – that is, the design and manufacture of the chemical plants themselves. The University arranges lots of career presentations by companies like Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Foster Wheeler, who I’d like to work for.”