Alethea Han

Alethea graduated with a BSc in Chemistry as part of the 2016. She has since trained as a professional perfumer, a role that she had been dreaming of since the age of 16.

Name Alethea Han
Degree BSc Chemistry
Year of graduation 2016

Your Time at the University

I had the most wonderful 3 years in Edinburgh! I always knew I wanted to study abroad and Edinburgh seemed like such a lovely city to live in. I was contacted by a professor who answered lots of my questions about moving overseas for university and she helped convince me (and my parents) that the University of Edinburgh would be a choice I wouldn’t ever regret and she was completely right. I loved how approachable all the professors were and how knowledgeable they are about their particular fields. And I really enjoyed getting to live in what I still think is the most beautiful city in the world.

Alethea Han

Your Experiences Since Leaving the University

After graduating from Edinburgh, I applied for the job I’ve always wanted to do, in the company that I’ve always wanted to work for. After 10 rounds of interviews over a 10 month period, I finally got the job offer and I’m currently in my final year of a training programme to become a perfumer and it’s been everything I’ve dreamt of and even more. I did my first two years of the programme and the next two in Paris and will be soon returning to Singapore to finish my training and start working as a junior perfumer. This has been what I’ve been dreaming of becoming since I was 16 and had previously applied for this programme when I was 19, to be told that I needed a degree (preferably in Chemistry to qualify). So I’m really thankful that after my time in Edinburgh getting my BSc in Chemistry, I was finally accepted into this training programme and am extremely excited about what lies ahead.

Alumni Wisdom

Find what you’re passionate about and never give up chasing it. Rejection isn’t always final and the important thing is to learn from it, pick yourself up, find out how to become even better and try again. :)

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