Student and graduate stories
Who better to tell you about York?
Hear directly from our students about a range of topics: why they chose York; what they love about their courses; placements; and general tips for student life at York.
Hear from our students
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The first three months of my year abroad in Strasbourg
Posted by Fletcher Hi, I’m Fletcher, and I‘m currently on a year abroad at the Université de Strasbourg, studying third-year Molecular Cell Biology in French. Having lived…
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A journey through imposter syndrome on placement
Posted by Cora If you’ve read my previous blog (highly recommended – Feeling lost when thinking of your future? Consider a placement!), you might recall that I’m…
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Feeling lost when thinking of your future? Consider a placement!
Posted by Cora I’m sure that most of us are familiar with the wave of stress and panic when asked those same few dreaded questions. What’s your…
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The road to my year abroad
Posted by Fletcher A year abroad can be a fantastic addition to your York degree. It allows you to experience a new academic environment and improve your…
Hear from our graduates
Our graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of sectors, including medical manufacturing, clinical science, software management, data engineering and scientific publishing.
- Hear stories from York alumni (alumnivoices.co.uk)
- Discover the career choices of alumni from our Department - browse graduate profiles
I'm a Clinical Scientist for the private sector specialising in genomic medicine. Before this, I was a Clinical Scientist in the NHS, and I specialised in medical genomics, clinical cytogenetics and molecular pathology. The academic rigor of the degree has equipped me with transferable skills in self directed learning, communication and resilience, which for your early careers, are probably some of the most important skills you can have.
John, BSc Biochemistry, graduated 2012
After returning from my year in industry, I chose to do a data themed final year research project. This built on my coding skills which had been nurtured by the department since first year. The experience I gained helped me later in interviews after graduating. This passion for data and experience with coding has led me to my role as a Software Engineer at a biotech group.
Beata, BSc Biology with a Year in Industry, graduate 2020
"I’m a Senior Publishing Editor for the Royal Society research journal 'Royal Society Open Science'. Without the degree, my job would be much more difficult without the general understanding of how science operates that I gleaned from my time at York. The programme was vital in demonstrating to me that, much as I found the theoretical aspects of biochemistry interesting, I was not a talented lab scientist, and a research career was, therefore, not for me. Sometimes it's learning that you're not good at something that is more important than learning what you are talented in."
Andrew, BSc Biochemistry, graduated 2006
"The integrated Masters year was a steep learning curve and forced me to be independent in my experimental design with minimal guidance from lab colleagues. The experience helped me to decide that I wanted to do a PhD after graduation because I love the physical and mental challenge, the lab environment and simply the science itself (answering a big question and constantly being curious)."
Apple, MBiol Biotechnology and Microbiology, graduated 2019
"I started my PhD right after finishing a BSc in York - my undergraduate degree has prepared me exceptionally well for this new challenge - I started my PhD with a broad understanding of modern biology - from Molecular to Global Change, Biotechnology, and Statistics."
The Biomedical Science course taught me how to read and write scientific papers which is crucial in my current work as a Medical Device Specialist at a cardiology company.
Faye, BSc Biomedical Sciences, graduate 2022