James Sheffield

What did you enjoy most about your degree programme?

I enjoyed the amount of lab time I was offered from various different professors that I met throughout my degree. I feel completely at home in the lab and to be offered internships was amazing.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

Engineers Rugby society and the Tennis society.

What was the highlight of your time at Exeter?

 The highlight would have to be the dissertation I was able to undertake in my third year along with the two internships I was offered to do while writing my dissertation report. It gave me the freedom to do what I love with incredible people and a great opportunity to learn and develop my scientific skills further.

What will you miss the most about University?

I am going to miss all of my lab friends along with all the professors I was close with along with the lab and research.

What advice would you give to current and future students? (If you are an international student what would you like to tell future students from back home who might be thinking about applying to study in Exeter?)

 Definitely work hard during your time at Exeter but also make sure to live a little. Getting a 1st classification is great yes, but these are the best years of your lives, so really enjoy them and if you get a 2:1, so be it. A 2:1 will open up doors for you in the future. Also, don’t be scared of your professors, do your best to befriend them and get them to know you as this will lead to opportunities such as internships. This is what I did and I am very grateful that I opened those doors and were offered these opportunities.

What are your plans now that you have graduated?

I plan to undertake a Ph.D. in the UK in the near future but currently I am looking for work in an industry based lab here in the United States.