Why I chose Physics at Birmingham

When I first started A-levels, Physics wasn’t even one of my subjects. So from the get go, Physics at Birmingham was not something I’d planned for. Once I’d transferred a few weeks into the term I realised, not only was Physics the best subject to exist, but also that I wanted to pursue it further.

My initial decision to apply to Birmingham was mainly a result of what I’d heard from my school Physics department. The majority of my teachers had completed their degrees here and spoke of it very fondly.

Physics is a very well structured subject and at the majority of top UK universities it is taught through similar styles with the same modules. While I had already started to consider Birmingham due to its high ranking and the many recommendations I’d been getting, it was the ‘extras’ that sold me in the end.

Firstly, UoB offers a year abroad scheme (which I look forward to applying to in my second year!). Plus they support students with free language courses to prepare them for learning across the globe. Having completed my first semester of French classes, I can say c’est génial! (I promise I know more French than that!)

After hearing about the year abroad, I was invited to my Offer Holder Day. The campus was beautiful. I’d seen photos of it before but I don’t think anything really prepared me to be stood on the roof of the Pointing Building with an incredible view of Old Joe and Aston Webb. This was the day I started picturing what life would be like here and began to think I may have found my place.

Tipping the scales were the student societies on offer. While there is a brilliant argument for it being the best looking campus in the midlands, that cherry on top is nothing compared to the whole extra cake that is the events and community found through these societies. With great bar crawls and games nights, these societies made me see how much fun I could have while studying an extremely academically challenging degree and I was excited to be apart of their legacy.

As a whole, I’m glad I chose Physics at Birmingham and am looking forward to seeing what the next few years bring!