Why I chose UoN

While hunting between universities, the University of Nottingham has always been on the top of my list because of its high rankings in the subject. It also provides study abroad programmes, has prestigious staff and is a part of the Russell Group of universities. It also has a wide range of options for my course like BSc pharmaceutical science, Msci pharmaceutical science with or without a year in industry which is the other reason to choose UoN.  I started with my course in September 2020 and have covered 9 modules so far. Some of my favourites are cardiovascular and haematology, infection and immunity and synthesis of complex drugs and because these are the ones in which I performed my best. I struggled in the first few weeks, adjusting within a new country and uni life with academics. With the support of my course mates, my tutor professor Jonathan Ayllot and with my own efforts, I am glad that now I can do things with great interest. There are also study groups which you can join that can help you in your first year. Practical classes are my forever favourite where I already feel like a scientist (decked up in a lab coat and playing with the equipment). In our first year, we also learnt a lot about chemistry and effects of the corticosteroid, DEXAMETHASONE, which was is used in COVID-19 treatment. The course is carried out in a way where we can easily manage with attending the classes, listening to the lectures and taking out time for ourselves.  

What I like doing

I really like booking a study space in the library and listening to my lectures there as, seeing other people being productive motivates me. Listening to the songs and walking around the campus is so refreshing. I go for a walk in the evening with my friends. We sometimes play badminton in the sports centre. Sometimes I VLOG TOO (check it out).  The university also has its own gym (David Ross Gym) which I love going to. The campus is beautiful and huge, there is a deer park nearby which you wouldn’t wanna miss visiting. Journey from being a school-goer to university student is not easy but in the end it’s all worth it.  

I hope you found this post helpful; I am happy to share my opinions on university with you guys. 

GOOD LUCK! 

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Hi

I’m Sarvi and this blog is about why you should join a society and the benefits you can gain from joining societies during your studies at the University of Nottingham.

I study pharmacy and during the 4 years that I’ve been at Nottingham I’ve participated in numerous societies here. These include, IMPACT magazine, dodgeball, being the President of PharmSoc, volunteering with a student run project ‘Working in Tandem’, being a welcome mentor, and running with rec run… it’s fair to say I’ve been ‘involved’.

Sure, managing my time between studying and dedicating my time to out of course responsibilities has been hard, especially when you sprinkle in some personal problems. But the skills, friendships and memories I’ve gained alongside my studies have been astonishing. The fast pace of being a pharmacy student has made it difficult for me to sit down and reflect on what I’ve gained in these 4 years and sometimes I think I require just a whole year to sit down and reflect on everything. BUT I’m going to try and keep it as succinct and interesting as possible so that you can judge things for yourself.

I think the best way to describe the benefits of joining a society can be explained using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Stage one

So, you’re a first year and you begin at the bottom, you must focus on reaching homeostasis, that is you need to learn to survive at university first. Some of us take longer than others and that’s ok.

Stage two

Once you have your food, water and sleep sorted at university, you’re going to reach safety. Here you say hello to your flat mates, your course friends and are semi able to survive on your student loan.

Stage three

You are now READY to move onto stage 3. You’re starting to feel more settled in and you are ready for joining a society. At this point you’re ready to give back to the student community and ready to absorb the amazing experiences which the student union has to offer. It’s basically a level up and from here you can reach your dream self or at least get there more easily.

This is the moment you’re ready to join a society and gain the most from it. You are ready to belong to a student group and you are ready to form amazing new friendships here on out. Joining a society before this might put you off and maybe too much to handle. Through belonging to a society, you begin to grow as an individual in ways you never thought possible.

You will:

• Meet new people and discover new perspectives on life
• Make lifelong friendships and support networks
• Almost always work with a diverse team to achieve goals whether its an article, a dodgeball competition or organizing the PharmSoc ball (these are obviously personal examples)
• Future career? The skills you learn participating in any activity outside of your studies can one day become your career or help shape your career, if not, they will be skills you will be able to offer in any work place
• Find out more about the student union and how it’s run, maybe one day you may decide you want to run for a paid officer position and running an election campaign
• Realise what matters to you when you’re at university

And finally, you make memories which you will never forget. It’s been an amazing journey taking part in lots of different student union activities and I could not be more grateful for all the opportunities and experiences I’ve gained along the way. I hope once you feel settled in to your uni life, you do the same thing also.

