Psychology at Uni - Ask me Anything!

OP

I love it! Theres slightly more maths than at a-level, but I would say the main difference is that at Uni level it is so much more interesting!

I would recommend Nottingham as uni, beautiful campus and the amount of equipment and resources us students can play with and use is huge 😊

Reply 3

Lkathryn08

19

What made you pick a psychology degree?

Do you have plans for what you want to do post degree?

Fellow notts student here! So sad my time there has been cut short.

Reply 4

OP

Nice to see a fellow Notts student! 😊

I picked it because, of all the subjects I did at school, psychology was the only one that made me sit back and go Woah. I got super interested in it, and never stopped

Post-grad im thinking of going back to study again, and either eventually going into research or psychiatry (something where I can keep going Woah 😊)

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 5

fedup123

9

Original post by TheOnlyIzzy

As part of the TSR Ask a University Student 2.0 Initiative, this thread is for all and any questions you have about studying Psychology at university!

Im currently a Psychology Student at the University of Nottingham, feel free to ask me anything! 😊

@barror1

any chance you could help a girl out with her first year uni work?

Reply 6

OP

Original post by hamida19

any chance you could help a girl out with her first year uni work?

Hahah unfortunately I’m only a first year myself

Reply 7

fedup123

9

do you have any notes on comparing and contrasting episodic and semantic memory? im struggling so bad with my essay

Reply 8

OP

Original post by hamida19

do you have any notes on comparing and contrasting episodic and semantic memory? im struggling so bad with my essay

Yeah I do 😊 send me your email and I’ll send you my memory notes

Reply 9

Tmiss

2

Hi!
Do you have any book recommendations for an A-Level student who would like to read some Uni-level psychology that is informative but easy to understand?
Thanks! :smile:

Reply 10

Original post by Tmiss

Hi!
Do you have any book recommendations for an A-Level student who would like to read some Uni-level psychology that is informative but easy to understand?
Thanks! :smile:

Hey, I think a good fairly accessible textbook covering a variety of areas including research methods, social, developmental, neuropsychology etc. is Psychology (8th edition, or any would probably be suitable), by Gleitman, Gross and Reisberg. You might have to google a few words, but from what I remember, most of it is well explained. Textbooks are usually quite expensive to buy, but I know there's a PDF version of this book floating around on the internet somewhere. Hope this helps!

Reply 11

superpossible1

17

Hi @Marni_
I'm currently in year 12 and interested in studying psychology w/ education

What are your postgraduate plans?
Is the split between the two subjects roughly 50/50 and do you miss out topics from both subject (compared to people who are studying them education/psychology individually)? Does this also mean that you would have some lectures with the psychology students and others with the education students, or do you specifically have psychology w/ education lectures?
What would your workload typically look like?
What is the gender ratio in your classes (asking this as a guy lol)

Thanks in advance :smile:

Reply 12

Issakatie

What would be a good way to prepare for the degree?
Do you think your career prospects are okay?
Do you receive any help or advice regarding post grad plans and gaining experience / volunteering, or do you have to sort this stuff out yourself?

Reply 13

Original post by moso2203

Hi @Marni_
I'm currently in year 12 and interested in studying psychology w/ education

What are your postgraduate plans?
Is the split between the two subjects roughly 50/50 and do you miss out topics from both subject (compared to people who are studying them education/psychology individually)? Does this also mean that you would have some lectures with the psychology students and others with the education students, or do you specifically have psychology w/ education lectures?
What would your workload typically look like?
What is the gender ratio in your classes (asking this as a guy lol)

Thanks in advance :smile:

Hey, thanks for the tag and I'm so excited to hear that you're interested in Psych with Ed! Are you looking at UCL or other unis?
I'm starting Graduate Entry Medicine in September, so not the typical route after a Psych degree, but I am considering psychiatry as a specialty because I've loved my degree. Regardless of speciality though, I do still think it'll be hugely beneficial as a Dr because both psychology and education can be related to almost every industry.
I can't speak for all uni's so this advice is all UCL specific, hope that's ok!
I would say that overall the degree is a fairly even split, although it can be tailored to one of the disciplines if you wanted through optional modules. For me I found 1st year quite education heavy, but 2nd year was psychology heavy because it contained all the BPS mandatory modules (this was my fave year). In 3rd year you have the most choice. So I did mostly psych modules (including a course on CBT, and criminal journeys), although my friend chose education modules (ones that focus on special educational needs). And another friend chose to do a language amongst other things, so it really is what you make it.
I definitely don't think you miss out on core topics, but obviously you can't do all the optional modules for both courses! This would be the same for any course though, you never get to do every module. There may be 15+ on offer, and you can pick 2 a year, course depending. Psychology has the mandatory BPS modules, so anywhere you go you will deffo do all of core psych (if the degree is BPS accredited- which is necessary for a career in psych).
The way it works at UCL is that Psych with Ed is its own course with its own modules. You do share some education modules with education students. Psych modules though tend to be just your cohort. I found this a huge bonus because it's such a small cohort (~45 people, compared to 200+ on typical straight psych/education courses), which meant it was a lot more personal and you build far better relationships with your lecturers (speaking from experience because I studied straight Psych at a different uni before leaving for UCL).
Workload depends on the year you're in and the modules you've chosen. I think it's perfectly manageable throughout the 3 years. There are obviously times when you have multiple deadlines in a month (beginning and end of terms usually), but on the whole the course team do a great job at spreading them out. And you can be organised and get them done before that month, you know the assessment months before it's actually due. I found that I actually didn't have enough work last semester, but that was because I chose more credits in the Autumn term so I could work on my dissertation in Spring.
Hahaha, well, in my cohort there were I think 5 guys and 40 odd girls... I do believe that the year below me is more of an even split though, so it is a bit of luck (I don't know what ratio you would consider lucky :lol:

)! Straight psych and straight education have similar ratios- they all tend to be female heavy. Don't let that put you off though! We deffo need more males in both fields and I don't think any of them have had a problem with being the only few!
I hope that's helpful, and please let me know if you have any more questions!

Reply 14

OP

Original post by Issakatie

What would be a good way to prepare for the degree?
Do you think your career prospects are okay?
Do you receive any help or advice regarding post grad plans and gaining experience / volunteering, or do you have to sort this stuff out yourself?

The best way to prepare for the degree is really just accepting that you’ve got to put the work in. Psychology as a subject isn’t really that complex or difficult, there’s just a lot of content you’ve got to crack down on.

I’m taking my psychology masters at the moment, so yeah I think so. They say you need a masters or higher in psychology now days because too many people have a psychology bachelors degree, but that’s becoming the same for most subjects now.

I’m only just going into my second year (my course is 4 years) so not so much career wise yet, but we have been given so many resources available online and so many volunteering opportunities it’s insane (this is for Nottingham however, I can’t speak for other universities)

Reply 15

Original post by Issakatie

What would be a good way to prepare for the degree?
Do you think your career prospects are okay?
Do you receive any help or advice regarding post grad plans and gaining experience / volunteering, or do you have to sort this stuff out yourself?

Career prospects are good if you want to go into an area of psych, there's quite a lack of psychologists. You will probably need at least a master's, if not a PhD, especially if you want to go into educational or clinical psych (amongst others probably).
I think as TheOnlyIzzy said, the career stuff really depends on the uni/department. My department was fantastic with this and held annual events with outside speakers for all different areas of psychology. Then the uni in general had career fairs and offered loads of volunteering opportunities. Most uni's will have a Volunteering society so make sure to check that out!

Reply 16

Leslie Knope

20

Did you consider salary when deciding what career you could get into with a psychology degree?

Reply 17

superpossible1

17

Original post by Marni_

Hey, thanks for the tag and I'm so excited to hear that you're interested in Psych with Ed! Are you looking at UCL or other unis?
I'm starting Graduate Entry Medicine in September, so not the typical route after a Psych degree, but I am considering psychiatry as a specialty because I've loved my degree. Regardless of speciality though, I do still think it'll be hugely beneficial as a Dr because both psychology and education can be related to almost every industry.
I can't speak for all uni's so this advice is all UCL specific, hope that's ok!
I would say that overall the degree is a fairly even split, although it can be tailored to one of the disciplines if you wanted through optional modules. For me I found 1st year quite education heavy, but 2nd year was psychology heavy because it contained all the BPS mandatory modules (this was my fave year). In 3rd year you have the most choice. So I did mostly psych modules (including a course on CBT, and criminal journeys), although my friend chose education modules (ones that focus on special educational needs). And another friend chose to do a language amongst other things, so it really is what you make it.
I definitely don't think you miss out on core topics, but obviously you can't do all the optional modules for both courses! This would be the same for any course though, you never get to do every module. There may be 15+ on offer, and you can pick 2 a year, course depending. Psychology has the mandatory BPS modules, so anywhere you go you will deffo do all of core psych (if the degree is BPS accredited- which is necessary for a career in psych).
The way it works at UCL is that Psych with Ed is its own course with its own modules. You do share some education modules with education students. Psych modules though tend to be just your cohort. I found this a huge bonus because it's such a small cohort (~45 people, compared to 200+ on typical straight psych/education courses), which meant it was a lot more personal and you build far better relationships with your lecturers (speaking from experience because I studied straight Psych at a different uni before leaving for UCL).
Workload depends on the year you're in and the modules you've chosen. I think it's perfectly manageable throughout the 3 years. There are obviously times when you have multiple deadlines in a month (beginning and end of terms usually), but on the whole the course team do a great job at spreading them out. And you can be organised and get them done before that month, you know the assessment months before it's actually due. I found that I actually didn't have enough work last semester, but that was because I chose more credits in the Autumn term so I could work on my dissertation in Spring.
Hahaha, well, in my cohort there were I think 5 guys and 40 odd girls... I do believe that the year below me is more of an even split though, so it is a bit of luck (I don't know what ratio you would consider lucky :lol:

)! Straight psych and straight education have similar ratios- they all tend to be female heavy. Don't let that put you off though! We deffo need more males in both fields and I don't think any of them have had a problem with being the only few!
I hope that's helpful, and please let me know if you have any more questions!

