Tom Burgess
One of the main reasons for choosing Earth Science at Glasgow was how evident it was that the lecturers were truly passionate about the subject. Talking to them during the open day it was clear how enthusiastic they are about earth science as a whole and their specific fields, energy that has been passed on to us as students in lectures, labs and fieldwork. Another key attraction to this course was Glasgow’s close proximity to the landscapes and associated processes studied in class. There is a lot of satisfaction gained from going on a field trip and experiencing what you have studied unfolding in real time with your own eyes or similarly, undertaking a report in which you are using your own data collected in the field and formulating your own ideas and conclusions from them.
The school has plenty of facilities that have proven very useful over the duration of my degree. Specifically, the labs in the Gregory building - there are designated ones for each year group that can be utilised for computer work, mapping, petrology or just as place to study away from the main university library. However, by far the most useful part of the school are the staff and fellow students. Due to the fieldtrips and generally smaller classes you really get to know everyone on your course including the staff, which makes for a tight support network, especially useful during the inevitable slump on a fieldtrip when it rains for the fifth consecutive day. Additionally, many of the staff have open door policies and a more than happy to help; I couldn’t speak more highly about some of the staff here.
Most if not all of the students studying Earth Science enjoy and have an appreciation for the outdoors, and this is certainly one of the reasons many consider it in the first place. I’d say if you can’t see yourself spending considerable time outdoors then this probably isn’t the course for you: warm, blue sky weather is the exception in Scotland, not the norm (that being said there’s a trip to hopefully warmer Tenerife). I’d advise potential students to read through the course modules to see what might interest them and keep in my mind that it there is real breadth to this course and so there is plenty of variety in what you study.
