Biomedical Sciences

Preparing yourself for life after University: Concept to Consumer Masterclass

I am a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh, studying Anatomy and Development. I had previously joined the Concept to Consumer masterclasses in my first and fourth year, hence this year was my third time attending the masterclasses.

The programme consisted of three masterclasses, each with two representatives from life sciences industries (such as MedAnnex, Roslin CT and CENSIS) who join the students in trying to solve every-day issues the companies may face. After a brief introduction in what the firm does, the student groups were given a task to complete as a group and report back to the rest. For example, as a group, we had to determine which cancer drug was the ‘worthiest’ to start investing time and resources into researching. This was a tricky concept, since it required us to justify why one form of cancer needed researched over the other.

It was especially interesting to see how the groups differed in their answers. All of their justifications well well-presented, emphasising that the people in industry have to make these tough decisions every day, even if there is no right or wrong answer.

Every time I join the classes I learn something new, which I can add to my repertoire of skills. Not only do we have representatives from life sciences-based industries giving us real-world insights, but they provide us with real challenges that require creative solutions.

Additionally, these classes give you a chance to work together in a group, not only with those from other courses or other years, but also other Universities. Therefore, I learned the importance of putting individual ideas together and trying to come up with the best possible solution as a team.

At University it is easy to get wrapped up in individual work, and thus this practice in teamwork was especially beneficial to my personal development.

Written by Amina Sternkopf, BSc (Hons) Anatomy and Development