The Student Room Group
Freshers Week, University of Bath
University of Bath
Bath

Psychology (and Social Sciences) at Bath

Hi all,

My name is Danny and I am currently a MRes Psychology student at the University of Bath. Until last June, I was a BSci Psychology student here as well.

When I was applying for a Masters, I only applied at Bath (for a few courses within the social sciences) as I had an amazing undergraduate experience and was confident that that would be the case continuing with postgraduate education as well.

Particularly, as an MRes I am able to work on my own independent research project while being supervised and taught by some of the best researchers in their fields. I am certain that this is the case for other degrees, especially research degrees, within both the social and natural sciences, etc. If you are interested in the research done at Bath, please follow this link.

Further, I feel that the University, and the Students' Union specifically, are particularly engaged in ensuring student well-being through various accommodations, support services and networks, etc. This is quite important to me as a Psychology student, but also personally as being in a good place in regard to well-being is essential to doing well academically and in day-to-day activities generally.

These are only some of the reasons I chose to continue my education at Bath, but I wanted to give you an idea of what you might want to consider when choosing a university or course (undergraduate or postgraduate). I have started this thread in order to answer any questions you might have in regard to the application process, finance, accommodation, etc, as well as to give you more information about the various Psychology courses we provide.

Lastly, while I do have a background in Psychology, I have also taken optional units in Education, Politics, Sociology and Social Policy, so if you are interested in those as well, I should be able to help you out.

Danny,
MRes Psychology
Original post by University of Bath
Hi all,

My name is Danny and I am currently a MRes Psychology student at the University of Bath. Until last June, I was a BSci Psychology student here as well.

When I was applying for a Masters, I only applied at Bath (for a few courses within the social sciences) as I had an amazing undergraduate experience and was confident that that would be the case continuing with postgraduate education as well.

Particularly, as an MRes I am able to work on my own independent research project while being supervised and taught by some of the best researchers in their fields. I am certain that this is the case for other degrees, especially research degrees, within both the social and natural sciences, etc. If you are interested in the research done at Bath, please follow this link.

Further, I feel that the University, and the Students' Union specifically, are particularly engaged in ensuring student well-being through various accommodations, support services and networks, etc. This is quite important to me as a Psychology student, but also personally as being in a good place in regard to well-being is essential to doing well academically and in day-to-day activities generally.

These are only some of the reasons I chose to continue my education at Bath, but I wanted to give you an idea of what you might want to consider when choosing a university or course (undergraduate or postgraduate). I have started this thread in order to answer any questions you might have in regard to the application process, finance, accommodation, etc, as well as to give you more information about the various Psychology courses we provide.

Lastly, while I do have a background in Psychology, I have also taken optional units in Education, Politics, Sociology and Social Policy, so if you are interested in those as well, I should be able to help you out.

Danny,
MRes Psychology


Hi Danny, I was wondering whether the Psychology degree at Bath would be good for me if I want to become a human resources officer (or any other job business/work psychology related) since it appears that Bath focuses more on clinical/development/educational psychology. Can you tell me more about this (anything really, sorry this "question" is phrased so weirdly!)
Freshers Week, University of Bath
University of Bath
Bath
Reply 2
Original post by University of Bath
Hi all,

My name is Danny and I am currently a MRes Psychology student at the University of Bath. Until last June, I was a BSci Psychology student here as well.

When I was applying for a Masters, I only applied at Bath (for a few courses within the social sciences) as I had an amazing undergraduate experience and was confident that that would be the case continuing with postgraduate education as well.

Particularly, as an MRes I am able to work on my own independent research project while being supervised and taught by some of the best researchers in their fields. I am certain that this is the case for other degrees, especially research degrees, within both the social and natural sciences, etc. If you are interested in the research done at Bath, please follow this link.

Further, I feel that the University, and the Students' Union specifically, are particularly engaged in ensuring student well-being through various accommodations, support services and networks, etc. This is quite important to me as a Psychology student, but also personally as being in a good place in regard to well-being is essential to doing well academically and in day-to-day activities generally.

These are only some of the reasons I chose to continue my education at Bath, but I wanted to give you an idea of what you might want to consider when choosing a university or course (undergraduate or postgraduate). I have started this thread in order to answer any questions you might have in regard to the application process, finance, accommodation, etc, as well as to give you more information about the various Psychology courses we provide.

Lastly, while I do have a background in Psychology, I have also taken optional units in Education, Politics, Sociology and Social Policy, so if you are interested in those as well, I should be able to help you out.

Danny,
MRes Psychology


Hi Danny,
I have received a conditional offer for BSci Psychology. I was wondering about the workload of the course at Bath. How many lecture hours do we have to attend per week? Could you tell us about a day in your life as a former BSci student (what all a typical day consists of, etc)? Also, would you say that there is a lot of study pressure?

