Andrew Wang, BBiomedSc(Hons)
Andrew Wang has been interested in biology for almost as long as he can remember, and decided on a career in clinical embryology while a student at Botany Downs Secondary College in Auckland. Andrew chose the University of Otago because of its reputation and prestige and soon discovered that the BBiomedSc major in Reproduction, Genetics & Development (REGD) was tailor-made for his interests in developmental biology. It was when Andrew was working on a summer studentship with Dr Tim Hore (Department of Anatomy) that he first became aware of the MSc programme in Clinical Embryology offered by Oxford University. This seemed like a dream destination for Andrew and he planned his degree towards this programme from that time onwards.
The flexibility of the BBiomedSc programme allowed Andrew to focus on the papers he most enjoyed and which supported his interests in embryology. Andrew's enthusiasm and passion for his subject was given free reign during his Honours year when he undertook some original research on constructing a synthetic epigenetic memory system in mammalian cells. It was this “research-only” focus of the BBiomedSc(Hons) programme that Andrew believes gave him the edge in his interview for Oxford, impressing the interviewers with the range of skills and techniques that he had learnt during this time.
Andrew's three rules for success are (i) attend all your lectures, (ii) finish assignments three days before the deadline, and (iii) make sure you complete all your readings. He credits his father for instilling in him the discipline of working every day and his supervisor for providing him with the opportunity to develop his research skills and follow his dream. This dream is taking him to Templeton Green College in Oxford where he promises to “work to the best of his ability to uphold the reputation of BBiomedSc Honours at Oxford!”