People Like Me: Claire

Name: Claire
Studying: M.Sc. Palaeobiology

Ultimate Ambition: To travel to New Zealand, Australia, and Europe with friends

Life at University
I like Bristol, it is a large city with plenty to do. I am a member of BUHABS, the Bristol University Hot Air Balloon Society. This allows you to go up into a hot air balloon every weekend, if you have the time. The course in palaeobiology is good because you get a choice of modules to pick. I’m looking forward to my research project and also the human evolution module. The M.Sc group is small so you make lots of friends very quickly, and it is a very social course with both staff and students. The departmental staff are very approachable and helpful. I have learned the importance of managing my time.

How I got here
After ‘A’ levels in chemistry, geography and biology, I did an undergraduate degree in geography and geology at the University of Leicester. I picked this because I was interested in geography, and wanted to learn more about the earth sciences side. I discovered during my undergrad course, that I was interested in palaeontology and the evolution of live. I was recommended the course by Supervisor. My project was on the palaeobiology of graptolites, a group of extinct small animals that lived in a colony and floated in the water.

Advice
Make sure you are prepared to work hard because the course is intense but very enjoyable.