I wanted to take chemistry because it was a subject I enjoyed at A level, and I chose this course at Nottingham because of the fantastic opportunity it offered to study outside of the UK for a year.

As a chemistry student, I love not being stuck in lectures all day. Labs and practicals are a major part of the course, and, although there are lots of timetabled hours, the course is always good fun. Also, the lecturers are really interested in their subjects and often refer to their research, which adds another dimension to what we study.

A lot of the chemistry facilities have been improved recently and even the foyer is welcoming and modern. In terms of resources, we have access to everything we could possibly want or need.

I spent my international year in Melbourne, Australia, which was an incredible experience. I was able to choose from a number of international universities with strong links to the School of Chemistry. At Melbourne, they understood my course structure, and everything I studied will count towards my final degree qualification.

The year abroad also gave me a fantastic opportunity to travel. Over the three-month Christmas break, I went to various places in Australia and Tasmania and was able to stay with the friends I had made in Melbourne. I even travelled with one friend I met through the International Office who was looking for a travelling companion. I loved every minute of it.

I appreciate the level of academic and pastoral support offered by The University of Nottingham. The personal tutor system means that there is always someone to go to as a first port of call."

More than anything, it was the course that attracted me to Nottingham – it offers a mix of chemistry, pharmacy and biology, which really appealed to me. I was particularly interested in courses offering a year in industry, which mine does.

I visited the University after I had applied and was impressed by the campus – it’s lovely and green. The staff seemed so welcoming and friendly that it confirmed this would be a good place to study. I also liked how close the campus is to Nottingham city centre – it means there is always something to do.

A highlight of my course was spending my year in industry at AstraZeneca in Loughborough. I worked in the medicinal chemistry department where we were making compounds that could potentially be new drugs. I was working in labs all day so I gained a huge amount of experience and improved my practical skills, and I could take advantage of receiving one-to-one supervision. The year in industry confirmed medicinal chemistry was an area I want to pursue. It also helped me secure a postgraduate job, because the company I will be working for only considers candidates with industrial experience.

The facilities here are really up-to-date and while we are working on our fourth-year research project we work with the PhD students, so we have access to a wide range of resources and benefit from their experience.

There are so many societies at Nottingham that it’s really easy to get involved and meet new people. I was a first-year representative for the Chemistry Society, ChemSoc, and in my second year I became treasurer. I organised events including talks by guest lecturers, nights out and pub quizzes. I also took up ballroom and Latin dancing in my first year which was something I hadn’t tried before –Nottingham is definitely the place to try new things.