On being a Biology student

Time has flown by so fast this year! 

In January we had our first set of exams, then it was straight back into lectures from February until the start of May. We had a load of field trips, practical sessions and a three day field course (I love field courses). In May we had a Movement Ecology project to complete and also our field course assignments to do, and then it was straight back in to exams again! My last exam was at the start of June, and now we're working away on our dissertations which are due at the end of September. 

Although it has been busy and really hectic at times, I'm so glad I decided to do a Taught Master's degree. When I finished my Bachelor's degree, I was stuck in this awkward feeling of not quite being a scientist and as such not really knowing how to move forward in terms of my career. I chose to do a Master's degree not only because I thought it would improve my career prospects, but because I realized how much I love studying the many facets of biology (particularly ecology). Throughout this degree my affinity for learning has only gotten stronger, so much so that I am hoping to continue in academia and pursue a PhD. 

The moral of this post is that it's okay if you don't really have a career plan when you first start out in your studies (if you have one that's good) but you shouldn't panic if you don't because as long as you do what you really enjoy, you'll find that opportunities will present themselves eventually. And if not, have the courage to make opportunities for yourself.

2015 Overview, Start of 2016 and New Year Plant Hunt

2015 was a great year for me. I graduated from University with a 1st class Bachelor's degree. I had a great summer working with a scientist I have admired for much of my degree and attended Unkown Wales Conference in Cardiff to see the results of some of our work being presented. This is also the year I started my Master's degree in Environmental Biology. At the start of my new degree in September, I made myself some goals to stick to in order to get the best from myself and make sure I was giving my all. Now with 2016 in full swing it's time to re-evaluate and jump right back in to my education. 

The New Year has already started well for me. I took part in the New Year Plant Hunt run by the BSBI (See here for more info) and managed to record 15 species. I have also decided to start recording more frequently and have began compiling a year list of species, which is something I haven't done before. The rest of January is going to be busy with exams and a GIS project to do along with a few Wildlife Trust events to attend, but what I'm looking forward to most is the start of new modules in February on ecosystems, movement ecology and environmental management, all of which are subjects I'm really interested in. I'm also looking forward to doing more volunteer work with the Vetch (a project I'm coordinating in Swansea in conjunction with VetchVeg and Discovery SVS) and also with the National Trust. 

Herb Robert, Geranium robertianum - one of the plants recorded for the New Year Plant Hunt 2016

2015 Achievements
1. Got a 1st in my degree
2. Carried out ~40hrs volunteer work
3. Got experience surveying dune slacks
4. Awarded Florence A Mockeridge Award at Swansea University

2016 Goals
1. Continue to treat education as my full time job and give 100% at all times
2. Networking - go to more events, get involved more often and talk to more people
3. Learn new skills/get more experience
4. Read more scientific literature

Exploring South Gower

This weekend my boyfriend and I managed to get down South Gower and have a little explore. I love that I live not so far away from this place! You can go to Gower a million times and each time will be a unique experience. We came across some pretty flowers - saw my first Golden Samphire and I recorded my first Tachina grossa, a large Tachinid fly! Will be returning within the next few weeks to get a shot of Autumn Ladies Tresses, Spiranthes spiralis in flower.

Small Scabious, Scabiosa columbaria

Rock Samphire, Crithmum maritimum

Golden Samphire, Limbarda crithmoides

Tachina grossa

Undergraduate Degree - Survival Tips

So I graduated in July with a 1st Class Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology (yay!). It was a great three years and I've learnt so much from it, not only about biology but also how to persevere and stay organized!. As it's now August and nearing the start of a new academic year, I thought it would be fitting to make my first post about essential tips for university survival.

A very nervous me at graduation!

Tips for surviving your undergrad 

1. Be organized! This is the most important thing. Get a planner/calendar, and use it to keep track of coursework, directed reading, social dates, shopping etc. You will be busy at university, so managing your time is important. This blog is so useful when it comes to organization for university - the author is an organization nut just like me!

2. Don't skip lectures. You're paying all this money to get a good degree, don't waste it by not going to lectures! Even if you think a class might be pointless, go anyway. I can guarantee you will miss out on something if you don't turn up. If you're like me you will go just for the satisfaction of knowing you gave it your all.

3. Use the library. For the past three years, the campus library has been my home away from home. I live about 10 miles away from my campus, and so when I go to uni all of my spare time for that day (unless I have errands to run) is spent in the library doing assignments, directed reading and such, which means work gets done and I have less work to do when I go home! 

4. Don't leave things until the last minute. This kind of goes hand in hand with number 3, but it's so important that I don't mind writing it down twice. When you get a piece of coursework, start it right away. Same goes with directed reading. If you leave things until the day before they're due in your work won't reflect your true potential, and you won't get the grades you want. Little and often is the key to things like research and reading, and that way you're basically revising your classes all the way through the year and you will be in better standing come exam period.

5. Make notes. I am obsessed with note taking, so this is easy for me. It's important to take notes based on lecture material, even if your lecturer provides you with handouts or you have the notes online anyway. Make notes, and put them in your own words! The best way I have found to do this is to make a summary page for each lecture I have. That way I can easily refresh my memory on the main points of each topic, which helps a lot during revision. 

6. Do your own work! This is probably the most important point of all. Whatever you do, do your own work. Don't copy off others. Don't work with a partner on coursework. Don't let anyone read over your work before it's handed in. Your grades will suffer and so will your reputation, and the person you're copying off will also suffer. Be original!