In this blog post, we spoke to BSc Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics graduate Daisy Umelo. Daisy reflects on her time at the School of of Biological and Behavioural Sciences and of her future studying Medicine at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Why did you decide to study Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics at Queen Mary?
I knew I always wanted to study in London and I really liked the area Queen Mary is located in and the fact everything is on one campus. It’s not too central where you could feel overwhelmed but it’s also close enough that you can visit central London if you want to. As a student, it’s also a lot more affordable living here compared to other parts of London.
I chose Pharmacology because I’ve always been interested in Biology and Chemistry, and I didn’t want to just focus on one of these areas. I’m very interested in the drug development process, how drugs are regulated and the skills and processes that go into this, so the programme was a good fit for me.
What have you enjoyed about the programme and your time at the University?
It’s been really enlightening. I felt part of a real community while studying at Queen Mary. The staff are very keen and enthusiastic about teaching and gave me lots of opportunities to pursue my interests outside from the curriculum. I think after all my time here, I don’t think I had anticipated how much I was going to get out of the course. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Queen Mary and happy I chose to come here. The Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics programme is not too big in terms of student numbers compared to more mainstream courses, and that’s had a lot of advantages. In particular I’ve had many opportunities to get lots of experience with researchers I like, which has been a really positive part of my course.
What are you up to now?
I am currently a 5th year medical student At Barts. Studying pharmacology at SBBS gave me access to academic advisors and alumni students who helped me reach my goals and allowed me to begin my medical school journey. I feel like the lecturers genuinely wanted to help and were always open to listen and take on advice from students and constantly trying to improve our learning experience. There was also a lot of opportunity to acquire and learn new skills with all the different societies available to students.
Any advice to other students?
I’d definitely say be proactive and try to get the best out of your degree. If you see a researcher and you like their topic, read their papers and go and talk to them. They’re very friendly and want to help students develop, especially those who are genuinely interested in their research area. So be more proactive and in turn, it will also make your time at university more enjoyable.