“Studying at the University of Plymouth gave me the tools and confidence to be able to effectively choose my career path and study for an MSc in Statistics with Medical Applications.
I am still currently working at the University four years on and have been involved in a wide range of projects including screening for Down’s Syndrome and a variety of clinical trials.”
“The summer before graduation, I started a job in Medical Statistics within the Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences at the University of Plymouth. I did not have much of a break after finishing my studies but this did not bother me, as I was keen to start my career.
I had the opportunity to study for an MSc in Statistics with Medical applications part-time by distance learning whilst working which enabled me to put the skills I learned into practice.”
“The most difficult thing I have faced in my career is presenting in front of people – whether it is a talk about my career path in front of a 100 students or presenting results from a statistical analysis in front of 10 colleagues. I am getting more comfortable with this.”
“The most exciting thing about my career is that each project I work on is different and needs a different statistical analysis. Also, medical statistics can range from analysing data from drug trials to food frequency questionnaires!”
“When I started studying at the University of Plymouth, I enrolled on the mathematics degree as statistics did not interest me.
However, the standard of teaching at the University of Plymouth broadened my skills and interests so careers within statistics started to become an option for me.
In my second year, I switched to a mathematics and statistics degree so I could do the medical statistics module, due to my strong interest in applying my skills in a health setting.”
“I would advise doing an MSc in statistics to get you up to speed with the statistical techniques used and to put you in a better place to be able to work – not just in medical statistics – but any application of statistics that interests you whether it is medical, sports or financial statistics.
If you can, do a placement year or at least a summer placement. This will really expand your skill set and pan out your CV when applying for jobs, giving you the edge over other candidates. It will also give you a taster of what life after university will be like and whether that job is really right for you.”
For more information about studying statistics please visit our BSc (Hons) Mathematics and Statistics course page. For more information about our range of courses within the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, please visit the school page.
If you would like to find out what other relevant alumni from the Faculty of Science and Engineering are currently doing, please visit the computing and mathematical sciences interest area.
