Yet to finish the subject but I would give it 4/5 currently. For a level 3 practical subject, I found it much lighter than I expected. As with the PATH major, the subjects are not as rigorously structured as in other faculties (e.g. BCMB, HSF, MIIM) but the upside is that seemingly, the PATH subjects seem to generally be less difficult or heavy in content. Compared to BCMB20005, the content for this subject is easier and there is much less of it - maybe 5-6 weeks where you learn the background of some diseases and techniques as part of weekly lab prep. In terms of weightings, PATH30002 is one of those subjects where the marks are broken down into many different assignments: LRBs (2,3,5 & 8%), written reports (10, 12%), peer review (5%), self-reflection (5%) for self-reflection, critical analysis (10%), lab participation (10%), symposium (10%), exam (20%). The practicals themselves are very relaxed, which leaves you time to do your LRBs - essentially a mini report of 2-4 pages in length that you write during and submit by the end of each experiment. If you did PATH20001 I think you will be familiar with the format. They are not difficult to do well in as long as you include the right details and don’t make a diagnosis (that level of detail is meant to be included in the scientific reports - LRBs are a bit more broad) - if you are ever unsure on what to include, you can ask your demonstrator. As with any lab subject, your experience will probably vary based on your demonstrator. Tom was my demonstrator and he was super chill which made it easy to ask a bunch of questions freely (useful for me because I have previously been dead silent in labs even if I had questions) so I don’t have any complaints. I am not sure about other demonstrators but they seem fine. I think Eduardo has it out for me though. Sophie (the subject coordinator) is lovely and always willing to help with questions, despite how busy she is ! In terms of written reports, there are three in total: one of hurdle assessment (0% contribution to final grade) and two that contribute to your final grade (8% and 12%, respectively). The first one is a basic report about pneumonia which I think is worth completing with some level of effort since you get marks and feedback which is useful in understanding some of the guidelines and expectations of the written reports. The second report is a two-week Western blot experiment which isn’t anything overly challenging. If you haven’t done PATH20001 then make sure you focus on patient diagnosis and outcomes - relate the report to the actual patient (i.e. diagnosis, implications, what x idea means for our patient). Same goes for the hurdle in report #1. The final report is based on a three week experiment where you investigate a mouse model for either Alzheimer’s, IBD, T1D. My group was allocated Alzheimer’s which I was happy with as the techniques used were more familiar to me and the results writing seemed less tedious. While I don’t have experience with the other projects, I would recommend selecting this one. Notably, this subject does involve an element of group work. From the start of semester, you’re allocated into a group of 10-12 people (the people on your lab bench) and collaborate on two “Critical Analysis” assessments in which you answer a broad set of questions about a scientific paper your group is assigned at the start of semester. These analyses guide development of your “symposium” - an end of semester presentation in front of around half the cohort + demonstrators. It is not a super tense or overly stressful presentation and creativity is encouraged - some groups did a court case, others used Wizardry to ‘curse’ a group member with Alzheimer’s while another used a hypothetical clinical setting with a ‘patient’ diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer to guide their presentation. As a bonus, food and drink are provided during the break as well as an assortment of prizes at the end of the presentations (e.g. mugs, handbags, pens + more). Overall, the symposium was a nice, bittersweet conclusion to the subject and I was kinda sad that it was over As of writing I have not done the exam (a few days away) and I doubt anyone is reading this as of now unless it is curiosity into the exam format maybe ? The format is apparently as follows: up to 30 MCQs, one experimental design question and a self-reflection supposedly similar to the one we had to submit after a week 6 excursion. I’ll probably update this review after the exam /when results are out probably although I doubt any1 will read it til subject selections and preferences for 2027 are out… Ultimately, I found the subject to be super fun and pretty chill. Like I said earlier the content and workload overall is not bad - a biochem background means you are already familiar with most of the techniques (PCR, Western blot, ELISA maybe). If you are a PATH major then you will have to take it of course, but if you have an interest in pathology background, meet the prerequisites and are willing to write two 1600 ish word reports throughout the semester + an assortment of other low weighted assignments, I would recommend it.

I absolutely loved this subject! The coordinators were greats and the pracs were really interesting. I did this subject in person as opposed to the online version and found it to be super engaging and supportive. I found that the assessments were actually a little bit easier than PATH20003 despite being every week, because most were only partial reports and we didn’t need to write lab report books on top of the report. Overall I found this subject extremely rewarding and would really recommend.

This subject is really good as part of the path major. The content is very easy to understand and the practicals itself were a breeze and enjoyable (if you have the right demonstrator). The weekly reports might be a little daunting at the start (especially if you were used to handing in one every two weeks for PATH20003) but you get used to it. The marking is also a little more strict compared to PATH20003 but the feedback is usually very comprehensive so it is possible to improve in them. Just make sure you pay attention during the pracs and draw down all the microscope slide images you need so you can finish writing your report sooner in the week (instead of waiting for the coordinator to upload the images since they usually take ages). Some of the diseases you study overlap with the PATH30001 subject which helps make the content a little more interesting than it would normally be.

This subject can be the best ever or a challenge, depending on your lab instructor, but, it is actually really light load, the coordinator is THE BEST EVER, and everything you need to know is in this wonderful lab book. Loved this as part of my pathology major!

The prac reports are pretty hefty- 2000+ words with labelled histological pictures (especially if you leave them to the night before, like I think 90% of the cohort did), but otherwise it's really good. The pracs are really straightforward, a lot of looking at slides under the microscope (gets a bit boring after a while), a couple of more hands on ones including a murder investigation (don't forget to bring along your CSI puns that week), and no prac exam. No proper exam period exam either, just one 25% test on the last day of semester which was a bonus. My demonstrator was great, and the lab had a really relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere unlike most prac subjects. Works really well with the Path lecture series to help consolidate those lectures.