We're delighted you'll be joining us at Nottingham!
Starting university is an exciting time, and we want to help you feel as prepared as possible before you arrive. To get you off to the best start, we've created a short checklist of important tasks to complete before your course begins.
We're looking forward to meeting you during Welcome Week and supporting you throughout your journey with us. If you have any questions or run into any issues while completing the checklist, please contact us and we'll be happy to help.
Things to do before you arrive
1. Order your lab coat
All incoming year 1 undergraduate students and Science with a Foundation Year students will be conducting lab work as part of your degree and will require a lab coat. Your lab coat will be given to you as part of a lab safety session.
In order to ensure you have the correctly sized lab coat please complete the form below with the size you require.
To determine which size you require, you will need a measuring tape. We advise you wear a jumper or hoodie to calculate which size you need.
The main deadline for lab coat orders was on Tuesday 1 September. If you missed the deadline, you can complete the late lab coat order form below. This means that your lab coat may not arrive on time. If you miss the second deadline, contact us.
2. Familiarise yourself with digital skills
Your learning programme is supported by the university's digital systems and services. Please see our Student guide to digital learning to see what to expect from our digital platforms, what facilities you will have access to, and how to get help.
3. Read the Student Code of Conduct
Before you arrive, please read the Student Code of Conduct. It outlines the behaviour expected from everyone at the 糖心原创 so we can maintain a community built on inclusivity, fairness and respect.
4. Read your School of Life Sciences handbook
Our undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks provide key information to support you in your studies at Nottingham, including details on your course, module choice, assessments, as well as key dates. You should bookmark your handbook and refer to it regularly.
5. Check laptop requirements
To study effectively on a Life Sciences course, you'll need a reliable laptop that can run the varied software used throughout your degree. Click on the box below to find out about the requirements and recommended devices.
Laptops for Life Sciences
You will want to use IT that is reliable, comfortable and as far as possible future proof for the length of your studies. Life Sciences courses are very varied so the below specifications are for a good general purpose machine.
There are a number of devices aimed at education but some may limit what you can do. Chromebooks and tablets, even those with keyboards and pen inputs, may not have the capability to run some software you may need for your studies.
Macbook Neo, or laptops with Snapdragon processors or RyzenU processors are not currently recommended due to possible compatibility issues with some of the more specialist software we use.
The recommended devices for Life Sciences are Windows11 based or MacBook Air or Pro laptops.
Suggested specifications:
- Operating system: Windows11 or a recent Apple macOS
- Processor: Intel i5, AMD Ryzen5 for Windows, any Air or Pro processor for Mac
- SSD Hard drive: 512Gb (256Gb will be usable)
- RAM: 16Gb (8Gb will be usable for basic work)
- Screen size: 14inch or larger (you may prefer a 14inch laptop with a separate larger screen to use in your room, or a bigger 15.6inch laptop)
- Battery life: 10hr (less will be usable but you will have to charge more often)
- Accessories: Headphones, mouse
Second-hand machines less than 5 years old with a good battery should work, but make sure the installed operating system is genuine and will receive updates.
If you have to compromise on specification, then battery life is probably the most important thing. Second most important is making sure the RAM size is at least 8Gb.
6. Pre-arrival reading lists
Below are some reading suggestions from our academics that might be of interest to you over the summer for each of our subject areas:
To read:
-
‘Jurassic Park’ by Michael Crichton (Note: A great introduction to molecular biology, behaviour and chaos theory)
-
‘The Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins
-
‘The Extended Phenotype’ by Richard Dawkins
-
‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson
-
‘Superior: The Return of Race Science’ by Angela Saini (Note: Covers more genetics but does influence how we conduct our research and is current)
To listen:
Other resources for biology:
To read:
-
‘Bad Science’ by Ben Goldacre
-
(free with an Audible Trial)
-
‘How to Make the World Add Up’ by Tim Hartford
-
‘The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark’ by Carl Sagan.
-
Alice Roberts: The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us
To watch:
Three TED talks on cell biology and biochemistry
Other resources:
has several short guides to topics in biochemistry.
Science with a Foundation Year
Foundation students and new undergraduates should familiarise themselves with the work of the .
Their website has some great videos, posters and blogs which look at what it means to be an effective learner.
To watch:
To read:
-
'The man who mistook his wife for a hat’ by Oliver Sacks
-
‘Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind’ by Sandra Blakeslee and V. S. Ramachandra
-
Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain' by David Eagleman
To watch:
-
My Beautiful Broken Brain – on Netflix
-
Pain, Pus and Poison (3-part documentary) on BBC iPlayer. (Note: It discusses the discovery of morphine and other pain killers in the first episode)
-
Secrets of Skin Episode 6 on BBC iPlayer. (Note: Episode 6 is all about sensory perception)
Other resources:
To Read:
To Watch:
- Pain, Pus and Poison (3-part documentary) on BBC iPlayer
To look up:
Recommended textbooks for year one (all of these are available in the university libraries, so it is not necessary to purchase them):
-
‘Neuroscience: Exploring the brain’ by Mark Bear et al.
-
‘Human Physiology’ by Lauralee Sherwood
-
‘Essential Cell Biology’ by Bruce Alberts
-
‘Biochemistry’ by Hames & Hooper