"My trainer and communicator personality type really flourished in my two gaps year as I stepped up to become a private tutor and home schooler to help students who were struggling in the global pandemic. I took my own initiative and worked hard to make education accessible for those that needed a bit more help, especially in a pivotal time of such uncertainty. Many of my students were worried about achieving the grades they needed to reach their academic goals, and I adapted my lessons to assist them. Studying for a biology degree involves learning a lot of new content, so I refined my tutoring skills and used them to understand these challenging concepts. As a student, I use my natural curiosity to think outside of the box and review my progress and I feel this relates to my quality controller personality type."

"As a clinical scientist undergraduate my main role is to support the clinical scientists with their studies and clinical trials. My tasks each day can vary; even simple admin tasks such as reviewing the agenda for meetings, checking enrolment statistics and metrics, and reviewing documents, are vitally important and beneficial to the team. Other times my work will involve study specific tasks and I will be responsible for meeting with the data management team and the site team to review progress. The clinical studies I get to work on are all unique and different, and each bring their own challenges. My work can involve colleagues across the globe so matching work schedules across different time zones is important and you get to interact with a multitude of cultures and practices."

"I did not know what career or even job sector I wanted to enter when I was younger, but I had a genuine passion and flair for science. After selecting STEM A levels, I had committed to being a scientist, but I still had no clue what jobs a scientist could do! I strongly believe my two gap years helped me settle and gave me time to realise that Biology was the subject I wanted to learn more about at university. Your academic pathway does not have to follow anyone else’s, and it can weave and pivot as you try new things. After two years studying at university, I decided to take a placement year and work in an industry. This placement year will help me gain work experience and try something new. Applying for my placement taught me so much about job interviews, applications, and cover letters. It helped give me the confidence to put myself out there and welcome rejection. Keep applying for those opportunities, seek out those internships and don’t give up! "

"In my spare time, I love to walk my dog and experience the natural world. I am an avid fan of hiking, camping, and exploring, which led to me embarking on a three-month adventure in Saskatchewan, Canada this summer. I applied for a summer internship to work as a field assisting, helping several masters students to collect data on their study species, little brown bats, for their thesis projects! The work involved living in a field station and collecting data by catching, measuring, and handling little brown bats in their natural habitat in a rural interprovincial park. It was an incredible experience and it taught me that animal behaviour and ecology are two topics I want to explore further in my final year of study when I return to university. In my free time, I enjoy practicing and being involved with my University Archery team."

"My role allows me to be flexible in where I choose to work, and this helps me tailor my days to adapt to my schedule. For example, if I have several teams meeting scheduled, I like to head into the office to benefit from the professional setting. Meeting colleagues and catching up face to face is another benefit, and I especially like to use the additional monitor at the desk for proofreading and multitasking. If I have a quieter day, I choose to stay at home to optimise my focus and work undistracted. This could include following up on emails, working through my tasks, and transcribing meeting minutes"

"A level – A*, A, A – Maths, Physics, Biology.Two gap years 2019, 2020, due to global pandemic, worked full time as a self-employed, nanny / tutor / home schooler and retook two A levels to improve my grades.Currently studying a Biological Sciences Undergraduate Degree at Durham University, 2021-2025. I am working as a clinical scientist undergraduate at Pfizer UK for my placement year in industry."