Anton

Why did you want to come to UTCN?

I came to UTCN in year 10 due to an interest in science and engineering which I found to be difficult at my former school due to the teaching of the subjects being bundled into one lesson. This would lead to weeks without having a biology lesson per se.

What did you like about UTCN?

What I specifically liked about UTCN was my need to travel every morning. I feel like this required action every morning helps develop responsibility and maturity within me personally.

Why did you apply to do a BSc in Materials Science at Swansea University?

Often I get asked what materials science is when asked about my course, and to be honest it covers such a vast amount of subjects that interested me, for example, maths, chemistry and physics But it also covers topics such as computer science and statistics. The best way I could sum the course up is that although it focuses on the main core parts of materials science such as studying microstructures and how they form, it also teaches you useful skills which are more of a necessity in today’s engineering world.

After I had chosen my course Swansea was a natural choice of uni. This was down to the beachfront campuses and also the recent development of the bay campus which opened in 2015. As well as this due to me being able to keep my car at uni, allows me to explore the area of south wales as a whole, with myself visiting Pembrokeshire, Tenby and the Brecon beacons all within my first year.

What does an average week look like for you? What do you like about it?

Timetables for me have differed greatly from semester to semester, from me getting 2 days off a week in the first year to now being on campus every day. But a typical week for me at Swansea goes like this:

Monday –

To start Monday off I have a 10 am statistics lecture for an hour followed by an hour-long coding lecture (Python) and then a thermodynamics lecture – also an hour. After this, we have an hour break before a coding pc lab where we can work on our assignments with the supervision of lecturers and masters students. During this break, students may leave if they are happy with their coding assignment or get lunch from one of the on-campus options my favourite being the newly opened subway. Although there is also a Tesco, a burger truck, a canteen and a student union pub the Tafarn Tawe. After this, I have rugby training at 7-8 and that concludes a normal Monday

Tuesday –

Tuesday is a lot of the same with a thermodynamics lecture from 10 am to noon and a lecture looking at crystal structures at 1. Due to the earlier finish, this is when I normally do my weekly shopping.

Wednesday –

Wednesday is the big night for students at Swansea with lectures always finishing at 12 if you have any, and Swansea rugby 1st team normally plays either at home or away in the Bucs super league. Home games get huge crowd turnouts, with the games being played at St Helen’s. As well as this due to the half day, many societies and clubs decide to conduct their activities today. To wrap it up its also student night in Swansea so cheap drinks and full clubs are the norms.

Thursday –

Unfortunately for me, I have a 9 am on Thursday so normally have to cut student night out of my weekly plans so that I’m able to attend. My 9 am is a lecture on semiconductors followed by a coding lecture and after a 2-hour break which is great for catching up on work, I have another semiconductor lecture at 1.

Friday –

Friday for me is one of the best days due to me having a practical lecture in the labs at 9, this can be anything from using the microscopes to look at materials to conducting tensile tests. The data collected from these tests are then used to write our assignments for our earlier thermodynamics lectures. Following this, there is a 2-hour break where if I’m up to date on assignments I’m normally in the student room where there are board games, pool tables and Xbox’s to pass the time until my 2 O’clock lecture on semiconductors

The weekend –

The weekend is when I have the most time so normally I spend it by exploring all that south wales has to offer, this includes trips to Brecon, Caswell bay and rarely Cardiff.

Any tips for students currently studying at UTCN? 

Research your options as soon as you can. This doesn’t mean right now but when you’ve got a chance it’s the best thing to do be it an apprenticeship or doing a degree, researching what that involves and how it would suit you. At the end of the day, the choice of your next steps affects you so trying to find the place where you will work best and enjoy yourself is paramount. So if you’re not sure where to start look at what you enjoy doing and take it from there.