Psychology at Warwick?

I've applied to study psychology at Warwick, and though I like the university itself from what I have seen, I can't help but wonder why its psychology department doesn't seem to be that highly rated. Does anyone here who studies psychology (or has done) at Warwick have any idea as to why it doesn't seem to have a great department, or perhaps correct me if I'm wrong?

It's just that Warwick, as an overall university, seems to be very good academically so I can't help but wonder why the psych department isn't. Or is it true that no matter what subject you study, as long as you're studying at a good university, it will still be taught well? I've heard this said by others, but I'm not so sure.

Thanks for any help or advice!

Reply 1

Ebenia

I have been thinking the same thing. One thing could be that markings on essays seem to be unclear or students are not given enough feed back. This could be seen by comparing uni's in unistats.

"Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand.
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK: Psychology (f/t , f/d) Agree 29%"
"I have received detailed comments on my work.
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK: Psychology (f/t , f/d) Agree 36%"

I have also tried to find information about the course and what people think about it, but it seems like no one who studies there uses internet. :biggrin:

There just isn't any experiences available!

Still thinking should I apply there or not...

University of Warwick

Coventry

Reply 2

jem_angel

Hi guys!
I'm in my third year at Warwick studying Psychology and I love it here. No uni is perfect but what i would suggest is visiting the unis on open days and having a look round to see if you like the sound of the course etc... Out of all the uni's i got places for Warwick was actually the lowest ranked uni (in the year of applying...) but when i came here on an open day i really liked the campus and the department and I liked the sound of the modules that they offered.

I wouldn't put too much stock in the course league tables as they tend to move quite a lot e.g. warwick moves up and down in the rankings depending on year and also which league table you use... I think it's best to depend more (if you have to use them at all) on the overall uni table which i think warwick is 4th on at the moment? I think employers look more at the uni e.g. they will be more impressed by a degree from warwick than a degree from obscure uni which may be momentarily high in the league tables

llacerta

Or is it true that no matter what subject you study, as long as you're studying at a good university, it will still be taught well?

It is true to an extent that employers will be impressed by a degree at Warwick which has a really good reputation even if the course isn't at the top of the rankings.... it is harder to get a good degree at warwick than other places simply because the standard is higher and therefore the fact that you get a 2:1 from here (for example) looks really really good to employers and possibly even better than a higher degree class from a less renowned uni....and as i said the course tables move so much that no matter what uni you go to you can't be sure what their ranking will be when you graduate!!!! You have to take that into consideration if you're basing your applications on the league tables :-) The overall uni tables are much more indicative i think...

As regards to the course i recommend that you look at the prospectus and see what modules are offered and see if they interest you... that's more important than the position on the league tables tbh... e.g. i got a place at Bath for psychology but didn't like the sound of some of the modules after visiting on an open day and so decided on Warwick

I've posted quite a lot on the warwick forum about the course and under the week in the life thread there's a HUGE post about the first year course :-)

Ebenia

This could be seen by comparing uni's in unistats.

As to the student satisfaction things i wouldn't rely on them too much... it's kind of a given that some part of the course is gonna annoy you while you're here because no uni is perfect...i think that most people i know might bitch among themselves about things that irritate them about the dept but would both vehemently defend it against others and also (like i'm attempting to do!) talk it up to people who want to come here.

So yeah i'd recommend visiting as that's what I did and try to get a feel for the place cos it's not just about the course but also about the uni/the campus/facilities and whether you think you could live here...

We have a great careers dept and also volunteers society which is brilliant for psych as most careers require some kind of experience and there's absolutely loads you can do here.

Also just to add that one of the reasons that warwick is lower on the league tables for psych is that it gives lower grade offers considering how respected the uni is and how competitive the course is to get into. This is taken into account on the scorings for league tables and affects the ranking :-)

Anyway if you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me...I'll try to get back to you ASAP though am currently battling with an assignment so may take a couple of days

Jemma

Reply 3

kitty123

Hey I'm in my 1st year at the moment, the course has actually changed slightly this year, apparently we are the 1st to have this version of the course? I think there is more biology in it than in previous years perhaps, so if you don't like biology very much then i would maybe consider other unis as well. However saying that biology isn't an essential subject so you will be fine if you haven't done it before if you work hard! I'm enjoying it though, everyone taking the lectures have been very approachable so far, and you would be benefitting from the new union that is opening next year which looks awesome :biggrin: