Help With Deciding Where To Go [Msc Psychology Conversion]

I am an overseas (Indian) student who applied to Msc Psychology (conversion) courses. I'm 27, and am a returning student who took a 4 year break to run my own business. I have a BA and an MA in English (lit). I have been accepted to the following universities:

- Aberdeen
- Reading
- Essex
- Surrey
- Dundee
- Kingston University London

I am currently waiting for reverts from UCL, Edinburgh, and Stirling. However, I have to respond to Reading by the end of this month and pay a deposit to secure my place.

Can I get some insight into people's experiences with this course at these universities? What are the pros and cons? Just looking for opinions.

I'm really really interested in Edinburgh and UCL, but I also don't want to let go of Reading as an option. Between Aberdeen and Reading, which would you choose? Additionally, does anyone know of funding options for Indians/psychology students?

Hiya!

It's great to hear you have received an offer for Psychology here at Surrey. I am a second year undergrad student studying Psychology. I can try and help you out in terms of what Surrey is like and my experience there. I'll break it down into headings.

Student Life: Firstly, I have found student life to be very welcoming from the moment I moved onto campus! Everyone I came across was very friendly and helped me whenever I needed help (students included). On campus, there is places you can study or just chill in such as The Nest or The Hive and the Library. Furthermore, there is many food outlets on campus such as a mini supermarket to be able to quickly get any essentials or to buy lunch. There is also a Starbucks and other food outlets such as Wates House and Hillside. Every week there is also a fresh fruit and veg market so you can get these at your door step without going to Tesco. There is a nightclub on campus called Rubix which is always putting on great events each week. With COVID Rubix has been put on hold, however hopefully it will make a return soon! The town centre night life is quieter compared to other unis however is still a good fun environment. As well as this, there is also so many societies and club you can join, this will help you to make more friends at university too Here is a link to see the full list of clubs and societies we have at Surrey - https://www.ussu.co.uk/getinvolved/clubs

Location: The University is about a 20 minute walk from Guildford town centre and 10 minute bus journey which has a variety of shops and many restaurants! My favourites are Positano and La Casita, so if you end up in Surrey make sure to check these out What I loved about Surrey is that the Uni isn't far from London. It is about a 34 minute train journey making trips to London quick and efficient. There is also a big Tesco that is about a 3-5 minute bus journey or 10 minute walk so it is easy to pick up your shopping for the week.

Standard of Teaching & Support: In the Psychology department, the department has always maintained a high standard. I feel as though I am really benefitting from the teaching here and learning new things. The lecturers have always been quick in helping me. They also have contact hours which you can attend and ask them any questions you may have. For other support around the uni, there is a health and wellbeing centre which can help with any needs such as sexual health, mental health or any queries you may have. There is also a Career service team that can help with CVs and cover letters and even interviews.

If you also look at these two links you will be able to delve deeper into the psychology department and look at the facilities and equipment that will be available to you if you come to Surrey:
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/school-psychology
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/school-psyc...-and-equipment

I would suggest thinking about what is important to you that a university should have, for example for me it was a supportive department, you can compare the modules, compare the facilities, or even the nearby towns. By comparing these different factors, you should be able to weigh up the pros and cons and come to a decision based on that! I know it's not easy! But by doing this, it should help

I hope this helps and give you some more information! Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Becca

Thank you for the detailed reply, Becca! I have lots of questions, so please bear with me.

- I was wondering if there any stats on the employability/employment rate of graduates like the US colleges have?

- What sort of career support does the university provide besides making CVs and cover letters?

- How much is your cost of living approximately? I've read the information the university has on their website, is it accurate?

- Do you know of anyone doing this course? Could you connect me with them, I'd love to get their opinion on the course, what the workload is like, if it would be possible to work while studying and if so, what options there are nearby.

Apologies if that was too much!

I am an overseas (Indian) student who applied to Msc Psychology (conversion) courses. I'm 27, and am a returning student who took a 4 year break to run my own business. I have a BA and an MA in English (lit). I have been accepted to the following universities:

- Aberdeen
- Reading
- Essex
- Surrey
- Dundee
- Kingston University London

I am currently waiting for reverts from UCL, Edinburgh, and Stirling. However, I have to respond to Reading by the end of this month and pay a deposit to secure my place.

Can I get some insight into people's experiences with this course at these universities? What are the pros and cons? Just looking for opinions.

I'm really really interested in Edinburgh and UCL, but I also don't want to let go of Reading as an option. Between Aberdeen and Reading, which would you choose? Additionally, does anyone know of funding options for Indians/psychology students?

Hey @whatamacallit,

Congratulations on receiving an offer from Reading Uni!
Whilst I personally am not a psychology student I am a current student at Reading Uni. The MSc is taught in the three NHS clinics in-house "Anxiety & Depression, Speech & Language Therapy, Autism and Berkshire Memory & Cognition Clinic". The course does follow a similar structure to the BSc in Psychology so you might find it useful to speak to Emma who is currently studying a BSc in psychology to see how she has been finding it.

Academics aside Reading Uni is a fantastic environment as a student. Their careers service has been really helpful when applying to placements etc. There's also a variety of activities that you can take part in to help your CV stand out from the crowd. Additionally, Reading town is fantastic as it has great connections across the country and a variety of shops and restaurants.

I hope this helps and feel free to let us know if you have any questions or there is anything we can help with.
From,

Amina 😊
3rd year pharmacy student

Hey Amina!

Thanks for your detailed reply. Do you know if Masters taught students are allowed to gain any experience in the clinics?

What's the area around the university like?

Does the university help secure placements?

What is the administration like? Are they usually easy to deal with?

What is learning like right now? Are all classes online or is the university using a blended approach?