Personal Statement help - Psychology

Something you should bear in mind is that an awful lot of psychology degrees will require two science A-levels.

It might be worth checking admissions requirements carefully to see if you meet them- and also looking at what postgraduate courses want if that is the route you want to take.

dont most post grad degree's require a fisrt or 2:1 in psychology?

most of the unis i wan tto goto are happy with just psychology as that's a science in thier eyes...

Some post-graduate degrees are also interested in your A-levels still.

If the unis you are interested in are happy with just psychology A-level, that's good. However, many do require at least 2 science A-levels- they'll normally include psychology, geography and maths in their definition of a science.

One book I read when doing psychology A-level which I really enjoyed is called Nature via Nurture by Matt Ridley. It includes lots of different elements of psychology and explores the factors, genetic or otherwise, that influence human behaviour.

was the book interesting?

I mean, I found it interesting when I first read it, and it's pretty accessible in terms of language used.

I mean, I found it interesting when I first read it, and it's pretty accessible in terms of language used.

can you link me a model personal statement for psychology?

I speak to students on a one to one basis and take it from there. And Something as little as a sentence, that is the same as someone elses and if the ps overall is similar, can get someones ps scrapped. Therefore, anyone can trip the detector. It's about how you write not just what you write.

So i've just finished AS and we've started A2 and talking about UCAS - we were told to have a draft but i have a big dilemma...

i have literally 0 idea what to put on my personal statement..my teachers are doing references for everyone in my year? I do psychology,economics and english literature however my economics and probably my english teacher has given us a sheet with questions like "have you done any wider reading/work experience related to economics" which is a big no since i dont plan to take it to uni? and questions like "what is your fav subject in economics - i have no idea how thats supposed to help? any idea on what i could write for my economics teacher to write about me - any books which connect economics and psychology or english lit and psychology? or any books you recommend I read for psychology in general...

I've done mentoring and ive been a school prefect in year 11 and ive also done chaperoning at my sunday school is that good? what do you recommend i do?

I basically want to do psychology for a degree because I want to help people when im older.I'm not too sure what branch of psychology i want to enter into for postgraduate study.

I may/may not do volunteering at my local save the children charity shop...

What should I do?

First off, don't worry about not knowing which area you want to specialise in - I've been told several times that admissions tutors tend not to take such premature goals seriously.

What I would highly recommend doing is finding links between the other subjects you study and your degree choice, and using these to demonstrate how they have made you develop intellectually. For example, I had written about methods of conditioning used in two dystopian novels for my Eng. Lit coursework - I was then easily able to explain how this academic exercise had informed my research skills, and knowledge of a broader range of psychological fields. My uni did then ask to see said coursework, so make sure you stick to the truth!

Another thing to do is look for any particular focus of the course you most want to get on to, read up on said focus, and talk about that in your statement. My degree has a strong social and biological focus, so I discussed some books I had read on these areas. Admissions tutors love it when you can demonstrate that you read and truly engage with subject matter related to your degree, in your spare time. They're humans after all - if they can identify in you a passion similar to their own, they'll be far more likely to offer you a place.

And finally, work experience also really helps. I volunteered in a day centre for people with learning difficulties, and can assure you that such places are present around the country, and are always in need of support.

Go for it, and best of luck! (and if you need any book recommendations, let me know)

i do psychology,economics and english literature for alevel how can i connect that to my degree of psychology? I have done a EPQ on Zimbardo comparing how reflective the conditions in the stanford prison experiement were to modern day uk prisons...struggling to write a good PS? Also i have a book called attachment theory of social work by David Howe and im not sure if i should read it....asked my teacher and they said its not really relevant to psychology degree as its mainly focused on social workers..

You can certainly link economics to a few things i.e honing the mathematical abilities needed for psych stats, socioeconomics (if you haven't studied this, read about it, it's really interesting) etc. As for english, I'm sure you could find something, but it highly depends on which themes and books you are studying.

Definitely talk about your EPQ - explain how you feel it benefited you academically, and why you have a particular interest in Zimbardo. The fact that you did one serves to prove that you have a real academic interest in psychology, so talk about it!

And if you're interested in this book, by all means read and discuss it. You could definitely link it to an interest in social psychology. Hell, I wrote about two books which weren't focused on psychology at all! As long as you can keep it relevant and interesting, it doesn't matter.

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What I would highly recommend doing is finding links between the other subjects you study and your degree choice, and using these to demonstrate how they have made you develop intellectually. For example, I had written about methods of conditioning used in two dystopian novels for my Eng. Lit coursework - I was then easily able to explain how this academic exercise had informed my research skills, and knowledge of a broader range of psychological fields. My uni did then ask to see said coursework, so make sure you stick to the truth!)

any good/stock phrases for the start of my PS...struggling to start it all off...

Talking about specific pieces of work is fine. But linking your A levels to your degree subject is a terrible waste of characters. Admissions staff can see which other A levels you take and are well aware of what each can assist with - and EVERY OTHER PS WILL SAY THE SAME THINGS. It results in a paragraph pointing out the obvious and adding nothing PERSONAL.

Specifically talking about an EPQ or peice of work, what it involved and what you enjoyed is personal. Saying "economics helps me do statistics" is not and should be avoided.