Ignatius-Roy Hillcoat-Nalletamby

Former blog contributor

Course: Biological Sciences with year in industry

From: UK

It’s all over…

Biological Sciences with year in industry

Four years of hard work, finally completed. Sitting on the coach on the way home from London seems like a fitting place to write this blog post…

A little over a week ago I officially handed in my final piece of work for my Imperial undergraduate degree – my dissertation. It was a huge piece of work, entailing many hours in the library, last minute meltdowns and far too much coffee. On the day of hand-in I was exhausted, having given it my all, handing in the 44 page document was a bit of an anticlimax. Let’s put it this way, my friends and I celebrated completing our dissertations with some time at the union – we all ordered soft drinks and food.

Easter holiday films – Seven pounds: a story of organ donation

Biological Sciences with year in industry

The Easter holidays have been and gone, punctuated by too much chocolate, lie-ins and the guilt of not working. All of this however, gave me a chance to sit and enjoy some quality movies. One evening, as I settled down to choose a film (it always takes me far too long) with my last remaining Easter egg, I stumbled across a good-old Will Smith movie. Now, you wouldn’t be mistaken for wondering where I’m going with this story, but bear with me…

Seven pounds is a 2008 Drama/Romance film featuring Will Smith, Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson among others. Without completely ruining the plot, the movie starts with the main character, Ben Thomas (Will Smith) phoning 911 to report his own suicide.

My Year in Industry Experience – Part 2

Biological Sciences with year in industry

This is part 2 of my placement year blog post. If you’ve missed part 1 be sure to go back and have a read (otherwise this next bit won’t really make sense!)

Paignton, Devon

My year in industry placement was at Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust in Paignton in Devon. Specifically I was based at Paignton Zoo, one of 3 zoos owned by the trust. First, a little background about my location. Devon – a place that everyone seems to have visited “when they were a child”. For me, I had heard very little about Devon, even less about Paignton. However, everyone I talked to about my placement, whether it be family friends, elderly ladies at bus stops or cab drivers, knew about Devon and Paignton Zoo.

My Year in Industry/Research Experience – Part 1

Biological Sciences with year in industry

Since this is quite a long blog post, with lots of content, I decided to split it into parts. The first part (this post) will explain the trials and tribulations of applying for an internship and the highs and lows of the process. The second part will give you a glimpse of what my year was like and what it was like coming back to university in final year. Enjoy!

Last year, 2016-17 as part of my degree, I decided to do a year in industry/research. In short, it was one of the best decisions I have made in my life so far.

Snow Day(s)

Biological Sciences with year in industry

4 years I’ve been waiting. Today was the day – I finally saw a substantial amount of snow in London. It was as magical as I had hoped! I always remember as a child waking up on the morning of a snow day and screaming with joy! Yeah, that still happened even as a 21 year old. It seems that snow, no matter how old you are, always elicits a feeling of playfulness and unbounded joy (unless you’re trying to commute – then it only brings sad sad sadness).

I should warn you, snow in the UK is a rare event (unless you live in Snowdonia in Wales or Northern Scotland) and as a result, we are awfully prepared – EVERY TIME.

FINAL final year exams FINALLY

Biological Sciences with year in industry

23rd February 2018 10am to 1pm – the specifics of my last Imperial undergraduate exam. MY LAST EVER ONE. Writing this now, I can’t quite believe it’s all over.

This exam season was no different to others (apart from the fact this exam counted for more than my entire first year – or something ridiculous like that). Many hours were spent in the library, working and procrastination in equal measure. For me, I always studied in St Mary’s library in Paddington as it was 5 minutes from home and, in my opinion, it’s the nicest library Imperial has – think old wooden beams and a studious vibe.

ICL vs UCL eSports Varsity 2018

Biological Sciences with year in industry

27th January was the date, Imperial College Union was the stage – for one of the biggest events of the year; the 2018 Imperial vs UCL eSports Varsity. I decided to pop along and see what was going down. Admittedly, I know little/nothing about eSports but luckily there were enough avid fans that explained the rules and procedures that I gained some understanding!

The varsity event was hosted by the Imperial eSports society (https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/activities/a-to-z/esports), a relatively young society. However, their membership is growing, and so are the size and quality of their events – this was their second ever varsity event and it was an impressively professional set up.

Green Spaces in London

Biological Sciences with year in industry

London, known to many as “The Big Smoke” has historically, and still today, been synonymous with air pollution, traffic jams and intense urban hustle and bustle. BUT, there is another side to the city – its “greener” side. London, despite the nicknames and assumptions, actually boasts 8 Royal Parks and countless smaller green spaces. So, if you need an escape from city life – the parks are a perfect saviour!

Hyde Park

In my opinion, probably one of the best known parks in London for multiple reasons. Found in the Paddington area, this park is HUGE  – 142 hectares to be exact.

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