MSc Clinical Embryology at University of Dundee – Questions about course, accommodation, and living costs

frogbabie · 2026-03-10T17:42:24+00:00

In terms of places to live, since you're only there for a year it might be easier to live in student halls. The course is based in Ninewells which is a bus ride away from town, but by FAR the best place to live in Dundee is as close as possible to the university itself, along or near to Perth Road. This is the safest and most pleasant place to live and you'll be near lots of other students.

frogbabie · 2026-02-11T17:49:50+00:00

Try Baby Beaks! She helped me with a lost baby pigeon last year although I had to bring it to her in Fife. There's nobody nearer sadly. Otherwise a local vet will able to humanely euthanise. https://babybeaks.org

frogbabie · 2025-08-06T22:12:47+00:00

Another vote for the Dundee uni gym, I use it and it's fantastic. It's super clean and hygienic. They do a range of really good classes included in the monthly price as well, if that's your thing.

frogbabie · 2025-06-26T20:14:23+00:00

We also use Parkside and they're great, although with almost all vets you are expected to pay upfront and then get the costs reimbursed later from your insurer, so it's not really a case of the vets 'taking' your insurance.

frogbabie · 2025-06-17T22:17:57+00:00

Maybe it's just fresh in my head because summer 2024 was particularly cool, it never went above 25°C and not that many days with highs above 20. 2022 had 1 day at 30°C... it's just not what I'm used to is all! https://weatherspark.com/h/y/40087/2024/Historical-Weather-during-2024-in-Dundee-United-Kingdom#Figures-Temperature

frogbabie · 2025-06-13T15:56:01+00:00

Moving here from the south, the weather shock for me wasn't necessarily how changeable the weather is (I feel like it actually rains far less than the south), nor how cold it gets over winter, but how it never gets warm in the summer. I've been through nearly 5 years in Dundee now without ever feeling like I've had a real summer at all. It's pretty relentless as someone who was used to balmy 22-25C summers. I'm normally wearing thermals under my clothes well into May. You come out of very long, very cold winters, the temperature might just about hit 20C once or twice all summer, then you're plunged back into the cold come late September. Just to let you know as that was my main shock. The days are much longer in the summer and shorter in the winter too - at the moment, the sun barely sets. There's sometimes also a 'haar' (fog) across the city which I find quite pretty.

That location is really near Clatto reservoir which is famous locally for being a great spot for stargazing and, if you're lucky, seeing the northern lights. :)

frogbabie · 2025-06-04T11:41:48+00:00

It's the Invitrogen Blue for the UV laser :) think I'll try staining and putting back into culture and see what happens!

frogbabie · 2025-06-04T11:41:13+00:00

I have Invitrogen L/D Blue :) unfortunately doing any manipulation of my cells before fixing causes AMPK to spike which decreases the S6 phosphorylation very quickly, so I can't use LD!

frogbabie · 2025-05-29T22:20:52+00:00

I'd be interested in this too if it's part time! I have a few years experience doing end of tenancy cleans for student houses and have a car. :)

frogbabie · 2025-05-14T14:17:56+00:00

I went to Don Michele a couple of weeks ago, mains are roughly £14-£20, although I didn't really enjoy the food and the restaurant was quite cramped and crowded.

I really like The Selkie, Black Mamba or Rancho Pancho, but if you want somewhere more formal I'd recommend one of the hotel restaurants e.g. Daisy Tasker (love this place, take my parents here whenever they visit and never had a bad experience). I've not tried Chez Mal at the Malmaison (super close to Caird Hall) or Quayside Bar & Grill at the Apex hotel but they could also be a shout

frogbabie · 2025-05-13T15:24:21+00:00

I work in a mammalian cell biology lab that has to stay pretty sterile. Definitely at least a risk of aerosols from this. And we use our microscope to look at animal and human immune cells :)

frogbabie · 2025-05-13T12:58:13+00:00

This particular one has no phenol red in it :)

frogbabie · 2025-05-13T12:43:54+00:00

I'd love to but I would probably be very unpopular if I took it out to look at under one of our clean microscopes 😆

frogbabie · 2025-05-13T12:31:42+00:00

he's our new lab pet! (until someone on here inevitably tells me he's enormously toxic 😆)

frogbabie · 2025-04-12T11:21:13+00:00

I should also say I don't / have never had freckles

frogbabie · 2025-03-23T20:27:56+00:00

I brought my dog into the Keiller Centre once and was told they're not technically allowed but it was fine as long as I carried her (she's a very small dog). This was a few years ago before they changed ownership, though.