Thank you so much for the detailed response :smile:

I have been looking a bit at other unis. Cambridge is one of them as they offer psychology with education (it's named something else though) and my predicted grades are good enough and I was encouraged by my school to consider it. I've looked at UCL as well because it's one of a few unis to have a slightly higher entry requirement for the course, most of them including my local UoB only require like ABB which is a little underwhelming considering my preds, while UCL requires AAA.
Psychiatry is also a really interesting field and you're right that your psych degree will come in handy. I'm the kind of person to spend ages planning out for the future (while anything can happen lol) but this is my rough career plan: I want to go into educational psychology eventually so after my degree, I'll do a PGCE in a subject (psychology or English, idk), teach for a while and then do my doctorate in educational psychology. I don't think it requires a masters, just a psychology degree with experience of working with children. I'm a little scared because there's been posts by people in this subforum which say that psychology career prospects are trash, and I've got a cousin who graduated with a psychology degree a few years ago and she's unemployed...but i guess there has to be individual circumstances in her case.
I always expected the gender ratio to be one sided lol, I've been going to a boys school since year 7 so that's why it'll be a bit weird for me but i guess you have to get used to it :h:

thanks again for the answers!

edit: I also have another question if you don't mind - what were the interview questions like for psychology/education. I can't find any of them online that are for this specific combination; they are mostly for psychology, and there's only one or two for education, but none for the joint degree.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 18

Original post by moso2203

Thank you so much for the detailed response :smile:

I have been looking a bit at other unis. Cambridge is one of them as they offer psychology with education (it's named something else though) and my predicted grades are good enough and I was encouraged by my school to consider it. I've looked at UCL as well because it's one of a few unis to have a slightly higher entry requirement for the course, most of them including my local UoB only require like ABB which is a little underwhelming considering my preds, while UCL requires AAA.
Psychiatry is also a really interesting field and you're right that your psych degree will come in handy. I'm the kind of person to spend ages planning out for the future (while anything can happen lol) but this is my rough career plan: I want to go into educational psychology eventually so after my degree, I'll do a PGCE in a subject (psychology or English, idk), teach for a while and then do my doctorate in educational psychology. I don't think it requires a masters, just a psychology degree with experience of working with children. I'm a little scared because there's been posts by people in this subforum which say that psychology career prospects are trash, and I've got a cousin who graduated with a psychology degree a few years ago and she's unemployed...but i guess there has to be individual circumstances in her case.
I always expected the gender ratio to be one sided lol, I've been going to a boys school since year 7 so that's why it'll be a bit weird for me but i guess you have to get used to it :h:

thanks again for the answers!

edit: I also have another question if you don't mind - what were the interview questions like for psychology/education. I can't find any of them online that are for this specific combination; they are mostly for psychology, and there's only one or two for education, but none for the joint degree.

How exciting! Yeah I know what you mean about entry grades, it's normal to want the best that you can get. What I will say though, is that course content and area really do matter too. Of course go for top uni's if you can, but when deciding between them, don't just go on prestige. I did this my first time round and ending up leaving to move to UCL because the uni wasn't right for me, which cost me time and money (I was deffo drawn in by their league table positions).
That sounds like you've got a plan! My best friend is aiming to become an educational psychologist, so I know a bit about the entry requirements. It's a competitive doctorate but you would be in good stead with teaching experience. She's a TA whilst doing a masters part time to get both another degree and experience, but you're right, it doesn't necessarily require a masters. It's a big commitment to become a teacher, with the PGCE, NQT year and all the stresses teachers have, when you won't be doing it for too long, so do consider TA roles or similar as well, as the experience is just as useful when applying.
I think there is some stigma around Psychology's employability, and it's become a very popular choice at uni. The thing is, a lot of people have a BSc/BA nowadays, so you need to do more to land a good job (i.e. Master's and experience through part time jobs/volunteering). I don't think being unemployed with a Psych degree says much about psychology's employability, but more about the current job market and number of people with a general degree. There are so many graduates who are in low skilled jobs or unemployed. I don't think it's anything you need to worry about though; you have a solid plan and as long as you have the determination to get there, you'll be absolutely fine. It's competitive to train as one, but once you're qualified, there's a real lack of educational psychologists (as with most trained psychologists tbh).
RE interviews, most courses at most uni's don't have interviews. Oxbridge interview for everything, but other than that, most uni's just interview for teaching courses and medicine (as far as I'm aware). So, with the exception of Cambridge, I'd be very surprised if you had to interview anywhere. I don't know much about Cambridge interviews, but at Oxford, they asked questions that test your thinking skills, which you can't really prepare for. They want to see how you work through problems, and whether you can justify your answers. They also do want to see evidence of your interest too, of course, so read around the topics you're interested in and be prepared to answer things that are a bit out there.

Reply 19