August 16, 2016, by Editor

My first year studying Pharmacy at The University of Nottingham

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This blog has been written by Natalie Wong, an international student from Hong Kong studying MPharm at The University of Nottingham.

Having finished my first year as a pharmacy student at The University of Nottingham, all I could say was that it passed by in a flash. It felt like I was still packing up two large suitcases in my home in Hong Kong, ready for my flight to the UK. But in fact, I was going home.

I remember arriving a few days late after freshers’ week had begun and was constantly worried I’d miss out on all the events that were going on, and that I would never make any friends. Turns out, I was in Nottingham in time for the tour around campus, and made lots of friends here and there by just attending fairs during Welcome Week. The societies fair is always something to look forward to, because it allows you to know more about what societies there are, how they work and just look at sheer number of them; there’s something for everyone!

Sherwood Hall was my allocated catered accommodation, where I had my cosy single study room. Surprisingly, I absolutely loved the food that was being served in halls. Generous portions of meat, fruit and veg were piled onto my tray every single night, an unlimited salad bar along with drinks and to top it all off, delicious pudding (which I always made sure I had enough room for!) They also include vegetarian options and have a variety of themes nights going on almost every week, e.g. American, Mexican, Spanish etc. But what made meals the most enjoyable were the huge dining tables and the people who fill them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a short 5-minute walk to hit the gym, and took 15 minutes to get to the School of Pharmacy, along which you get the gorgeous views of The Downs. With regards to the School of Pharmacy and the course, the timetable was essentially the same as high school. And I wasn’t surprised. Pharmacy is one of the most prestigious courses at The University of Nottingham and it’s only now that I realise why. Even though we were told that our first year’s results didn’t count towards the degree, they started teaching and training us like it was our final year. We had three modules to complete this year along with lab work, workshops, placements and exams, all on top of our lectures.

It may sound like hard work, boring, and endless, but it was all well worth it in the end. I truly felt like lecturers gave all their effort into simplifying concepts, our personal tutors tracked our progress constantly throughout the year and there were infinite resources that were provided to help us along the way.

To cut things short, I had an amazing year! I was completely surrounded by people who supported me in everything I did, and I don’t think I could’ve been in a better place.

Examples of products made during lab classes

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