
Meet our Students
Graduating students and alumni can give you a real flavour of life at Lancaster and how we can change your life and launch your career.
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Students
Kris Morcom, BSc Mathematics and Statistics
I started my Mathematics and Statistics degree back in 2019 and being at Lancaster meant I had all the support I needed during my studies.
Said studies have generally been the perfect balance of fun and challenging. Lecturers are always willing to help, and the weekly workshops help me catch up on anything I’ve missed. There’s a good balance of assignments – quizzes, coursework and the occasional group project to mix things up. (Not to forget the end-of-year exams!) Between all of these, I feel like my skills are being fairly assessed; there’s both academic and more ‘real life’ work.
Something that really caught my eye when I was applying to Lancaster was the minor offered in first year. As far as I know, there’s no real comparable scheme anywhere in the country. You can do something related to your degree, a complementary skill, or something completely different! I personally took a minor in Creative Writing, because I thought that the opportunity was so good, I couldn’t pass it up. Meanwhile, one of my friends took a minor in German – he liked it so much he changed his degree to be a joint major in both Maths and German.
I’ll look back fondly on my years here. The careers scheme has helped me to land a job as a programmer at a biostatistics company in London. I really look forward to using what I’ve learnt here, and I’ll be proud to say that I’m an alumnus of Lancaster University!

Ellen Sayles, BSc Mathematics (Placement Year)
At A-levels I studied Math, Further Maths and Chemistry but I was always really focused on doing a maths degree. Coming to Lancaster I thought I wanted to study pure mathematics but after the first year I decided that I wanted to change to Maths and Statistics which is very straightforward to do. I could have either changed early in my degree, but if I choose specific modules in my final year it automatically changes to Mathematics and Statistics instead of just pure Maths. The course is really flexible and is open to what you are wanting to get out of your degree.
In my third year, I will be taking a gap year in my degree to do a year on a placement. I will be joining GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to go into the Supply Chain team based at Barnard Castle. During my 12 months placement I will gain paid work experience in a business environment before returning to finish my degree the year after. For me, it was an opportunity to see what the working world is like and help me decide what I would like to do after university.
The placement is something I had to set up myself with the support from the university. In my first year I was given workshops in how to write a CV, cover letter and how to apply for placements. Then in my second year I started applying for placements, taking part in interviews and assessment centres. I was offered a number of interviews and placements and made the decision to accept GSKs offer in the second term of my second year.
As with anything new, addressing the challenges is always a bit daunting. However, I learned rather the best way was to ask people for help and advice and use the tools and support provided by the University. Whilst I am looking forward to my year away, it will be great to be back in Lancaster to finish my degree, catch up with friends and get back on the river.
