Blog posts

Getting Involved in Science :)

MSCi Physics

Hello!

If you’re reading this blog you are probably at least vaguely interested in science. However, you are also more than likely of the view that real science is done at high levels by people who are very clever and very well trained (and who you might one day hope to become one of).

These days though, citizen science projects are becoming more widespread, meaning that anyone can take part in a little bit of science for themselves. You might have seen on the BBC’s Stargazing Live programmes recently, that volunteers were asked to head online to help spot gravitational lenses from a bank of astronomical pictures.

Christmas Holidays

MSCi Physics

What award goes to the designers of door knockers?

A no bell prize!

A cracking cracker joke there : )

Since I am back in London tomorrow, here is a rather belated Christmas holidays blog. It is mostly just an excuse to include some photos (my blogs are usually so word-heavy!)

 Like most people’s Christmases it involved much seeing of relatives various, lots of food and, of course, raging about the new Jeeves and Wooster book by the evil Sebastian Faulks. The Physics department have been kind this year, so I got to watch my sister revising for her first set of Biology exams while I was free(eeeeeeee).

Gravity and Entropy

MSCi Physics

Hello! To help you recover from all the New Year’s festivities and to and to procrastinate from the Physics that I am meant to be doing for my course, I thought that today I would write a blog that hopefully explains a Physics mystery. (Cue dramatic music…)

If you’ve read my other blogs, you will know that entropy has been bugging me for a long time, because I can’t think of a satisfactory way to explain it. Even after writing a whole essay basically on that subject, I am not quite sure that I have nailed it. However, thinking about it, there are other concepts that I would struggle to explain, but am sure that I understand well enough, for example energy.

Friends?!

Isobel profile

BSc Biology with a year in Europe

The age old question. How does one acquire friends at university? It was definitely what I worried about the most before I came to Imperial and everyone tells you not to worry and that friendships will just happen but THAT IS NOT HELPFUL. That is obviously the last thing you want to hear when you’re already worried about moving to the busiest city in the UK, possibly thousands of miles away from home, to live with strangers, adjust to being totally independent and also, y’know, obtain a decent degree from an internationally renowned university. So here I’m going to do my best to advise you about the friend-making process at university: 1.

‘I Feel Like a Turkey’

Isobel profile

BSc Biology with a year in Europe

HAPPY 2014! For many of you, this is going to be a year fraught with stress, revising, the occasional tear and maybe an Imperial interview! I’d really like to be able to offer interview tips but I’m a jammy dodger who didn’t have to interview so I’d suggest checking out a few of the other bloggers, as I know some of them have posted about interview technique. The whole process of applying, interviewing and waiting with baited breath for your offer is stressful, drawn out and time consuming but hang in there – your offers will come, and when you’re preparing to go back to London this time next year after your first Imperial Christmas holiday, you’ll look back on this time and wonder why you were so worried in the first place.

Catch up!

Mala Mawkin profile

MBBS Medicine

I haven’t blogged all year so I thought I would have a bit of a catch up (that was definitely funnier in my head). The oven in ground floor kitchen has been fixed! Wahey! In other “new year news” that only I probably care about, my last (“Beyoncé-minded”) post got me up to a total of over 2,500 page views. Shout out to my mum for refreshing the page a few thousand times. A great cup of tea is heading your way.

Of course, a lot of those views were probably accidental clicks. Apologies to those of you that have stumbled onto my blog by accident and are a few seconds away from clicking the “x” button on your top right.

Uni Vacations

Jelle profile

BSc Biochemistry

I’m nearing the end of my first ever uni vacation and I thought I’d share a few thoughts. Clearly you prospective applicants are basing your applications on the quality of the uni vacations.

For one thing, they’re ridiculously long and there’s a lot less build-up. I remember “the week before Christmas break” being a massive thing every year in secondary and elementary school–you’d start counting down the month before and fiiiiinally you’d get your break. The whole school cheers as the last bell rings, etc.

And for what? You get a miserable little week off, maybe two if you’re in a fancy, padded private school or indeed anywhere in civilised Europe, but then you’re back on the treadmill.

Survival Guide for Imperial Girls

Mala Mawkin profile

MBBS Medicine

I joke a lot about the ratio here at Imperial. However, this week I caught up with a friend from Imperial who has given me permission to discuss her story in this blog. We will call this girl Amy for the purpose of the article.

Amy told me about how hard she was finding it adjusting to University life. I agreed with her that it had been quite an adjustment for me too and we chatted about what she was finding quite difficult in particular. She was getting quite down due to all the work and little free time she had. But, in particular, she missed having a central girl group that she could rely on for anything.

Imperial Interview Tips

MSCi Physics

For anyone reading these blogs who has or hopes to get an Imperial interview, I thought I’d share my experience. Mine was obviously for Physics, so I’m not sure how relevant it will be to other subjects, but hopefully hearing about someone else’s experience will help to put your mind a little bit at rest!

In the build-up to it, my Imperial interview seemed like it was going to be the worst, most terrifying thing—ever. It was the first interview I was invited to, and though my school had promised me that they would try and find someone to practice with, I was called before they had a chance, so my preparation consisted of stressing and searching the internet for tips.

An Imperial FAQ

Isobel profile

BSc Biology with a year in Europe

I’M FINALLY AT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS! As absolutely fabulous as it to not have to pay £3 every time I do a wash and experience my mum’s home cooking once more, it’s a bit surreal to sleep in my room and walk around my area again… I know I’ve only been away for ten weeks but it’s almost like everything that came before uni is a bit of a blur… Did I ever really live here?? Anyway, crises aside, I probably won’t have anything exciting to blog about over the festive season (unless you’re interested in biology of organisms and general crying about lab arithmetic) so I thought I would do a fun-filled Imperial Fresher FAQ

Is the Imperial Ratio as bad as people say it is?

Learn more about life at Imperial

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