UCAS published the university application figures for the 2018 cycle earlier this week and these show that, while the proportion of eighteen year olds applying for university through UCAS has risen, the absolute number of applicants has fallen by two point six per cent as a result of a smaller number of eighteen year olds compared with last year. The data also revealed that the gap between female and male applicants is large and growing. Forty-four point three per cent of female eighteen year olds applied to university compared with just thirty-one point eight per cent of males. UCAS said that if demand was equal between the sexes thirty-six thousand more men would have applied to university. Please click here to read more about this year’s application cycle on the UCAS website.

I was given the opportunity to attend ‘A-level Science Live: Chemistry’ in the University of Birmingham in order to hear some of Britain’s top Chemists speak about their areas of expertise and interests. We were given practical tips and advice on how to do as well as we can in our Chemistry course through two examiner sessions; which personally benefitted me very much. These sessions involved revision techniques from organising your time months prior to examinations up until the day of the exam. The examiner identified many misconceptions and advised us on how to avoid the common mistakes that students usually make.

We listened to a series of five presentations by the following doctors/professors:

Professor Andrea Sella, ‘Mercury’

Dr Philip Ball, ‘Beautiful Experiments in Chemistry’

Dr Peter Wothers, ‘Atomic Orbitals’

Dr Jamie Gallagher, ‘Nanoinvasion’

Professor Lucy Carpenter, ‘Atmospheric Chemistry’

The majority of these presentations were very interesting and taught me a lot about the world of Chemistry. Professor Andrea Sella’s presentation was my favourite! He has a great passion for the ‘most beautiful, shimmering element of the Periodic Table’ – Mercury. He tells the story of Mercury, explaining the significance of this element not just for Chemistry, but also the development of modern civilisation. Other presentations although not as interesting helped me rule out exactly what I don’t want to peruse in my future career! I am grateful to be given this opportunity and I hope there are many more events like this to come.

Huda Benrekia

On the 26^th of January, we went to the university of Birmingham to attend the ‘A-Level Science Live: Chemistry’. It was here where we met 6 different scientists who have all studied different areas within chemistry, and delivered interesting presentations.

Professor Andrea Sella had touched on the element mercury, the most fascinating element within the whole of the periodic table. He suggested that it was the most fascinating as it as a metal, yet can move around in a liquid state. We found this particular presentation to have been the best to be on display all day. His passion for the element mercury was amazing. We had also received presentations by Dr. Philip Ball who mentioned that every experiment within chemistry, is simply ‘beautiful. Dr. Peter Wothers went on to talk about atomic orbitals. Further presentations went on to talk about topics such as Nanoparticles, and how they may play a huge part in our future, energy and the matter at the origin of life and finally, an around the world tour of atmospheric chemistry.

In the end, it was a very interesting day, and we all took important things away from it.

Trepavan Gill

Handsworth Grammar School is pleased to be re-awarded its’ NACE membership for showing consistent commitment to provision for more able and talented pupils in school. NACE is the National Association for Able Children in Education.