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A Day in the Life of a Queen’s Human Biology Student

Trying to balance part-time work, household utilities, mental and physical wellbeing and studying can be challenging! Here is a typical Monday for a Human Biology student.

Human body torso model

Usually on Monday mornings I work for a few hours, from 9:30-13:30, so I get up early to pack my bag for class after work, make my lunch and have breakfast. I love having a part-time job while I’m at uni. I work in the Careers, Skills and Employability department, which is based in the Students’ Union, so I head over for 9:30. My flat is a short walk from the Students’ Union, so it is a great location.

Queen's University quad

I love my walk to work and class, it's especially pretty in the Autumn/Winter

Working alongside my studies

At work I do whatever is needed to help out. I am a Student Assistant, so I don’t have the same job every week and it never gets repetitive, which I love. I have made many new friends at work, and I love the social aspect of it as well as earning a few pounds!

Two students working at Queen's University Autumn Fair

At work at the Queen's Autumn Careers Fair!

Human Biology: Typical timetable and class structure

After work I head over to the MBC, a very short walk from the Students’ Union. This year all my lectures, practicals and labs are in the MBC, which is great as it is so close to where I live.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, I have Anatomy class; and Wednesdays and Thursdays I have Physiology class. On Fridays I have Scientific Methods/Statistics. I really love how my subjects are divided into different days, there are some exceptions sometimes for practicals and labs, but it’s so much easier to schedule my studying.

Two human biology students in a lab

Abbie and I are so happy to be in our practical class!

My timetable this year is fantastic. I am usually in for three to four hours in the morning, or three to four hours in the afternoon.  Once I get to the MBC I head to my Lab, which deals with the gross anatomy of human structure and function, and we deal with real gross specimens and cadavers. This scared me at first, but it’s much more interesting than always learning from a book, it's amazing to see what the inside of our bodies looks like. 

Queen’s has amazing facilities for the Medicine, Biomed and Dentistry school, and I would really recommend my course to anyone who enjoys/enjoyed Biology in school.

Time to relax

My lab lasts for 3 hours, so afterwards I make my way home to chill out for a while. Once I get home and relax, I make dinner and usually head to the McClay after.

Laptop on a desk next to images on a wall

Some anatomy studying to finish my evening off!

Sometimes I'll go for a walk with my flat mates, or we will cook dinner together, or I will go out with friends, but usually on Mondays I will just do my own thing. Sometimes I like to light a candle and do some studying in my room as I tend to get distracted by people watching in the McClay sometimes.

I’m glad I changed my course

Last year I started as a Biomed student. We had the same course in the first year, so Human Biology and Biomed students were all together. During the summer I decided to switch, I didn’t enjoy the lab aspect of Biomed and in second year there is a bigger emphasis on that. I am so glad I changed, as we solely focus on human biology in our course and that is what really interests me!

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Study Human Biology at Queen's

Sarah Geraghty

Human Biology | Undergraduate Student | Galway, Ireland

My name is Sarah Geraghty! I am a second year Human Biology student from Galway. I'm 21 and I feel like I have a lot to offer in the line of advice because I realise that a lot of people have a hard time settling in and making friends in university and that the expectations of “university life” don't always meet reality for many students.

I am in the Biomedical Science society, and I really enjoy it. 

Sarah Gerarty
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