Year 2 of 4

It's been three months since my summer exams got underway, and it's weird to think that back then I had no idea I'd succeed in finding a placement! This year I studied six 20 credit point units: Neuropharmacology and Neurophysiology for the first half of the year; Pharmacology of Body Systems, Integrative Physiology and Molecular Cell Biology for the second half; and BREES (a.k.a. Biomedical Research, Employability and Enterprise Skills) for the entire year (what a joy that was!).

The Neuro units made for a great start to the year; I was examined in them in January and got 82 in Neurophys and 85 in Neuropharm. By January I had also completed and scored highly in the BREES employability strand, and got 66.6% in the BREES January exam, which required me to write an abstract summarising the main points of a biomedical research paper.

I was less enamoured with my units for the remainder of the year, but I still scored rather well in them, achieving 70 in MCB, 73 in Integrative Phys and 79 in Systems Pharm. The bulk of the BREES workload had to be completed during the final term, including the enterprise group tasks (to which I contributed minimally) and an exam worth 50% of the unit, which assessed our statistical knowledge and abstract writing prowess (again). Somehow I was awarded over 90% in the statistics component and equalled my previous score for the abstract, which contributed to a decent score of 76 for the BREES unit overall. Once the exam board had ratified my marks, I was delighted to be awarded the Pfizer Prize for achieving the highest average mark across all units in the second year. I'm still thinking about what to spend the £75 prize money on…

Now that my blog is up to date, it's time to look to the future. In just over a month, I'll be setting off into the world of academic research, armed with these grades and the knowledge underlying them. I know I say it every year, but I really hope to start writing here more often and to log all the new experiences I have as an MSci placement student.

How I became an MSci student

Two years ago today I gained a place at university for an MSci (Master in Science) degree course including a placement year, which I had to apply and interview for this year. As such, it feels like the perfect time to regale how I found my placement and officially became an MSci student!

Despite having a strong desire to do a placement, I didn't start applying until February this year. My first application was to Janssen in Belgium for an Alzheimer's disease-based project. I took my time writing my application and sent it off at 6:55 pm the day before the deadline. My diligence paid off: I was one of ten candidates selected for a Skype interview! Unfortunately, when the day came, technical issues rendered me invisible to the team in Belgium, but after a shaky start, I tried to make the most of my fifteen minutes voice-to-face with the head of the Neuroscience department. Disappointed, I at least managed to enjoy my first concert of 2016 (Patent Pending) later that day, but two weeks later I found out for sure that I wouldn't be spending my placement year at Janssen.

Thankfully, more opportunities arose in April. I applied for two more placements, one at a biotech company in Oxford and the other based at a university an hour's train ride away. While I heard nothing from the former, the latter invited me for an interview on the 6th of June. It was my first time visiting the city, and I was in awe of the beauty of the university grounds. The interview was a really positive experience, and a few hours later I met the other three candidates for a tour of the neurophysiology labs. I left feeling content, but it still came as a shock when, at 5:41 pm, I received an email offering me the placement!

Last week I had my induction to the university, my accommodation is all booked, and from September I'll be in the lab, trying to understand how epigenetics associated with Alzheimer's disease affects brain cell firing. It still feels like a dream, but soon it'll be reality…

I have a placement!!!!!

I had an interview today for a 10 month placement at a University funded by Alzheimer's Research UK. Half an hour after I arrived home, I received an email saying I had been offered the placement, and duly accepted! It still hasn't sunk in that I'm going to spend the next academic year conducting research into a novel mechanism for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, which could potentially lead to new therapies to slow it's progression - what a great thing to be involved in! Next I have to inform my University (and my friends) that I'll be undertaking a placement year, sort out finance for the year (not to mention accommodation) and inquire about obtaining a Home Office Personal Licence, which although not essential, would be useful for the placement. However, as I've been awake for over 17 hours, my priority right now is to get some sleep!