Thanks for reading. I am an international applicant so the study pattern will be a big change for me, so I'd like to get as much information as I can before I go off to college!
Original post by scallopsinspace
Hi Danny, I was wondering whether the Psychology degree at Bath would be good for me if I want to become a human resources officer (or any other job business/work psychology related) since it appears that Bath focuses more on clinical/development/educational psychology. Can you tell me more about this (anything really, sorry this "question" is phrased so weirdly!)


Hey, thank you for your question! The short answer to this is - yes, you will be able to use a Psychology degree from Bath to get into an HR or other work related/organizational psychology job. Bath is in fact quite focused on clinical, developmental, etc. psychology, but you are able to more or less gear your studies in the direction you want.

For example, while there are some core units that you will need to be taking in the first couple of years in order to cover all essential criteria for a BPS accredited course, you are also able to choose some optional units. If you look at the unit catalogue for a typical Psychology course at Bath you can see what the options are. Particularly, in the first and second year there are a couple of optional units provided by the School of Management to do with organizational behaviour, etc.

Also, you might notice that there is a specific unit 'Organizational psychology' available in the third year which is particularly useful in regard to your interests. You will be able to choose all your units in your final year, i.e. there are no mandatory units, unlike in the first two years.

Lastly, there are several placements available within companies and universities in the field of organizational psychology if you were interested in doing a placement.

The course I've linked to for the catalogue is the MSci Psychology without placement, but all courses will have the same units available until the final (Fourth) year and when you do them will vary in regard to whether you do a placement or not.

Generally, you will be able to tailor your degree to your preferences and interests (which may consequently change as well), especially in the final year. I, myself, have been more interested in cyberpsychology and social psychology, hence I did units tailoring to that during my undergraduate.

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Danny,
MRes Psychology
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by AnnSwift
Hi Danny,
I have received a conditional offer for BSci Psychology. I was wondering about the workload of the course at Bath. How many lecture hours do we have to attend per week? Could you tell us about a day in your life as a former BSci student (what all a typical day consists of, etc)? Also, would you say that there is a lot of study pressure?

Thanks for reading. I am an international applicant so the study pattern will be a big change for me, so I'd like to get as much information as I can before I go off to college!


Hey, congratulations on your offer!

Firstly, in terms of contact hours (i.e. lectures and seminars) you will not be getting as many as, for example, people from the Maths department, etc. You should, in the first couple of years at least, be having 5 units each semester. Each unit will typically have a 2 hour lecture each week which will be accompanied by seminars (typically an hour or so) sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly, or even twice a semester depending on the structure of the course. So I would say you would roughly have 13-15 contact hours a week.

Lectures will be quite big as they are for your whole degree, as well as people on other courses for whom the unit is optional and will usually be recorded. In those, lecturers will present research and key issues, theories, etc. in the specific field via a power point, etc. They tend to try and incorporate discussions and other activities into the lectures, but since they are quite big, it is not always possible. That's why there are seminars which are basically classes of 15-20 students where the issues could be discussed or debated in smaller groups, or a paper previously set up for reading would be discussed. These are lead by tutors or PhD students and in the first year are focused on helping you get into scientific essay writing as well as deal with exams.

In terms of study pressure, there really isn't any applied from the university or the department necessarily. Universities in the UK, and especially Bath, emphasize independent learning, so how much you read or study is all up to you. However, in order to not be stressed around exams or coursework deadlines, it is good to have some kind of habit of reading regularly. While the first year of your degree will not really count towards your diploma, if you are looking to go on placement in your third year, it would be good to have a higher grade in the first year, though it is not essential.

My days as a BSci were quite varied as I didn't have lectures every day, I would usually have most of my lectures on three or four days of the week and then I would have the rest off. As I was living in town rather than campus, I would usually use the gaps between lectures to catch up on reading or assessments, etc. Some of my friends just had designated dates and hours every week for reading, etc. for different units, but I usually used reading, etc. as a means to kill time in between lectures.

I also was involved in quite a lot of other things outside of academics as my schedule permitted it. For example, I was quite involved in the Volunteering society as a Project Manager for several events. I also had a 'casual' job where I would work on different events if I was available, i.e. there were no fixed hours. As a Fresher I also spent a lot of time with my friends, especially when it got warmer - we would go to the local park and play football, etc. And I started a new sport at university as well.

I think First year is the ideal time for you to find out what works for you and what doesn't both in terms of academics, and extracurricular activities. Hopefully it should be the case at any university you decide to attend, whether it is Bath or not.

Finally, you will have a lot of support with everything. There are personal tutors who are academics within the department that will tutor a group of you throughout your undergraduate degree and will be there to support you primarily academically, but also in terms of personal well-being. You will also have a peer mentor who would be a Second year student that will be there for you in these aspects but from a student perspective. And there are many, many other support services of which you will be made aware before coming to Bath (if you choose to do so) and throughout your time here.

Also, as an EU student myself, I can testify that there is incredible support for non-UK students here and there is also an International society that will probably start sending you emails and advice as soon as you have firmly confirmed your place at Bath.

I really hope this is helpful and wasn't too long. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Danny,
MRes Psychology
Reply 5
Original post by University of Bath
Hey, congratulations on your offer!