Sarvi x

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Choosing a university can be a daunting experience. There is so much to think about and I remember feeling so nervous because it was one of the first major decisions I had to make.

You have to think about the degree you want to study, the accommodation available, societies, and of course making sure it is the right place for you as your chosen home away from home!

Here are the things that helped me make my decision:

• Campus or city university

My first decision was whether I wanted a campus university or city university. A campus university is one where everything is on one site. Nottingham has 4 campuses in the Nottinghamshire area. However the biggest campus is University Park which is where most of the schools are. I wanted to go to a campus university because I liked the idea of having everything close by. After deciding on a campus university, the next decision for me was how far away from home I wanted to be. I knew I didn’t want to go too far from home and so 3 hours was the furthest I was willing to go.

• Courses

It is important to choose the right course as that will massively impact your time at university. It is a good idea to be aware of assessment methods for the duration of your course so you can decide if they suit you your learning style. You can find this information on the prospectus via the university website. Otherwise you can always ask current students at open days or call and ask. In addition, checking the league tables for your course at your chosen university is important too and enables you to make comparisons between other universities.

• Travel abroad opportunities

One of the major selling points of Nottingham were the numerous opportunities to study abroad. Nottingham has 2 campuses abroad. There is one in Semenyih, Malaysia and one in Ningbo, China. Studying abroad for a year was something I planned and hoped to do prior to coming to Nottingham and it is definitely something I would recommend. I would encourage you to do some research into study abroad opportunities at your university, as I think it provides you with such a great experience!

• Societies

The University of Nottingham has over 200 societies so there is bound to be a society that is right for you. Societies are good as they are a social opportunity to make an entirely different group of friends, especially as most societies have a meeting at least once a week. Joining a society can sharpen old skills and help develop new ones. It’s important your university has a diverse range of societies as that gives you more options, which is always best.

• Visit an Open Day

Coming to see the university was what made all the difference for me. When I visited Nottingham for the first time, I really loved the campus and I could picture myself here. I think the most important thing is to go to open days. Most open days are during the summer term. Nottingham’s open day is in June this year. When you come to the open days I would suggest talking to the current students as no one can give you better insight into life as a student than they can.

I hope my advice helps you find your dream university!

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My time working at Minshull Pharmacy in Pilchester has nearly come to an end. I should clarify that Minshull is a simulated pharmacy and Pilchester (affectionately nicknamed Pilly) is a fictional town. Our Pharmacy was focussed on empowering patients to make decisions about their health and building trusting relationships. This is all part of the PLM module to not only help us prepare for summer OSCE exams, but to also give us a taste of community pharmacy.

A normal day in the pharmacy starts at 8:30. The team discuss what tasks need to be completed before the end of the day – the bulk of the day’s workload is to dispense 40 electronic prescriptions. We also allocate training for staff, carry out audits and co-ordinate meetings with our sister pharmacy. The training is very interesting – we had refreshers on medical emergencies, children’s health, and much more.

During opening hours 9:00-16:00, we have a number of simulated patients come into the pharmacy with various requests. This could be as simple as picking up a prescription, buying medicines over the counter or asking for a consultation and advice. We are equipped to provide a chlamydia testing service and do simple physiological tests such as taking blood pressure. Other tasks include responding to emails from the public or Clinical Commissioning Group and taking phone calls. Around lunchtime, our 40 prescriptions are labelled and dispensed, so the pharmacists accurately check the medicines. At the end of the day, we close the pharmacy and pass on to the team what we learnt from our individual flash training.

Our performance is quantified in the form of points, which translate to numbers of patients. There is a friendly competition between 5 pharmacies within Pilchester to assess how your pharmacy is doing based on communication to patients and the quality of advice given. The marks help you identify areas of weakness.

PLM is an all-round great module and actually quite fun. It is rare that at university, you can closely mimic a real life work environment, while being in the safety of simulation. After being employed for 7.5 days, I have had the opportunity to work with a group of hardworking and dedicated peers. The days spent in the pharmacy have a real personal feel because you get to know your team very well and help each other grow, in terms of professional skills and clinical knowledge. The patient contact has been a great experience for OSCE exams and for future practice. Being a pharmacist at Minshull has made me more competent and confident.

