Introducing Samuel Peckett

Student experience 3 December 2015

Hello all! Thanks for coming back to the UoM Chemical Engineering blog!

We’re a couple of posts in now, and I was thinking you might have heard enough from me for a while. So I thought it might be time to introduce Samuel Peckett, a man you’ll be hearing a lot from if you follow us over the next few months.

A major aim of this blog is to spread the word about what is happening in the University’s chemical engineering community. Who better to do that than one of our third year students? Samuel was the first to respond when I put out a call for bloggers, and he came to me with some fantastic ideas.

Before we let him loose on the blog, though, I thought we should get a little introduction:

Hi Samuel – thanks for joining us! What course are you studying? What have you enjoyed most about it so far?

I’m a Chemical Engineering with Biotechnology student in my third of four years. I’ve really enjoyed the variety of the course, from pure mathematics modules to applied physics in Transport Phenomena, to Engineering Chemistry and glimpses of real life engineering in Engineering Design. The breadth of modules really keeps the course fresh and interesting.

Why did you choose this course? And why Manchester?

I chose this course due to a love of science. The variety I previously mentioned is hard to find on other courses and allows me to apply a real mix of knowledge, with maths and physics as the main topics but chemistry and even biology also being studied. The degree also looks great to potential employers, allowing graduates to move into a variety of fields beyond just pure chemical engineering. You could even end up working in the financial sector.

I loved Manchester because it is such a big and vibrant city. Coming from Sheffield meant I really wanted to move somewhere with that same busy feeling of city life. There’s always something to do in Manchester, from nightlife, to shopping, to museums and galleries.

In terms of the course, Manchester attracted me due to its standing as a place to study Chemical Engineering. It’s consistently ranked highly for the course and then there are aspects such as the new James Chadwick Building with its fantastic labs, study areas, and computer clusters. And the Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) Scheme really drew me in, too.

And how has it been so far? How has the School helped you during your studies?

The staff within the School are all really helpful, always making time for you outside of study hours if you have queries about their modules. The designated Enquiry Based Learning sessions give you time to talk to both lecturers and demonstrators about practical examples of material studied in lectures.

The PASS Scheme also really helps – with the School setting up hourly sessions in which first years can be tutored on anything they’re finding difficult by second years who have already had the experiences. This can be both academic and social.

There’s a really great Careers Service, too. They can help you with CV writing and looking for part time jobs, summer placements, and graduate jobs.

Do you have any tips for people planning to do the same course in the future?

Make sure you’ve had a good look into what the course involves and what being a chemical engineer consists of. Lots of people aren’t sure and I’m still being asked by friends exactly what being a chemical engineer is!

The course is also quite heavy on contact hours meaning you’ll be in university quite a lot, so be prepared!

Sounds like good advice to me. So, what are your other interests? What do you get up to outside of work?

I’m a big football fan so will always have a kickabout with mates at the Armitage Centre or go and watch matches. I’m (unfortunately) a Sheffield United fan so whenever I’m back home I try to catch a match at Bramall Lane, usually against the likes of the mighty Colchester or Gillingham. So I get to witness some really top class football. I’ve been to a few games in Manchester, too. I managed to get tickets for Manchester City against Barcelona – it was amazing to see Messi play in the flesh.

I’m also really into my music. I’m learning guitar and usually go to gigs throughout the year. I saw the  Foals in Nottingham recently, and I paid a visit to the Warehouse Project on November 27th.

So what’s your best memory from your time at Manchester so far?

One of my favourite memories at Manchester was Parklife festival at the end of second year. I’m a big music fan and went with loads of mates from halls in first year.

It was great spending two days at Heaton Park with friends and just listening to music. I got to see Nas and Wu Tang Clan, along with Action Bronson, Ghostpoet, and George Ezra. So there was a really good mix of music for everyone.

What made you want to get involved with the blog? What kind of posts can we expect from you in the future?

I really enjoy writing and due to my course largely being maths based there isn’t a huge opportunity to write much, so I got in touch about working on the blog.

I’m going to be doing a few interviews with coursemates who are on their Year in Industry, as lower years are often interested in getting extra information on it and it’s something lots of prospective students will be curious about. I’ll be asking them about the company they’re working for, their responsibilities and day-to-day tasks, along with what the application was like and what they’re enjoying about it. I’m also doing a bike ride from London to Paris in July 2016 in aid of Breast Cancer Now, so will be posting about the training and fundraising activities I’ll be doing! On top of these I’ll do a few posts on what’s going on in the School – such as Careers Fairs and the Frank Morton sports day happening here in February next year.

Brilliant! Thanks, Samuel – can’t wait to see more of your fantastic content!

And readers – you won’t have to wait for long. In just a few days we’ll be seeing the first of Samuel’s Industrial Experience Interviews!

See you then.

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