April 22, 2020, by Tom T

Get the lowdown on studying chemical and environmental engineering

More days than I would like, I find myself rushing for my 9am class with only 15 minutes to spare. I hope your time management skills are better than mine because it’s easy to go through the motions – rushing to back-to-back classes, course works and studying – without taking a breather. I’m still trying to balance it but, I’ve been exploring the NU SOCIETY page recently and I attempted to attend my first dance class.

The first few weeks are crazy, fun and sometimes overwhelming but there are tools in place to help; one of them is the personal tutor system. Our department provides you with not just academic but emotional support systems throughout your journey. I jokingly tell my folks back home that the system is rigged for me to succeed. Take advantage of it.

I won’t sugar coat this, the first term was hard and I needed every support I could get. I was millions of miles away from family and I battled with being homesick and trying to get work done. My new friends helped with that. There are lots of events during the first few weeks and we attended a fair amount of them. The engineering dinner, movie nights, all made for good distractions.  But what could not be put off was school work.

Our department is no joke, we won’t have remained among the top 5 in the UK (the Guardian University Guide) for years running if we were. So buckle up and get ready. You’ll be fine though, there is never a boring class (not for me at least), the way theory is woven into state-of-the-art practices by our industry experienced lecturers is simply beautiful. I’m smiling just thinking of it. UoN Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department will make an engineer out of you.

Late nights will become a norm as coursework deadlines draw close. My not so favorite module had me spending them in Coates Design Studio but my group members make it fun. We’ve had deep conversations, getting to know one another’s culture and beliefs, over late dinners and impromptu karaoke sessions all while tackling a project (talk about multi-tasking).  Remember that room, trust me it will become your second home and if you’re like me you’ll develop a love-hate relationship with it (mostly love I hope).

My transition into life in UON Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department did not come without its hurdles but I was gently guided through it and so will you.

UoN can’t wait to have you. Alright soon-to-be-engineer, are you ready?

Read more about chemical and environmental engineering at the University of Nottingham

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