Bye Pilly!

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University has definitely kept me very busy and time has flown by. It’s been a good semester with numerous lectures, activities and exams.

Prior to arriving in Malaysia, I was very apprehensive and there was a time period when it felt like the countdown to leaving dragged on; that soon changed and soon I was on a plane flying across the world. Saying goodbye to my family was surreal and even being on the plane it really didn’t sink in that I would be so far away from home. My excitement somehow outweighed my nerves; sitting next to my friend on the plane to Malaysia made the journey a lot easier and settling in wasn’t so bad.

The first few weeks in Malaysia were a breeze, there was a lot of excitement because I was in a new country. I spent time trying to get into a routine, I tried to figure out the different buildings I would have lectures in. Lucky for me, we tend to have our lectures in the same room but whenever there is a change in venue, I am s clueless as the first day. I also tried out the on- campus restaurants, got to know the people on my course; went out for countless meals. The rest of the time I focused on curing my jet lag which so far has been unsuccessful.

I also went to the Batu Caves which is a Hindu Temple in Kuala Lumpur. It was extremely colourful it was an amazing experience and it was lovely to have a first- hand experience of how Hindus practice their faith. The temple had lots of birds and monkeys; the monkeys stole everyones food; they especially liked Rich Tea biscuits. I also went to Genting Highlands, where I went on the Awana Skyway and got to see some amazing views and there was yet another shopping mall. 

It feels a little weird to not be home for Christmas. Kuala Lumpur is very festive with decorations, Pavilion Mall has an amazing Christmas tree and the constant voice of Dean Martin’s ‘Let it snow’ is a welcome irony. However, Christmas just doesn’t feel the same without snow, Christmas markets, waffles, hot chocolate and the yearly disagreements in my home about the colour scheme and decorations we plan to use for the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, Christmas will be different but exciting as I am travelling to Singapore for the festive period.

Booking the trip to Singapore has definitely been a massive motivator this semester as the course can be intense but being in Malaysia has helped me better control my nerves and  I am learning to just deal with each obstacle (exam) as it comes. It is a welcome change; not worrying in advance.

The main reason for me applying to study here was to help me to become more independent both in the course and as an individual. I didn’t think Nottingham could challenge me enough. I thought Malaysia would be a good way to push myself out of my comfort zone. Even though it has just been a semester I have been able to understand myself a little better a few funny ones being that I am not the best with directions and I cannot be trusted with travel plans! 

This semester has been great. I am so thankful for all the new friends I have made, and I am grateful for my family and friends back home who have been an amazing support system.  I am excited for next semester as a few of my friends are coming for the summer semester exchange! It will definitely be exciting to see some familiar faces and to meet new people. The best bit though are the care packages my friends will be bringing!  

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Hey there! My name is Kit. I am 19 years old and I study at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus as a Year 2 MPharm 2+2 student.

During my first year at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, I was fortunate enough to be elected onto PharmNotts (UNM’s Pharmacy Students’ Association) as an assistant event manager. I gained so much experience; hosting events, leading a team and I also sharpened my interpersonal skills, which was particularly useful when liaising with committee members and participants of the events I chaired. With the ending of an academic year signals elections for a new executive committee and I was honoured to be elected as the President of PharmNotts in my second year.

In an instant, my role at PharmNotts changed as the president of a committee I love. I have an amazing team and we collaborate; planning events and activities to improve our student members’ experiences.

I’m currently one semester through my tenure and we’ve rolled out our plan for the academic year. We’re working rapidly to our goals and our events so far have been a success. Our very first event of the year was our annual Orientation Day, where we welcomed our Year 1 juniors and Year 2 exchange students to the Malaysia Campus. Various icebreakers, team-bonding activities and a lunch was planned and the Year 2 seniors decided to join in on the fun and participated in our ‘Epidemic’ session. My personal highlight of the session was how well the teams bonded, there was lots of laughter but some fierce competition which was great to see!

We ended the session with our yearly buddy allocations where the juniors and internationals are paired to a Year 2 senior as a buddy which is more than just a support system but also, hopefully, a lifelong friend!