Firstly, in terms of contact hours (i.e. lectures and seminars) you will not be getting as many as, for example, people from the Maths department, etc. You should, in the first couple of years at least, be having 5 units each semester. Each unit will typically have a 2 hour lecture each week which will be accompanied by seminars (typically an hour or so) sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly, or even twice a semester depending on the structure of the course. So I would say you would roughly have 13-15 contact hours a week.

Lectures will be quite big as they are for your whole degree, as well as people on other courses for whom the unit is optional and will usually be recorded. In those, lecturers will present research and key issues, theories, etc. in the specific field via a power point, etc. They tend to try and incorporate discussions and other activities into the lectures, but since they are quite big, it is not always possible. That's why there are seminars which are basically classes of 15-20 students where the issues could be discussed or debated in smaller groups, or a paper previously set up for reading would be discussed. These are lead by tutors or PhD students and in the first year are focused on helping you get into scientific essay writing as well as deal with exams.

In terms of study pressure, there really isn't any applied from the university or the department necessarily. Universities in the UK, and especially Bath, emphasize independent learning, so how much you read or study is all up to you. However, in order to not be stressed around exams or coursework deadlines, it is good to have some kind of habit of reading regularly. While the first year of your degree will not really count towards your diploma, if you are looking to go on placement in your third year, it would be good to have a higher grade in the first year, though it is not essential.

My days as a BSci were quite varied as I didn't have lectures every day, I would usually have most of my lectures on three or four days of the week and then I would have the rest off. As I was living in town rather than campus, I would usually use the gaps between lectures to catch up on reading or assessments, etc. Some of my friends just had designated dates and hours every week for reading, etc. for different units, but I usually used reading, etc. as a means to kill time in between lectures.

I also was involved in quite a lot of other things outside of academics as my schedule permitted it. For example, I was quite involved in the Volunteering society as a Project Manager for several events. I also had a 'casual' job where I would work on different events if I was available, i.e. there were no fixed hours. As a Fresher I also spent a lot of time with my friends, especially when it got warmer - we would go to the local park and play football, etc. And I started a new sport at university as well.

I think First year is the ideal time for you to find out what works for you and what doesn't both in terms of academics, and extracurricular activities. Hopefully it should be the case at any university you decide to attend, whether it is Bath or not.

Finally, you will have a lot of support with everything. There are personal tutors who are academics within the department that will tutor a group of you throughout your undergraduate degree and will be there to support you primarily academically, but also in terms of personal well-being. You will also have a peer mentor who would be a Second year student that will be there for you in these aspects but from a student perspective. And there are many, many other support services of which you will be made aware before coming to Bath (if you choose to do so) and throughout your time here.

Also, as an EU student myself, I can testify that there is incredible support for non-UK students here and there is also an International society that will probably start sending you emails and advice as soon as you have firmly confirmed your place at Bath.

I really hope this is helpful and wasn't too long. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Danny,
MRes Psychology


This was VERY informative and helpful. Thank you so much! :smile: I will ask you if I have any more questions!
Dear Danny,
I've just applied for the Psych BSci course at Bath a few days ago (Nov 8th), and I'm getting anxious about whether or not I'll receive an offer. How long did it take for them to get back to you about the offer? And how many people do they accept for this course each year? I've heard rumours that it's only eighteen people, which is crazy, and makes me very nervous. Bath is the only university I want to go to, and I'll be very very sad if I don't get an offer :frown:
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by osmosis829
Dear Danny,
I've just applied for the Psych BSci course at Bath a few days ago (Nov 8th), and I'm getting anxious about whether or not I'll receive an offer. How long did it take for them to get back to you about the offer? And how many people do they accept for this course each year? I've heard rumours that it's only eighteen people, which is crazy, and makes me very nervous. Bath is the only university I want to go to, and I'll be very very sad if I don't get an offer :frown:

Hey! I've applied for the same course, my UCAS got sent on Oct 31st and I haven't heard anything back either. I'm not sure about only accpeting 18 people, that seems a bit low? But sometimes they wait until after the January deadline so I guess we'll just have to wait until then. good luck, hope it works out for you! :smile:
Original post by shreelz
Hey! I've applied for the same course, my UCAS got sent on Oct 31st and I haven't heard anything back either. I'm not sure about only accpeting 18 people, that seems a bit low? But sometimes they wait until after the January deadline so I guess we'll just have to wait until then. good luck, hope it works out for you! :smile:

Thanks for your reply shreelz!! I just got an offer!!! Condition of 36 IB points, which I'm pretty confident in getting :biggrin: Maybe I'll see you at Bath next September?
Original post by osmosis829
Thanks for your reply shreelz!! I just got an offer!!! Condition of 36 IB points, which I'm pretty confident in getting :biggrin: Maybe I'll see you at Bath next September?

congratulations! I got an offer as well for A*AA, which I think I should be able to get! Hopefully I'll see you on campus ahhhh :smile:

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