Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé

In the heart of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, surrounded by bustling student life and the city's vibrant energy, Maddie has found her perfect course. A recent graduate of NTU's BSc (Hons) Chemistry sandwich course, Maddie path to becoming a science educator was paved with challenges, discoveries, and a deep-seated passion for learning and teaching.

Her interest for chemistry began in secondary school, inspired by a teacher and solidified during the gap year where she witnessed the crucial role of chemistry during the Covid-19 pandemic. These experiences led her to pursue studies at NTU.

Maddie: I have always enjoyed chemistry, partly due to having a passionate teacher at secondary school. After taking a gap year where I saw the need for chemistry, especially during the COVID pandemic, I decided that Chemistry was a great degree to choose. The course at NTU appealed to me due to their advanced facilities and the ability to pick and choose modules, which you were interested in. This allowed the course to be personalised to suit your passions.

Maddie began University during pandemic. The online learning resulting from pandemic has presented some hurdles, but it also opened doors to new friendships:

Maddie: I think going to university whilst the COVID pandemic was still ongoing was a definite challenge as our learning was online. However, the exciting part for me was meeting new people and being able to join sports teams.

When asked about the course experience, Maddie praised the weekly laboratory sessions at NTU, where she honed the skills which allowed her to dive deeper into the subject:

Maddie: I am so glad I chose the course at NTU. First year enabled me to find my feet and we explored a wide variety of content from learning python to environmental chemistry. I loved all the laboratories and the fact you have at least one a week; I think this is my favourite aspect of the course as they taught me so many new skills and allowed me to explore such interesting aspects of the course. The option to choose specific modules was brilliant, I thoroughly enjoyed my pharmaceutical module in the second year as well as my CELS module in final year.

The subject also introduced her to unexpected realisations..

Maddie: I never thought I would say this but Quantum Mechanics, so fascinating, don’t let the maths put you off!

Maddie took couple of placements through NTU. One of them was working in oncology department at Leicester Royal Infirmary where she learnt about cancer treatment. Taking additional module on the course had also enabled her teaching at a special educational needs school:

Maddie: After my second year, I secured a placement at Leicester Royal Infirmary in the oncology department as an assistant project manager. I chose this placement as I was interested in learning more about cancer treatment and the medicine behind it. During this placement, I worked primarily with the oncology pharmacists and aseptic labs doing various daily and monthly tasks and numerous audits to help improve treatment. As part of the placement, I also worked with clinical trials and was able to shadow in departments such as the stem cell labs.

In my final year of university, I chose to take the CELS module which involved a placement in a school. The RSC  (The Royal Society of Chemistry) organised with the charity ‘Ignite’ for me to go into a special educational needs school for my placement. During this placement, I planned and carried out science lessons with the students and at the end of the placement we attended the Science Festival at Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé City Council House. I would definitely recommend students to take this module as it was so worthwhile and I developed so many new skills.

Securing placement through NTU was quite simple:

Maddie: I used the website in place provided by NTU to secure my placement in the hospital.

“The placement was intense, but it improved my Excel and mathematical skills. I was thrown into a situation where I had to be independent and use my initiative, which was incredibly valuable." – Maddie shares:

Maddie: At the hospital one of my favourite parts was the work I did for the clinical trials as I got to read through the trial from start to finish, so I learnt the process of going about this. The placement improved my excel skills which was great for my degree as well as my mathematical skills. Also I felt more confident in myself and the organisation aspect set me up so well for my final year.

Working in the NHS was a challenge, as would be expected. In addition to this, I had an absent line manager, however, I think this allowed me to develop more as I had to be extremely independent and use my own initiative to complete my tasks. The lows of the placement made me more resilient as a person and in interviews I have so much to talk about.

Maddie found that both of the placements prepared her for future careers. While the hospital environment was not for her, her experiences in schools confirmed her passion for teaching, especially with SEND students (students with special educational needs and disabilities):

Maddie: The big lesson for me was that skills are transferable. Even though my roles were different, I found that skills like time management, organization, and teamwork were valuable across all of them.

Through the experience of doing placements, I have been able to consider different career paths, which has helped me gain clarity on my future goals. While working in a hospital environment didn't quite fit for me, I found it to be too upsetting, the schools taught me that I love teaching especially SEND students and therefore, it is something I want to do in the future.

I learned so much from the people I worked with. All my roles allowed me to have a positive impact on people’s lives which was so rewarding. This is what I want from a future career. In addition to this, I created a great network of friends and contacts. I was also able to inspire my fellow students in their first year to take placement by giving a talk on "Be Inspired by Placements" event.

We asked what advice would she give to students that would like to follow similar path..

Maddie: You will get out of it what you put in. This is so important. If you want something out of the experience, you must be proactive and ask. There were so many things on my placements that people hadn’t done before, but because I expressed my interest, I was able to have experiences such as working in stem cell labs and spending time in the haematology department. Most importantly, if you don’t enjoy the whole placement, that's okay. On placement, you can learn a lot about yourself and the type of career you will enjoy in the future. My placement year was the hardest year of my life, but it was also the most important year in terms of personal development.

As a student at NTU, each year you have a personal tutor to support you. Maddie found it particularly useful before her placement year:

Maddie: Throughout my placements and study the support on hand has been exceptional. Each year you are assigned a personal tutor, and you can have meetings with them. I found this highly useful in my second year as they helped me practice my interview skills. Also during my placement, I was assigned a placement advisor who called me ever few months to check how everything was going.

In her free time, Maddie enjoys playing sports and being part of the NTU concert band:

Maddie: I love playing sports I joined NTU hockey BUCS and the intermural netball team. In final year I joined the NTU concert band as I play the flute and piano.

Maddie also visited couple of ski resorts in France, organised by the Snow Sports Society at Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé (NTU):

Maddie:  I also went on the ski trip organized by the Snow Sports Society, and you don't have to be a member of the society to join. I went with a group of friends, but it's not necessary because many people from NTU go, so it's a great opportunity to meet new people. There's a range of beginners to advanced skiers, so even if you've never skied before, you should still consider it. Many of my friends learned to ski on the first trip and loved it! I went in my second year and in my final year, and both trips were to Val Thorens, but the location changes every year. Lots of other universities go at the same time, so it's a great student trip for skiing and après-ski! Both times I went were just before Christmas, and it was a nice break and something to look forward to after studying hard. I highly recommend this experience as it brings friends closer together and has given me memories that I will treasure forever.

We asked what she'd like to do after uni:

After graduation, I will start my SCITT with Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈéshire Torch SCITT to gain my qualified teaching status as a science teacher.

She recommends to check out few places when you're here and describes city of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé as

Maddie:  Student friendly, lively and welcoming! You should definitely visit Wollaton Park and Hall, Depot Climbing Centre, West Bridgford area and Whistle and Flute.

You can follow Maddie's journey beyond her studies on LinkedIn:

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