Nearing the end of semester one, we held a Blood Donation Drive in collaboration with the National Blood Bank Malaysia. Held biannually, this sacred tradition of PharmNotts is where my faith in humanity is reassured. As minuscule as the act may seem it was amazing to see the turnout as countless, selfless individuals came to contribute to the cause and I sincerely hope this tradition remains constant at PharmNotts for future cohorts.

My team and I have been working on a new project as we intended to provide a platform for everyone in the School of Pharmacy to share interesting material. Not only have we revamped the website but also established an annual PharmNotts magazine where pieces of students’ research, professors’ advice, PharmNotts event updates, etc. are featured.

We are nearing the launch date so keep your eyes peeled!

It has been amazing serving our members this semester, but second semester brings lots of excitement too as we have 2 industrial visits to 2 prestigious pharmaceutical manufacturing plants to provide our members insight into industrial pharmacy. In addition, we have our “Fight Cancer: Cancer Awareness Campaign” scheduled to launch mid-March 2019 and lots more.

My involvement in PharmNotts has provided me with so many opportunities and enabled me to improve on myself. My advice would be to ensure you get involved in a society, try your best to put yourself out there, go that extra mile, raise the bars, change the rules and when you can, be of service to those around you too!

“We rise by lifting others.”
Robert Ingersoll

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For anyone new, I am Zeliha, 19 years old and I am in my second year studying Pharmacy at the Malaysia campus. 

As someone who likes to plan every detail, I admit you sometimes just have to experience things yourself and so, there have been a few things that surprised me whilst being in Malaysia.

1. The national language here is Malay; whilst I knew that English was also one of the main languages here, I didn’t expect the English here to be so good. The Malaysians have such good accents and many are multi lingual; making me wish I focused more in my french lessons! I expected a communication barrier, making it difficult to settle in but this has definitely not been the case. Communicating with the general public, has been a lot easier than expected as the country accommodates people like me whose only language is English.
2. Prior to coming to Malaysia, lots of people told me how friendly Malaysians are. Whilst I accepted the statement I severely  underestimated the extent of their friendliness. Settling in course wise, has been really good and it has been a very smooth transition from first year. During first year, I was very lucky to have made good friends who also happened to be course mates and so settling into first year was quite easy and I felt supported. The thought of being away from them initially made me quite reluctant to apply to study at the Malaysia campus and it was the hardest obstacle I had to overcome. I feared I wouldn’t fit in, and wouldn’t have the same support . Contrary to my fears, I have met a diverse group of people, and really pushed myself out of my comfort zone; I even picked up an old hobby of dance. I have managed to find ‘study buddies’ and the buddy system (a Malaysian course-mate is partnered up with a mobility student) guarantees you have at least one friend! The classes are a lot smaller than it is on the Nottingham campus which has made it easier to get to know every individual on my course.
3. My favourite season is winter so I was worried about the heat and humidity in Malaysia. However, everywhere is air- conditioned and I often forget it’s hot outside but that doesn’t last for long. It rains often and it is unexpected. The rain here is intense and there is sometimes thunder and lightning; putting my home city of Manchester (the rainy city) to shame. Coming here in first semester has definitely helped me adjust to the weather as second semester is said to be a lot hotter. The weather really makes university feel like an extended summer holiday and the sun is meant to make people happier right?!
4. Eating out in the UK for me has always been a way to celebrate something (post exam meal, a birthday or a way to catch up with friends). However, eating out here is quite common and casual. No matter the day or week, there is always a new delicacy to try, an interesting drink or a dessert that is being recommended and so I have to try it. Having been someone that’s always choosing meals that are the closest to my mum’s cooking in restaurants back home, I have been adventurous and tried some local food such as tofu skin, prawns and herbal tea which tastes amazing as well as some meals which are mildly similar to food at home. Like I said, I am quite picky but I’m taking baby steps. I did try steamboat as well which introduced me to a completely new way of dining where you are given soup and raw ingredients and you cook your meal yourself on the table.
   
5. Shopping here has been good, the malls are huge and have a variety of stores and so everyone is catered to. However, there are a few familiar stores here in Malaysia such as H&M, Zara and Topshop which were a good surprise!

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Hi everyone!

