My first year on the University of Glasgow

Course structure
The curriculum covered on this university is rather different than that of Czech universities of similar focus. No small accent is put on the right of students here, enabling them not only to change their given course relatively easily, but also to give feedback. Even though students get accepted to the university with a certain subject, about a tenth of them change their degree path at some point and may end up studying a completely different degree than they originally applied for if they so. In the first term, students must create their timetable to cover at least 120 credits worth of coursework (cca 1200 hrs of learning), they are allowed to freely exchange their courses for others within the first two weeks, though. In exceptional cases (mostly within the first year) it is even possible to change the degree path very radically indeed, eg. taking on English Literature in the stead of Zoology, although this often requires the approval of the head of the School. The course structures could be compared to a pyramid: all students studying Life Sciences start with very similar classes (eg. Biology 1A has a class of 731 students) that get smaller and more specific each year, often ending with a class of 10 students. This means that it would still be possible, for example, to choose genetics or immunology over biochemistry in the third year if you chose the right modules in the second year, as each module leads to several final degrees.

Democracy in the classes is partly insured by volunteers from the rows of students, so called class representatives. There are a few for each course even in the first year; their job is to represent the whole class in giving the lecturers or course coordinators feedback. This feedback can then be used to change lectures and lab structure, and that almost every year. Every set of lectures covers a topic corresponding to the material covered in weekly 3-hour labs we have in both Chemistry 1 and Biology 1.

Comparing these subjects to Czech equivalents
Quite surprisingly I have found the level of the coursework here to correspond to the level of knowledge that was expected from us on the Czech “Maturita” exams. Those that effectively prepared themselves for the Maturita exam very probably won’t face any troubles until the third year, at which point the level will sharply increase. The difficulty of the coursework increases quite a bit when adding recommended literature (Campbell Biology and Mahaffy Chemistry) to our learning. We also have regular projects, all focused on teamwork, writing scientific literature and conducting personal research from scientific articles. Although the first-year curriculum is relatively simple, the level increases each year and by the 4th year (a Scottish BSc. lasts four years) it reaches a level very similar to one some Czech university students might attain.

Opportunities
It is here where UofG takes the lead vs Czech most Czech universities. A student that shows interest can create a project and ask lecturers for help. The lecturers, mostly also being researchers on the university, can then give advice the student and help find a suitable laboratory.  Academic support for struggling students is also widely available, not only from student societies and club, but also in the form of the 12-floor university library with enough computers and study spaces to accommodate the vast majority of students interested in studying there. The library also includes a café and drinkable water on every floor; furthermore, it is opened nearly 20 hours daily. The university itself processes numerous offers to students, including summer internships, scholarships and lab projects, some here in Scotland and others globally.

There are currently over 200 various student-led clubs and societies associated with the university. The Stevenson Building houses a variety of sports clubs ranging from yoga through martial arts, also housing a swimming pool and a three-floor gym. There are also many other pastime and academic clubs here, helping students find friends with similar interests. One such example is the G-gnomes society, a club of students from the first year straight up to final-year postgraduates; it organises regular meetings, study support and public lectures on biomolecular topics presented by researchers, more often than not from many different universities. Other clubs focus on whisky, beer, or cheese tasting, while there are also a large number of volunteering and fundraising clubs here. All in all there is a society or club here for anything one could think of, and if there isn’t, you have the support of the university to create one. Money to run the societies is gained by club members organizing concerts, pub quizzes, bake sales, or other actions.

My university life
I chose Biochemistry as my original degree path and I am resolved to keep with it. Regarding current advances in the fields, basically all biomolecular sciences have great potential across a variety of fields. I myself would like to focus on research being conducted on current problems (such as age-related diseases). My core modules are Chemistry 1 and Biology 1. I added on a one-semester online course summarizing current problems, Current Directions in Life Sciences. For my last subject I chose to take French for Beginners.

I am an active member of more than one society: the Kelvin Ensemble, GU Shotokan Karate Club, G-gnomes, and the GUU Malt Whisky Society. The Kelvin Ensemble is a small student-run symphony orchestra led by a professional conductor; I play the piccolo and the 3rd flute this term. All sports clubs hold tournaments against other universities and our karate club isn’t an exception. I am expecting to participate in my first competitive tournament in 2 months.

Conclusion
Looking back at everything I have gone through so far, I am truly grateful to be able to study here. The relatively loose timetable can allow students to go on part-time jobs and pursue their hobbies while studying. In the next few months I will focus on finding a summer internship or a lab project to work on, then only leaving me with the task of preparing myself for the April/May final exams