In2scienceUK student Grace was inspired to apply for a place on the programme as she really wanted to learn more about science outside the normal school curriculum and how it is put into action. On the programme, she completed a research module delivered by Dr Janine Makaronidis from the UCL Centre of Obesity Research on ‘Obesity: The biological control of bodyweight, our genes and our environment’. She also received mentoring and attended university and career access workshops. Grace felt thrilled to have the opportunity to take part and has had an exciting, eye-opening and fun experience!
“I wanted to take part in the In2scienceUK programme as I knew that having such experience would broaden my understanding of STEM and boost my application for University. Unfortunately, such opportunities are really hard to find. Once I came across In2scienceUK, I was drawn to their commitment to ensuring that students from less advantaged backgrounds were not left out when it came to having opportunities and gaining the skills needed to make a holistically competitive application. The programme had everything I needed and more, from speaking to experts in their fields to carrying out my own research project, all these factors made me want to sign up right away!
After taking part, I can now say that I had an amazing experience on the programme! All members of the team were so helpful, they really value the ideas we have and the discussions were always so interesting. The online platform was also easy to use and I loved the flexibility of the programme, allowing me to complete tasks at an appropriate pace and ask as many questions as I wanted to. I gained the skill of analysing data and its impacts and I improved my research skills so much by taking part in the research task. These skills are so important when presenting ideas.
My experience really opened my eyes to key issues in society and I really feel armed with so many skills to talk about in interviews and build on in the future.
The highlight of the programme for me was when we had a module on obesity. I wasn’t fully aware of all the environmental, psychological and biological factors involved in the condition. Learning about food cues and the influence of advertising on unhealthy eating opened my eyes to how vast healthcare is, from your GP to the programmes in place in your local community, there are so many interactions that go on and I really feel encouraged to be part of the drive towards decreasing obesity rates.
STEM is definitely something I see myself going into. I have always enjoyed science but this programme took it to another level! My aspiration when I finish year 13 is to go onto university and hopefully be able to carry out more health related research on larger scales. I am also interested in the world of healthcare and I look forward to exploring these avenues even further.
For students thinking about applying to take part in the In2scienceUK programme in the future, I would say go for it! You will not regret it at all, I am so glad I applied and I am really honoured to have had the opportunity to take part in the programme. You will learn so much and even if you are not completely set on a specific area in STEM yet, all it takes is a love for STEM and the possibilities are endless! This is an invaluable opportunity to strengthen your foundation and application in the future regardless of what path you choose to take. Do not think your background is a barrier, this programme is designed to overcome that and bring quality experiences to you.”