When I tell people I study Physics, their reaction is either to go ‘Wow’ with wide eyes or ‘Why?’ with a slightly concerned look. I honestly agree that Physics is a ‘wow’ or ‘why’ choice of a subject to study. Physics is a fascinating subject. From Physics, we can learn about how things work, where we come from and ask the big questions about the universe we live in. Without Physics we wouldn’t have computers, cars, spaceships, medical equipment. It is a subject that touches every aspect of our lives.

Yet there is that underlying truth that Physics can be tricky and confusing. Is it surprising that when you are asking the big questions, it might be difficult to find the answers? So, what is it like to study this weird and wonderful subject? Hopefully, by taking you through a day in my life, I can give you an insight into what it’s like to study Physics at university.

Lectures

My day usually starts early. 9am lectures are a thing that exist and doing a subject with a lot of contact hours means the probability of an early morning class is high. I live about 20 minutes away from my campus by foot, so will normally wake up two hours before my classes begin. This gives me a chance to slowly escape the gravitational pull of my bed and refuel my energy levels before heading to a class.

This year has been different to my first year, as the pandemic has significantly reduced my in-person hours. A lot of lectures and problem classes have been moved online. The positive of this is that I can literally work from bed, and the negative aspect is that I don’t get to see my friends in the lecture halls.

I normally have three to four lectures in the morning depending on whether it is a busy day. These can cover any aspect of Physics. This year I have studied everything from thermodynamics and electromagnetism to quantum theory and the formation of stars. While sometimes taking lecture note after note can be tiring, the lecturers often make the lectures entertaining with some sort of experiment or fun Physics puns. I promise to you none budding physicists that Physics can be fun.

Taking breaks

I often try and give myself at least 5 minutes break between attending each class. You absorb a lot of information in a lecture, so its important to take some time to yourself to think about what you have just learnt. You often begin to have questions after listening to the lectures. I like to compile a list at the back of my notebooks to refer to later when I’m reviewing my notes.

When I was in first year, I lived 5 minutes away from the lecture theatre, so could easily pop back for lunch. Now that I live out, I bring lunch with me or buy something at the café on campus.

Homework

If I have more than an hour between sessions, I often will go to the library and attempt some of the problem classes work in preparation for my next classes. We get set one worksheet per module per week and questions for the problem classes. Worksheets are a chance to test your understanding of the content. You can also receive feedback on your answers, which I always find is useful to have when revising for exams.

Problem Classes and Laboratories

In the afternoon, I often have problem classes or laboratories to go to. In first year, we had tutorials where we worked in very small groups of two or three students with a supervisor and we would go through questions. In the older years, we are given a bit more freedom. The questions are sent out before the session begins and you can then attempt them individually or in small groups. PhD supervisors and the lecturer will be around, either on a zoom call or in the room, to answer any questions you may have. I like the flexibility of this set up, however, more often than not, I find myself asking questions about the content.

One of my favourite parts of the week is when I get to spend time in the labs. In earlier years, we were generally given different tasks every week. I got to play with lots of interesting equipment: x-ray machines; strong magnetics and power supplies to investigate magnetic fields; and interferometers to name a few. This year I am working on an independent project. I mentioned earlier that in Physics you can ask the big questions, well sometimes we also tackle the strange phenomenon that can be seen in daily life, such as why mirages occur in the desert? This was the question I spent most of my last term at university answering. I was trying to model how light bends in different densities of air, by using different concentration of sugar-water solutions and shining a laser beam through the concentrations. At very high concentrations of sugar, the laser beam would just bounce off the bottom of the tank.

Evening

My time in the department normally finishes anywhere between 4 pm to 6 pm depending on what sessions I have. Then I have the entire evening to fill. I often will finish off any outstanding work that might need to be completed. I like to fill my evenings by attending societies, sport training or go out to meet friends. My housemates and I will go for evening walks and I do take the chance to do some stargazing when it is a clear night. By around 11pm, my bed has turned into a black hole and I cannot escape the need to go to sleep.

I hope this little insight into a day in the life of a Physics student has been an opportunity for you to learn what it’s like to study Physics at university.

Written by our intern Natalie.