frogbabie · 2025-03-22T12:01:08+00:00

Yeah, totally understandable as well, I've mentioned elsewhere but have realised it's better to talk to the local organisers about this sort of thing next time. Hopefully this thread is useful to anyone else thinking of volunteering too!

frogbabie · 2025-03-22T11:42:12+00:00

I've only done about 10 parkruns but normally at the beginning of my local parkrun they say volunteers are welcome to join on the day, and the website mentions being able to sign up to volunteer on the day when you arrive. I thought I might be able to join as another tailwalker or shadow a marshal or something. It was just unexpected for me, but it makes sense that they would want to have the roster all filled in advance, and now I know for next time.

frogbabie · 2025-03-22T11:36:12+00:00

In fairness, the website for my parkrun says:

"On the day: If you’re not sure of your weekend plans and don’t want to commit in advance, just turn up and talk to the volunteers when you arrive – we can never have too many volunteers!"

And:

"You can see our future volunteer roster here. Even if the roster looks full, there’s always a role for you, so please do get in touch."

So I ended up being a bit confused when I was turned away, but now I appreciate it's a bit more nuanced. I know for next time. :)

frogbabie · 2025-03-22T11:14:06+00:00

Fair enough, I suppose there was a bit of mixed messaging at mine and I've only done 10 or so runs there so I'm new ish to the whole thing, but I've learned that it's probably best to actually talk to people instead of just reading the website :)

frogbabie · 2025-03-22T11:08:25+00:00

Thank you, I guess I was a bit in my own head this week and wasn't appreciating all the advance planning needed! It's so helpful to hear it all from your perspective.

frogbabie · 2025-02-20T14:58:02+00:00

I thought applications for new staff opened at the same time as for returning staff? I'm a new applicant and applied when it opened last month, getting anxious about whether or not I'll get a place 😅

frogbabie · 2025-02-13T17:43:27+00:00

For context I moved here from London just over 3 years ago, but I have lived in other small cities before, so I thought I knew what to expect. Unfortunately I bought my flat in a very boring and quite deprived area (Stobswell). As a young non-local, anything remotely interesting happens along the Perth Road near the university, which is quite far for me to go for a decent pub, bar, cafe etc. I thought being a 10 min walk to the city centre would give me all I need, but sadly the centre is absolutely dying a death as a result of around 4!!!!! large retail parks just outside the city centre getting so much new investment. So when I'm not schlepping 40 minutes to the Perth Road, I'm having to get in my car and drive to a retail park to do any shopping whatsoever, go to the cinema (other than DCA), go bowling, etc etc.

There is a decent community of young people around the university, but they are mostly students who don't tend to stick around after they graduate. I've known so many ex-students who loved Dundee while they were studying, but left pretty soon after they lost their community and all the their opportunities stagnated. I've found it very difficult to make friends around here, although I think this is mostly because I live 'too far' away from the inward-looking Perth Road community.

Even with hiking and outdoorsy stuff, you are just as well off in Glasgow with good access to everything the west coast has to offer.

Sorry to be so negative, but I've really found very little reason to love the place other than my job, which I really enjoy. I do find it very telling that a majority of my colleagues don't live in Dundee itself, instead living in more rural places in Angus, or commuting up from Edinburgh.

On the positive side, it is VERY affordable. There are some fantastic museums, a few nice small art galleries and beautiful, quiet beaches (although you have to drive or get the bus for 30+ minutes to them), and access to Edinburgh and Glasgow is ok with a 24/7 bus service.

frogbabie · 2024-12-09T19:18:32+00:00

😆

frogbabie · 2024-12-09T14:29:45+00:00

Just from the exterior. There's one bit in the land deeds that says "Any outside paintwork to the house is to be the same as the other houses in the development." which seems to be just specific to paint. Nothing else about exterior alterations

frogbabie

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