Megan Hammett
Planetary Science PhD student
Current Employer: University of Manchester
Current Job Title: Planetary Science PhD student
Current Location: Manchester
"Plymouth has a very special and unique community character; you feel involved and welcome in every aspect. The staff are amazing and at the top of their game, the facilities have everything you need, and the support is second to none. Plymouth’s courses allow you to acquire skills sought by numerous employers globally, whilst teaching you a broad range of topics at the forefront of research in your chosen field. Above all, you’ll have great fun!"
"I was awarded a Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) studentship to classify brand new meteorites at the Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre. These classifications are now on the official Meteoritical Bulletin Database and have my name attached to them.
"I even had the work published in the RMS magazine!
"After this achievement I chose to continue my studies and begin my PhD straight after my masters, as I was lucky enough to find the perfect PhD project for me in something I am very passionate about."
"Plymouth was one of the only UK universities with an academic who specialised in my field of interest, with whom I could then work in the additional masters year of the MGeol course. I was won over, however, by the demeanour of the geology staff during my open day visits. They displayed a real sense of community within the department, and it made me feel incredibly welcome right from the start."
"I’ve always been pretty set on my career aspirations, so studying at Plymouth more confirmed them rather than changed them. However, studying the broad range of topics available on my course showed me new and exciting fields of study that I had not originally considered. Essentially, studying at Plymouth taught me to never be afraid of branching from the conventional in terms of career paths."
"My favourite memory of studying geology at Plymouth has to be the field trips; we visited some amazing places, saw some great geology and most importantly, always had incredible fun.
"They also made the cohort feel even more like a community as everyone was in it together – torrential rain and all!"
"I was most inspired by the staff during my time at Plymouth. It was really motivating to work with academics who are so established in their field, and who are actively conducting research that contributes to advancing geological knowledge.
"The academic staff at Plymouth really go above and beyond in terms of support – I’ve had whole lectures re-explained to me one-to-one and even several mock interviews.
"I was never afraid to ask a question or say I didn’t know something, which stemmed from their ongoing support and encouragement; this meant I was never left not understanding a topic or struggling to complete work."
"I consistently used the Careers Service when applying for any internships, PhDs etc. to help tailor my CV and practise my interview skills. I strongly believe this service played a vital part in getting me where I am in my career today. I especially loved having a subject-specific careers worker because they knew what employers in my field were looking for and what kinds of opportunities were available that perhaps I had not originally come across
"I left Plymouth with an incredible skill set – both professionally and personally. I think this balance is something quite distinctive of Plymouth graduates, acquired simply from the ethos of the university as a whole. This skillset has been enormously key in helping me overcome the challenges in my career thus far and has set a firm base for me to face those in the future. I’m very proud of what Plymouth taught me."