Hi
!
Application:I applied for the 2 year BSc Psychology with Marketing course.
I completed an application, and then got a response within the week. I was then given a date of the Psychology selection interview (15th March 2017)- The psychology department gave me a journal article, and about 16 questions to come annotated and answered before hand (a month or two before the interview).
Selection Day Interview:On the day, I drove up from MK, a 15-20 min drive to the University of Buckingham, it was such a sunny, gorgeous drive. The university itself is situated in a very cute town, full of green spaces, shops along the way and very easily accessible to bus/taxi stops (had to keep an eye open for potential night outs)! The university was very beautiful, and neat and tidy. Very aesthetic location, again surrounded with nature. I was greeted by a very kind lady who took us to their cafe as I was a few minutes early, we could older coffees, teas etc on the house which was very welcoming. We then went into a lecture room, there were roughly about 15-20 applicants, and their parents. We were given a quick introduction to the university, with a video playing in the background about what psychology is like at the university. Parents were then asked to stay in the lecture room for a finance/ other important details talk, whilst we were split into groups of 6 to go off into a tutorial style group discussion/interview.
We were then asked by the lecturer who was running our session to find out things about our new peers by participating in a little activity which was really fun. We then went through the journal article, based on the pre set list of questions we were asked to come prepared with. It was a very informal, unstructured setting, where we were able to all have a say and able to share our views/opinions. I was very apprehensive and nervous at first, as meeting new people is something that naturally can be quite daunting, but the small informal group made it so easy to break out of the nervous shell! There was a second lady who sat behind the group, making notes about the interview. The whole ordeal lasted about 45mins to an hour (cannot remember specifics), but time really flew!
(social aspect, clubbing, term times/holidays etc...)We then all joined back into the lecture room and talked about term dates/ structures of the 2 year courses and modules that may be taken etc. They than had 2 students that were currently on the courses, who were able to give us info that we wanted first hand from students. I was worrying that the social aspect of Buckingham might have been on a bit of the dull side, as I had read numerous views on sites, so it was something to query about. One of the students said that due to the university compromising of only about 2,500 students, apposed to a normal university town of 30,000 +, you are forced to communicate and socialise with everyone. As everyone knows everyone, which i really liked. In terms of parties etc. student union hold events every wednesday night and friday. Students also go into Milton Keynes for their night clubs (which i was shocked about, as I grew up in MK and have found it boring!) but also london and oxford. He also said that you make soo many friends whom live across the world, so you are always widening your thresholds of experiences and learning about other cultures.
Another thing that I failed to find any info about regarding the Uni before going to the selection day, was how the 2 years worked in terms of holidays etc, as it is a 3 year course material, put into 2 years. It is quite complicated to narrow it down, but we were given a detailed handout which clarified everything. But to shorten the information I was given, you get 6 weeks at christmas, about 2 weeks at easter, 2 weeks before july, you are in lectures over july- september (which shocked me! haha) and then have a few weeks after september. One thing I liked that they told me, was that due to the exams at the beginning of december, and June, you then go on your breaks which means that during those holidays, you can actually have a break free from studying!! The overal day was really special, and fulfilling, made me really excited about attending there (hopefully)!
Receiving an offer:The interview was on the wednesday, and I had then received a very special email on friday afternoon, stating that I was offered a place for the course I wanted. They actually put in time and effort to give positive individual feedback about the selection day which made me feel so great, and not just like another candidate number on a generic form! It was such a surreal experience, as they had also included term dates, key info etc etc. I woke up the next morning with a post card from the university itself! The lecturer who conducted the tutorial session had personally written a thank you note, and picked up on a point that I had made during the day that she was very impressed with. This again, made my impression of Buckingham exceed even higher
I am now confirming and firming this course, and on results day will hopefully be attending The University of Buckingham in September.
I hope this post was insightful! I found it very hard before hand, finding useful information to help me understand this uni before actually sending in an application. So I hope it may have answered some questions. If you would like to know anything else, just let me know!
Good luck to any potential classmates of 2017!
Sahana x