My name is Suky and I am a recent graduate from the University of Nottingham School of Pharmacy. After graduating this Summer, I began my first job as a hospital pre-registration pharmacist at the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in North Manchester, my hometown, where I will spend the year learning about different aspects of pharmacy, applying knowledge I learned at university and most importantly, learning how to become a fully fledged pharmacist!

During my third year at the University of Nottingham, I was fortunate enough to be elected onto the national executive of the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) as the Information Technology Officer, then during my final year, I was voted onto the national executive once again to complete my second term on the executive, but this time as the Treasurer. The British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association represents over 15,000 pharmacy students and pre-registration trainees across the UK and is the official student representative body of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. As a member of the executive, I work within a fast-paced exciting team that work together to provide a range of different educational events, attending important meetings with senior Pharmacy bodies and companies, and doing our best to ensure students get the most from their membership.

Every year a new executive is elected by the delegation at the BPSA Annual Conference, held during Easter each year, where delegates get the chance to hear all the exciting speeches from people who want to run, and their supporters as well! It was attending the Annual Conference during my second year at university that really pushed me to want to be a part of such an exciting executive and get involved with hosting so many fun and educational events for students across the UK. When I was first elected, I remember how nervous I was delivering my speech to over 100 people, many of whom I had only just met at the start of the week! Fortunately, those nerves turned into confidence on the day, and showed me how I could use my humour to make people laugh as much as I could during my speech and see me elected not just once but twice!!

I realised during my first year on the executive that it really moulded me into the pharmacist I hope to become, giving me huge amounts of confidence and massively improving skills such as public speaking and technical skills that applied to my role as IT Officer. The great opportunity to even host a one-day conference at the University of Nottingham gave me the push I needed to re-apply for the executive once again during my final year. I now sit on the executive as the treasurer, which means I handle every finance that comes through the association.

I would agree at this point that what  just said sounds like the most daunting thing ever! Believe me, the jitters I had when my name was put onto the official account are still present, but it’s the thrill of the executive that makes me enjoy my role so much. Over the course of the year I will work with the executive to make sure the no-for-profit organisation that is the BPSA injects as much of the money back into our members, giving students the opportunity to get involved in exciting competitions, travel the world using the dedicated travel fund and make sure we create the most exciting conferences we can!

I officially started my role within the national executive in July 2018 so there is so much yet to tell you all about! I can’t wait to tell you all about how I get on!!

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As this is my first post, I’ll start off with a quick intro. I’m Hadia, 20 years old, and I’ve just finished my first year of the MPharm course.

I say ‘just finished’ but really, summer holidays started back in June, and there’s still a little over a month left before university starts back up again. That’s one of the biggest perks of university life, I’d say! Four months of holidays with not much to do can be quite boring. Of course you can travel and hang out with friends and family, but I would recommend getting a job or doing some work experience at a pharmacy as well. I know it’s still early in the degree, but honestly, any experience helps a long way.

This year, I decided to make the most of my summer. Travelling since mid-June, I got back home Sunday afternoon, 13th August 2018, and then the next day, Monday morning at 9am, I was there at my local pharmacy to start work experience,  jetlagged and mega tired! It’s nearly the end of my first week there and I’m counting down the minutes until I can stay in bed all day over the weekend haha.

To say I’ve been busy would definitely be an understatement. Four days in, and I can already say that it’s an eye-opening experience for me; there’s just so much to learn and a lot of these things can only be learned if you do them physically rather than learning about them in theory at university.  I got extremely lucky and got placed at a pharmacy with amazing staff who are eager to teach me how everything’s done. First day started off comparatively easy, with me observing and doing smaller tasks. Each day after that added on to my tasks, until today, the fourth day in, I was running the dispensary like a pro with the rest! From printing electronic prescriptions along with its labels, endorsing them and then dispensing and bagging the medicines for delivery (after the final check by the pharmacist), to ordering more stock and then restocking shelves with the deliveries, I did it all. Another special thing about this pharmacy is that due to it’s location in a deprived area, a lot of the patients are using the NHS needle exchange scheme and/or are in treatment for drug addiction, therefore, have prescriptions for methadone. Dispensing those out is definitely interesting.

I’ve still got 4 weeks to go, so I’ll keep you all posted about how the rest of my time goes.

Until then, Assalamualaikum (peace be on you) and good bye!

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