A word from the ChemSoc President

Student experience 16th February 2018

I arrived at The University of Manchester’s School of Chemistry, just two short weeks after my 18^th Birthday, in September 2014. Young and incredibly naïve, part of me imagined that my time at university would be just a continuation of sixth form; relatively uneventful and merely another stepping stone to the big wide world of work. University for me however has been an incredible – albeit challenging at times – experience. In these four years, I’ve developed a passion for inorganic chemistry, made life-long friends as well as having battled and beaten depression.

I’m Tom Bailey, ChemSoc president for 2017/2018, and I’m in my third year of an MChem degree. As previously stated, my favourite type of chemistry is inorganic and my project enables me to develop this interest further. Myself, with three other students, are currently researching the ability of chromium-zinc metallacrowns to sequester various cations. As a culmination of all the training received in the first two years of study, it is really exciting to be able to conduct research that hasn’t even been published in a journal yet.

Can you tell us about your course? What is the best thing about it?

This course teaches you about the fundamentals that underpin chemistry; ranging from quantum mechanics to chemistry on the macroscale, the variety of courses truly enables you to develop curiosity in a specific field. Studying chemistry at the University of Manchester strikes a harmonic balance between lectures, tutorials and labs thus developing organisational and time managements skills essential for both university as well as future careers. Along with these skills, the best part of the course has to be labs. By third year you are expected to be a fully trained scientist; the independence that comes from this expectation can be both daunting and exciting, but allows you to accurately experience what a career in the lab would really be like.

How is the School of Chemistry helping you through your studies?

University can sometimes be tough, and often students attempt to struggle through alone. The School of Chemistry has always been the first port of call if I was ever struggling, many members of staff can give great advice. Weekly tutorials with members of academic staff are also extremely useful for reinforcing the lecture materials and answering any questions that may have arisen in the week.

What about the facilities? What do you use as part of your course?

The facilities in the Chemistry building are world-class. Regularly in labs, students have opportunity to use a 300 MHz NMR machine for routine analysis, as well as IR and HPLC. Students being trained to be proficient in these techniques is a key aim of the school. Access to X-ray Crystallography and Elemental analysis gives students the opportunity to analyse compounds to the best of their ability.

Do you have any tips for anyone thinking about going to university or studying chemistry?

Whilst getting a chemistry degree is of course your primary aim, take every experience in your stride. Your time at university will be a completely unique time of your life. No longer constrained by full days of school lessons, and not yet slugging away 9-5 for your career, university is in its own little bubble. Meet people and try new things, perhaps join another society other than ChemSoc! By also fully realising that only you can motivate yourself to attend lectures & get good grades is key to the university experience.

How did you decide to get involved with ChemSoc? What’s the best thing about being President?

I applied to become president of ChemSoc for two primary reasons: firstly, I came to the realisation that I wasn’t very involved in my own course and secondly, I believed that I could try and improve ChemSoc to make it more accessible and appealing to all students. After the initial thrill of being called el Presidente by those closest to me, the best part of being president of ChemSoc is getting to meet different academics and exploring their different fields of research. I have also really enjoyed doing the graphics and branding of ChemSoc and will soon be looking for someone to pass the baton to.

Can you tell us about your interests? What’s on the horizon for you? What do you hope to do after University?

My interests include cycling and running and I have recently rediscovered my skill at Mario Kart Wii. In my spare time, I like to go out, and with Manchester providing plenty of music venues and clubs students are spoiled for choice; I personally would recommend seasonal events such as Warehouse project & Parklife. I’ve also managed to perfect the balance between spending time with my friends, and binging Netflix. University truly teaches you key life skills.

Post-university, I’ve discovered that a chemistry degree will open a lot of potential different career paths for me, mostly because of the vast amount of transferable skills I’ve obtained through my time here at the School of Chemistry. Currently though, I’m looking at analytical consultancy/market analyst jobs for when I graduate in Summer 2018.

That’s all from me, and as ChemSoc president I want to wish current and potential students all the best of luck in their studies and lives at the University of Manchester. May the School of Chemistry become as fundamental to your university life as it has mine!

Stay up to date with UoM ChemSoc on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram