Why did you choose Bristol for your BSc?  

I chose Bristol because I wanted to go to a university that was prestigious in terms of academics but also had a great life about it. As a city, Bristol has so much to do, and I was really excited to move to a bigger city than I was used to. The course at Bristol also looked like everything I wanted in my degree and once I had compared the course units to some of my other university choices, Bristol came out as a clear winner!

How would you sum up your experience?

My experience at Bristol has been really great! After my undergraduate degree, I did a Masters by Research which really helped me understand what a career in research would be like in a more professional environment. The flexibility of the course is something which I mention to everyone as I was able to choose what I really loved and dedicate myself to those areas - for me, that was Cancer Biology and Immunology!

What were the staff like?

The staff are so friendly and really supportive. They always stop to chat and ask how you're doing and it's really nice to know your lecturers care about you outside of your work and this makes it really easy to ask for academic help too.

How did your degree influence what you went on to next?

Being able to find something I loved in science gave me real direction when I was deciding what I wanted to do next. I discovered research masters degrees which allow you to take on a research project for a year. 

My MSc research project with Dr Anu Goenka focuses on Group A Streptococcus bacterium and phenotyping the tonsillar human immune response to the supernatant they produce, specifically in T and B cells. It's really amazing to work in research that may have real-life implications and eventually improve the lives of people across the world.

Through this project, I was able to learn many different types of laboratory techniques and work with some really exciting pieces of equipment, like the flow cytometer. I am now focused on writing my dissertation and I am so excited to see all my work come together!

I was also offered a really generous scholarship which really encouraged me to continue studying without the added stress of things like financing the degree myself. I am just finishing up my dissertation now and will hopefully graduate from Bristol for the second time soon! Something I learned from the careers service here is that there are so many paths for a graduate science student to take and this led me to Life Science consulting which I am excited to start in September.

What advice would you offer to students contemplating a place at Bristol?

I would say go for it! Everyone is different but there really is something here in Bristol for everyone; in the city, in the university, in societies - everywhere! It has been a great experience and I'm so glad I have such fond memories here! The CMM course itself is so interesting and it really helped me to understand what I loved about science whilst broadening so many skills, socially and academically.