Science?!?

Michh

Thinking of doing science in NUIG next year but haven't fully decided yet! Would anyone recommend it? Or would anyone advise me not to do it? Please help!!

Raging_Ninja

Yeah, sure, its a decent course with a broad spectrum of topics. Not sure about job prospects at the moment, but I think they are fairly decent if you do your degree in the right area.

But, as with most courses, you'll only get out of it what you put into it.

HopieD

Definitely do science but maybe not here... :L

KittyeeTrix

HopieD wrote: »

Definitely do science but maybe not here... :L

It's one thing to answer a thread HopieD but you may want to give the OP a little more information as to why you feel that way:)

lostinstereo

It's great I'm in 1st Science now and I love it. It's gives you a grounding in all sciences and leaves you with loads of options for the future. any specific questions pm me

Squeeonline

graduated last year with biotech. First year is kinda the same for everyone and brings everyone up to a common level. It's basically leaving cert all over again for bio and chem. That was my experience anyway.

Nailz

I have a friend who had done the particular Science on topic here at NUIG a few years ago and he didn't like it, and decided to call it quits and now he's doing BIS with me. Most of his old coursemates with whom he is still friends either found it hard to get a job or have no job at all after receiving their degrees, the latter being the more prominent case apparently. And the reasons for this are the same as what people are saying is a good thing about the course; this being the broad range of subjects involved in the undertaking of this specific course. According to his old coursemates, that is not what employers want in their employees - the allocation of skills over a broad range of science based sectors. What employers are apparently looking for is people who have a vast knowledge regarding one or two specific scientific areas, as to have a specialised workforce, which I can imagine is very particular for such things as science when you consider it's spread across different niche sciences and its importance within modern society.

Therefore, based on what I've been told, I would go with a more specific science course such as Astrophysics or Biotechnology or whatever science you may be interested in rather than what appears to be the most popular science course in the University, commonly called 'Undenominated' Science. Hope this helps!

meeka

Nailz wrote: »

Therefore, based on what I've been told, I would go with a more specific science course such as Astrophysics or Biotechnology or whatever science you may be interested in rather than what appears to be the most popular science course in the University, commonly called 'Undenominated' Science.

Yeah I guess in some senses graduating with the "Undenominated Science" degree may not look as good to an employer as a denominated degree, but generally speaking, all science students (undenominated or otherwise) do specialise to a certain degree. My degree is a denominated course in Physics with Medical Physics and I'm in 4th year now, however I'm taking all the same modules this year as the undenominated science students who decided to specialise in Physics (and also the other denominated Physics degrees e.g. applied physics and astrophysics), except for just one elective course.

I would presume it's sort of similar in Biology/Chemistry courses but I wouldn't know enough to say for sure. OP, overall, it just depends on what you yourself want to go into. I know that in a lot of cases you can transfer to the "denominated" degree from the undenominated science course, provided you've taken the required courses up til then. However if you have a good idea what you'd like to specialise in, by all means apply for the denominated course.

As for career prospects, I can't say for sure yet really. Myself and a couple other people in my class have already been offered post-grads, others haven't applied for anything yet. I think it's safe to say that with any undergraduate science course, these days it will probably be necessary to do some sort of postgraduate education before getting a job.

ftt_frank

Science is a great course, but as a previous poster said, you only get out what you put into it.

With science, it seems to me like a degree isnt enough to obtain a decent job. Out of 26 graduates in physics last year, 19 of us stayed on doing postgrads (h.dips, masters and ph.D.'s).

At the moment there seems to be good opportunities in science, but you need to prove you are capable. If you get a 1st class honours degree, you will have no problem getting postgrad funding/ job opportunities. A 2.1 degree often requires you to show enthusiasm/ integrity aswell to achieve similar prospects. A 2.2 degree is fairly worthless (sorry for being blunt); you will need to get a masters degree and obtain 2.1 to make yourself a competitive candidate. (^^ all from my own experience)

So if you think its in you, aim for a high mark in your degree, chat to lecturers/researchers/staff in your faculty and give a good impression of yourself. Many students in 2nd and 3rd year volunteer to work during the summer (I'll be supervising a 2nd year student this summer) to, again, make contacts and show enthusiasm and integrity.

By the way, dont forget about all the great friends you will make etc etc.