Reviewed on Apr 5, 2025(Enrolled 2022)
What Students Say
Likes
- The campus and green cover, especially the different forests and walkways
- The facilities associated with my department
- The classroom amenities
Dislikes
- Less no. of bikes to roam within the campus
- The area allocated to Life science department (it could have been bigger)
- The in-campus grocery store could have been cheaper
Course Curriculum
10
- The course was more theoretical, as it did not have any lab exposure. However, several tools and practical games were used to clarify on the topics along with weekly presentations in all modules.
- There used to be 2 to 3 classes a day, Monday to Friday. I really appreciated the presentations and emphasis of self learning as a part of the curriculum.
- On the contrary, the the course should have a decent amount of lab exposure and symposium visits of some sort, which it lacked. Usual timings of the classes varied, depending on the modules. They were 45 mins each, scattered across the day.
- Classes Anywhere from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. On an average, we had 70-120 students in each course. Ours was 80, with a large number of indian students, around 20% of indian students (15-20).
Admission Experience
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I applied to four universities in the UK, namely University of Warwick, University of Glasgow and University of Oxford, University of Edinburgh.
- I was accepted into Warwick, shortlisted by Glasgow but later rejected and straight away rejected by Oxford and Edinburgh.
- I believe at Glasgow, the seats may have already been full or something. I'm not aware of the exact cause of the rejection, however with Oxford and Edinburgh, I believe my application was not good enough.
- I chose Warwick because of the unique course that it provided, getting a course in biotechnology with business management is rare. The combination was perfect for me as an individual who eventually wanted to take up field work rather than lab work. Glasgow had a combination but ranked lower than Warwick in global rankings. Warwick has strict eligibility criteria. An IELTS/english proficiency score of over-all band 6, no lower than 6 in any of the sections of IELTS. A good academic record in previous degrees is needed, atleast a merit, but distinction is preferred. A CV with diverse extra curricular activity record is also considered to be advantageous. Fortunately, I met all of these criteria.
- Overall, the admission experience was pretty smooth. The admissions department helps you out with all the doubts and provides you resources to get to the know city and students clubs hosted by the university. They also provide shuttle bus services when you arrive in the country for the First time. The admissions team also assisted me with resources for both off and on campus accommodation.
- I applied for September (Fall) intake due to the availability of courses and scholarships during that time. The application process from form submission to offer received takes approx 1.5 to 2 months. I dropped my application at the last moment, somewhere around June 2022. The university replied within a week of time and then the process of offer acceptance began. The student has to accept or reject the offer on the university portal. Once that happens, a COA is sent which is then used to apply for a visa.
Faculty
10
- A personal mentor is assigned to every student, there is one personal mentor on every 6-7 students in our department. The teaching methodology of all professors varied based on their expertise.
- Some were industry professionals who also taught alongside other commitments. Others were full time professors who used a mix of practical approaches along with theory and assignments.
- The course contents were good enough for the industry and are updated every year based on students feedback. No faculty assists the student in terms of part time jobs during the course as they want you to be focused on studies. In case of FT jobs, it totally depends on the student's relationship with the faculty. As they don't directly interfere in this matter.
- I admire Dr Antonia Sagona and Dr Freya Harrison the most. They were amongst the best in their field, highly co-operative and very responsible mentors. Personally, Dr Christine Lockey stands out to me, as she had been extremely supportive of my endeavours during the course and afterwards. She made it very easy to understand concepts, proactively makes sure she gives her best in class and in one-on-one meetings.
Campus Life
10
- Warwick has mainly two campuses, the main one in Coventry (around 750 acres) and the other business school campus located in The Shard, London.
- Main campus has all the facilities you can think of: library, sports complex, shopping centres, cafe's, bars, and a hospital. There are a lot of fests happening all through the year. I do not know the exact names because as a Master's student, one doesn't get a lot of spare time to engage in them. Although for bachelor students, Warwick is fun and heaven!
- The sports complex houses all major sports including squash, swimming pool, mountain climbing, badminton courts, basket ball courts etc. It is the biggest university sports complex in the midlands.
Part Time Jobs
- TA/RA positions are mostly secured by PhD students. Max working hours on a student visa are 20 hours/week. Other on campus jobs are part time jobs in the stores, cafes or administrative buildings. These are open for all students with the same working hours limits. Pay ranges from 12 -14 GBP/ hour, depending on the role. Off campus people can find part time jobs in firms, warehouses and stores through recruitment agencies. Going directly does not always work out but referrals from other employees does make a difference.
- 12-14 pounds an hour. It is easier through recruitment agencies but not directly. The usual process involves securing an online certificate and a NOC from the university portal for working part time or your visa letter/email which states that you can work part time. You take all this along with a CV, a residential address proof, passport to the recruitment firm. They ask you for NI number which you can obtain online. Once they have a job for you, they'll let you know.
Placement
6
- Less than 20 percent of international students secure a sponsored job in first 6 months. This totally depends on the prior experience of the students and their interview performance along with their chance of securing a sponsorship. Most common salary range would be 28000 to 32000 pounds a year.
- Finding a job is the student's responsibility through online portals like Linkedin, advance, and others. There is no placement for Master students, so people get jobs on their own. It is not an easy work as a fresher but experienced individuals do find jobs in Pharma, Biotechnology and banking.
- My classmates have gotten into startups like Cryologyx, and other giants outside the UK. Major companies that hire from our program are NHS, P&G, Lloyds group and Barclays.
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- I found on off campus accommodation using on acco.com. the monthly rent was 420 GBP for period of 10 months, a personal room, kitchen, wifi, washroom and clubhouse was included.
- After that I moved to a rental house along with my friends which also had all these along with a garden and a washing machine. There were no specific challenges in case of accommodation in Coventry as it was an educational hub, with a lot of options. I would say go for local accommodation with landlords through the university resources, make sure of the legalities (rent agreement). My previous accommodation at Axo paradise was approximately 8 miles and then the rental house was on a walking distance.
Exams
- In english proficiency IELTS Overall and more than 6.0 in all sections), TOEFL or Cambridge English test is accepted. Other documents required are a SOP, Grade 10th, 12th and Bachelor degree marksheet along with the diploma and passport.
- Two LORs from previous or current professors or employer (in case). No interviews were conducted for my course, it depends on course by course basis.
Fees
- My fees was 29,950 GBP in year 2022. The fees are charges yearly, I'm not ware of any breakdown in these, as it is only mentioned as tuition fees. Although, you get the option to pay in quarterly installments.
- I lived off campus during my university. My monthly expenses ranged from 700 to 900 GBP. This includes accommodation 420 GBP, Food and groceries 150-200 GBP, Travel 80-100 GBP and miscellaneous (leisure).
Scholarship
- No, I didn't receive any scholarship. Two of my classmates did receive School of Life Science scholarship (internal to the university) and one was a chevening scholar.
- The SLS scholarships at that time were awarded as 5000 GBP reduced from the tuition fees. On an average, 2 to 5 five people do get awarded internal scholarships from the SLS, Warwick.
- The rest can apply for the Vice chancellor's scholarships, If available. These have to be applied for very early during the application process.
