Choosing a Course

The majority of universities offer a specialised aspect of bioscience, such as human, marine or applied study. Each of these, obviously, has a very particular slant, so ensure that you're applying for an area that interests you, and perhaps with one eye on the employment it might provide when you've graduated.

Within applied bioscience there are even more specialised areas that might be more appealing than a general study, related to agriculture, animals and the environment. If you want to study a more flexible course, look carefully at the options that are offered for various degrees, especially in the third and fourth years when a greater emphasis will be on your individual study and research interests.

The level of laboratory provision and facilities for practical work is very particular to each institution, so try to get an idea of the amount of time you'll be able to spend doing hands-on work, either in classes or in your own time. And check out the quality of the facilities - if you're a long time in the lab, you don't want to be in a leaky shed.

If you're specifically interested in applied bioscience look out for work placement opportunities or links with local industries as these will greatly enhance your career prospects after graduation.

Arid with this being a particularly fast-moving science, look at who will be teaching you and what their specialisations are - if you're taught by someone at the leading edge of research, you'll feel right on top of the game, although you'll also need to factor in whether all that research means they will be too busy to teach. When you make your trip to the open day, try to ask whether that heroic figure you long to learn from will actually have time to be teaching.

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