What We've Been Up To

Daniel Nachev 

Attended 2022-2024 

Daniel studied Maths, Further Maths and Physics and is currently reading Physics with Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London. 

 

How have you found your university experience so far? 

For me, personally, the first year of university has been very transformative. I have had to adapt to student life that is much more independent than my sixth form experience. Being fully in control of my studies has taught me to be wiser with my time, but it has also allowed me to try new experiences and meet new people around my campus. I joined a few societies, the main one being the climbing/ mountaineering society, though I plan to join many more this next academic year. It is hard to pick a specific class that I enjoyed the most, as all of them were intriguing to me and taught me valuable skills; if I must pick one module it would be the one on relativity, as it requires crucial critical thinking skills rather than being heavily math-oriented. I remained within London, but I was in a student accommodation my first year which was also a new experience because I got to make new friends and interact with students from other departments more openly. 

 

What has been the highlight of university so far?    

The highlight of my year has to be meeting people from all around the world and learning about their respective cultures, university is the perfect place to make such friends. 

 

What did your time at Harris Clapham teach you that you’ve been able to apply to your life since? 

Harris Clapham Sixth Form ensured students maintain respect when collaborating with their peers during and outside of classes. Mr Handscombe's weekly assemblies have stuck with me, and I occasionally remember his Hamilton references that urge me to have good time management skills, it is one of, if not the most important skill, that you need for being successful at university. All my teachers were friendly and helped me to build my confidence, which made me feel more prepared for the start of my degree. 

 

What advice would you give to current or prospective students?  

More than anything, I would advise that students and pupils are well organised and spend their time wisely when it comes to studies. Making use of your time as efficiently as possible allows you to gain a deeper understanding of your subjects and interests. Independent studying is essential, not just mandatory, once you start at uni, so it is best to practice different studying techniques during sixth form. I have been told in the past that, "the jump from secondary school to sixth form is larger than the jump from sixth form to university" and I would like to clarify to all students that this is the biggest lie I have been told. Don't expect to be able to pull an all-nighter before an exam and pass with flying colours - this is especially true for STEM courses. 

 

What are your future aspirations?  

Regarding my future aspirations, it is still unclear to me exactly what it is that I want to do after graduating, but if I go into an academic career, I hope to carry out research on something that would be beneficial to society.