An MChem with a Year in Europe Student

Ellie Hurst, Year 4
MChem: Chemistry

"I enjoyed my undergraduate degree at York and used the opportunity to spend my Masters’ year in Helsinki, Finland. York had prepared me well to enter a new laboratory in a foreign country, but nothing prepares you for sub-zero temperatures and tonnes of snow! Helsinki is an interesting and exciting city with a blend of old and modern architecture. An advantage is that all Finnish people speak English so I was able to meet lots of new people and to understand lectures, seminars and presentations.

"My year abroad allowed me to work in an organic laboratory everyday at Helsinki University. I found that I could put into practise the undergraduate skills learned at York which facilitated the speedy learning of new techniques. My experience there gave me the confidence to carry out research based on my own ideas. I was supported in this through regular discussions with my supervisors at Helsinki and York. Having the scope to use my own initiative in experiments was satisfying and prompted me to apply for a PhD at York. I am now in my second year of my PhD. This, coupled with my year in Helsinki, has been fulfilling and intellectually rewarding and gives me a positive approach to my future in Chemistry."