Psychology at University

I don't study psychology at a level so just want to know what psychology like at university and just any information people can give me about it?

Reply 1

Daniellecorni5h

Original post by taylorjackson

I don't study psychology at a level so just want to know what psychology like at university and just any information people can give me about it?

Can you give a bit more info on what sort of things you'd like to know? It obviously depends on which uni you go to. But most will start you off in first year with the basic theories in psychology, so different viewpoints such as biological, psychodynamic, social etc. as well as statistics and research methods. To be honest these bits are the most boring but you need to understand them before you can move onto the applied stuff in later years. This involves applying the thoretical bits to real life, such as in clinical psychology, forensic, environmental, vision, the list goes on... In terms of assessment it'll be mostly exams, with small bits of coursework (both essays and practical reports where you do a piece of research and write it up as per scientific style). Let me know if there's anything more specific you'd like to know :smile:

Reply 2

taylorjackson

Sorry for being so vague! I'm thinking of maybe Nottingham Trent University but I'm only just going into year 13 so i haven't definitely decided. I was just worried because of the statistics as i only have a C in maths at GCSE and I'm unsure on how hard they are? Also i haven't done any work experience - will that lower my chances?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 3

Daniellecorni5h

Original post by taylorjackson

Almost everyone who considers/does a degree in psych freaks out about the stats. But realistically, it's one part of a big variety of things you study so even if you hate it and have to get extra help or spend extra time on that bit, I think it'll be balanced out by the other bits you're better at or enjoy more. Stats exams tend to be at least partially multiple-choice so that makes them easier than they might otherwise be. My uni did stats/maths drop-in sessions because psych students for people who struggled with that component. But as I said, it's a minimal part of the course overall, a necessary evil haha.

*Some* unis ask for a B in GCSE maths (if I remember correctly) but I believe this is only a minority, so you can check that when deciding where to apply. What A Levels are you doing? If any of them are science-related that will help you :smile:

I hadn't done any work experience relating to psych before uni, because it's so hard to get when you're young. If you're looking to get some experience online mentoring is something I did a few years ago, and seems to be easier to get into that in-person experience. Apart from that just play up anything you have done (work, extracurricular, and even just hobbies) and make sure you state why that makes you a great candidate in your personal statement on your application. You could also have a read of a psych book or article and name-drop that in your application (...that's what I did!)

Reply 4

taylorjackson

wow thankyou that makes me feel so much better haha :h:

Hopefully the drop in sessions or some extra help i i think should be fine then! I doing Sociology, English Language and History so not very science related but I'm going to relate them to Psychology. I will have a look into the online mentoring that sounds good, especially for an additional thing to add to personal statement! and yes I've got some psychology books to read also a textbook so hopefully they should help me out with some background reading :smile:

Did you go abroad when you studied Psychology? I know some unis offer you to go for a year but kind of thinking time spent doing work experience here in the UK would be more valuable e.g. with the NHS. (sorry for all the questioning!!)

Reply 5

Daniellecorni5h

Original post by taylorjackson

wow thankyou that makes me feel so much better haha :h:

I'm fine with the questioning (helps we get through the work day now that I'm a graduate haha)!

That all sounds like you're doing the right things to make a good appication. Sociology can be very relevant to psych especially, you just might find that your offers will be slightly higher than those given to people who take a science or maths at a Level (I was offered AAB instead of AAA because I did both psych and maths).

I did the 4 year sandwich course, so my 3rd year was spent on a 30-week placement, which we had to apply for off our own back, like a normal job. I ended up working in a community mental health team in Cardiff (some people went abroad but it takes A LOT of organisation and probably also a lot of money). It was unpaid, and to be honest I didn't enjoy it. But that's not to put you off - it allowed me to see that I don't want to go into clinical psychology, and now I'm working in statistics but thinking of doing psych research at some point in the future :smile:

Reply 6

taylorjackson

haha i guess it does! And yeah i thought my entry requirements might be slightly higher but hopefully i can pull it off! And oh right its still good to do as it has narrowed down your options and now you know what you specifically want to go into so i will definitely do some kind of work experience!!

Reply 7

LJStudent

I do Psychology at Plymouth and am going into my final year and it's a great course. Based around research methods though, so you'll learn about statistical methods a fair bit and really helps tie in your knowledge. I'd recommend Psychology as a degree to anyone, as any job that you're going to do in the future will most likely involve interactions with other people. A degree like Psychology can set you up for any career you desire, within reason.

Reply 8

taylorjackson

It seems so interesting and I've always wanted to do work that helps other people also work that involves health or relates to the NHS. Did you do psychology as an a-level or any science subjects as i haven't and I'm kind of worried i will struggle :frown:

Reply 9

LJStudent

I did Psychology at A-Level but it wasn't until I started at university that I really got into the subject. A-Level barely scrapes the surface. The course at Plymouth doesn't require A-Level so you can just go straight in and learn everything from scratch.

Reply 10

scrawlx101

Original post by LJStudent

what are the more interesting topics you study?

how different is your writing style from alevel?

do you have to learn spearmans rank?

what job are you looking to go into?

Reply 11

LJStudent

In my opinion the most interesting topics I've studied is biopsychology, so the actual physiology of the brain and how that translates to behaviour. I'm doing a module in social neuroscience next year for my final year which I'm really looking forward to.

The writing style is much different - with my A Level you basically needed to learn a set answer and that would pass you. With the university level writing, you're expected to reference anything you say that is based on research. You can't just say something and expect the professor to just go along with it, you need to provide evidence.

Spearman's Rank was covered and you learn how it works, but for our exam we had a multiple choice stats exam with a formula sheet so you couldn't go wrong if you understood the basic concepts behind it.

I'm looking at going into estate agency, selling and appraising houses, then starting my own business. My circumstances are different from the typical uni student though, most people on my course are looking to go into the clinical psychological practice (bearing in mind there's about 4 jobs in the UK for clinical psychology...)