Hi, I’m Cate and I have just finished my undergraduate final exams at the University of Edinburgh. As I prepare to graduate, I wanted to share some highlights of my experience studying in the School of Physics and Astronomy.
Choosing physics was almost a coin toss – I applied for Maths and Philosophy, before changing to Astrophysics, finally settling on graduating in Physics. In the four years of my degree, I have taken many interesting courses in the School: some highlights include Meteorology, Solid State Physics and Astrobiology. My courses have been both challenging and fascinating. One of the best things about studying at Edinburgh is the freedom to explore outside your core courses and test out different specialisms of Physics.
I started my degree in 2021, during the UK’s COVID-19 restrictions. Most of my first year was spent sleeping through online lectures, exploring Edinburgh, and getting involved with 101 different societies. In 2022, I was lucky enough to be chosen for an exchange year at the University of Helsinki, an experience I have spoken about in previous blog articles (links below). I learnt to ski, navigate an entirely different education system, and the importance of a good sauna. I was also able to take interesting courses tied to my environmental physics interests, specifically Aerosol Physics and the Physics of Lakes and Rivers.
Celebrating May 1 (Vappu) in Helsinki
My international experience didn’t stop there. Last summer, I completed an internship at the particle accelerator DESY in Hamburg with 100 other young physicists, where I finally settled on the field I have decided to pursue: Sustainable Materials. My project taught me all about machine learning, the inner workings of a synchrotron, and the diverse experiments that run on the site. It was a hugely rewarding summer, with many evenings spent climbing, chatting, and drinking beer.
Climbing at DESY, Hamburg
My fourth and final year has been spent focussed (for the most part) on cramming the details of Special Relativity, Nuclear Physics and Condensed Matter into my head. The most rewarding part of the year was undoubtedly my Senior Honours Project, an experiment and report in the Astrobiology Lab all about E. coli under stress. Next year I am going to be completing an Erasmus Mundus Masters in Materials Science at LMU-Munich, thanks to a scholarship funded by the European Commission.
University is about so much more than learning your field. It goes without saying that studying Physics has been great, but I also think it is fair to say my four years at university have been almost entirely defined by the people I’ve met. From the professors who were able to explain quantum mechanics and the grand-canonical-ensemble to me, to the tutors who sat as I sweated through past paper questions and graded our exams. Plus, of course, the team that supply hash browns and coffee to us all. For the past 3 years I worked in the School’s communication team, contributing to stories on the blog and Instagram, and as part of that role I have been lucky to peak behind the curtain and meet the non-teaching staff who support students from application to graduation. But above all it was the fortuitous meetings with people in corridors who helped me when I needed, or on Cowgate, who went on to become my closest friends from my time here.
The Physics Pub Quiz – we came a respectable 4th.
Now that I am graduating, most recent conversations with friends have been about the future. Every decision feels imbued with symbolic meaning, life lessons, or a greater purpose. Some things are a bit easier than when I arrived: like getting out of bed before 1 pm—but some things seem more unattainable ever before. I suppose, as you learn in Physics, uncertainty isn’t the enemy – it’s where all the interesting stuff happens.
Learn more about my year abroad experience:
Guidance for students who are considering going abroad – from applications to arrival
Reflection on my first few months studying physics in Helsinki
