David Barratt

Why did you choose to study at Dundee University?

The University of Dundee has an excellent reputation for student experience. As a prospective student, the compact campus with its community feel was a great attraction. The standard of the student accommodation is also outstanding making the freshers year an even more enjoyable experience.

What are your immediate plans after graduation?

University has been an amazing experience, so I'll be doing it again. Next year I am starting a masters in Sustainable Catchment Management at a University which is highly regarded for its role in water management, The University of Dundee.

What are your longer term career plans (if any)?

I would like to progress in the water management industry specifically in the area of flooding. It is a world wide issue which appears to be worsening. I hope to develop sufficient industry experience that I will be able to volunteer in a programme like 'Voluntary service overseas'.

What information do you think applicants need to know before starting this course?

Geography starts (and can finish) as a very general first degree covering many topics which may not directly relate to a future career but develops the skills many employers look for. The multidisciplinary style of the degree means you will develop skills in scientific and social principles, learning the physical explanations of events like flooding but often more crucially learning what effect this has on human populations. The wide range of modules to choose from within geography means that you can make it YOUR degree.

What was the most enjoyable thing about your degree and why?

Geography, as you would expect, has many field trips. The most enjoyable for me was my dissertation research in Italy. Your dissertation is a module where you propose and design a research objective. Given the wide scope of the subject this can take you to any location on earth, with many of my fellow students traveling to locations like Indonesia. For my research I investigated the hydrology beneath a glacier at the foot of Mont Blanc. Using a highly concentrated tracer material I was able to infer the structure of the inaccessible drainage pathways beneath the glacier.

What was your best university experience and why?

For my best University experience I'd have to refer to my dissertation research again. During our research trip to Italy led by Dr. Ben Brock with 7 undergraduate students, one post doc researcher, and one PhD student we spent much of our time walking on the glacier. The Miage Glacier is covered by rock debris but also items due to the presence of man, from the rubbish of mountaineers en route to climb Mont Blanc to the wreckage of a plane which crashed in 1950.

On a regular trip to the top of the glacier one of my colleagues, Freya Cowan, came across a far less common item, letters from 1950. They had remained preserved in the ice for 60 years! Later in the trip at the same location even more letters were found. The extent they had been preserved amazed everyone with almost all the items still in a readable condition. Since then the group has been returning these letters to their intended destinations, only 60 years late!

What sports activities or clubs/societies (if any) were you involved with?

I was a member of the Dundee University Rucksack Club (mountaineering club) during my undergraduate and plan to continue during my postgraduate. The club is the best way of seeing Scotland in all its beauty. From epic winter climbs to summer walks, the club offers it all.

Do you have any advice for potential new students?

Firstly, come to Dundee. Secondly, enjoy your degree. Dundee has a great union and many clubs and societies that will enrich your university experience.