Psychology at York?

I'd really appreciate some help here.

I've been thinking about York for a little while, but only recently have I started to seriously consider it as somewhere I could apply. I want to study Psychology, and I've got a few questions about both the course and the university itself.

1. I've heard good things about Psychology at York. Anyone on here study Psychology? What's the teaching like? How is the teaching arranged in terms of lectures and personal study time?

2. Is the Psychology department nice?

3. Is the university as a whole more modern or more traditional?

4. I've heard that there are 8 or so colleges at York. What difference does it make in terms of the college you're in? Are you more likely to be grouped with others studying the same subject?

5. I live in the south of England, near-ish Southampton. York is a long way for me travel- the only thing that has really put me off the uni so far. Would it be easier to make the journey by train or by car? Anyone got any idea how long it would take me for me to get to York?

6. What are the surroundings like? Where's the nearest town? Is there plenty to see and do, or is it quite quiet?

7. According to the website, offers for Psychology are from AAB-ABB. Which of the two are they most likely to offer?

8. I'm in a bit of a rough situation with my A-levels right now. I've underperformed at AS, but I know that with hard work and perserverence, ABB or even AAB are in my reach. If I were to get predicted grades of, let's say AAB, would I be considered? Or do my AS levels mean I have no chance?

Sorry for the long post, but I've only just 'discovered' York as such, and would love to find out more about it- especially from current students. Thanks for any replies!

Reply 1

laser

Okay, I'm not a Pyschology student but I can answer your more general questions

3. Is the university as a whole more modern or more traditional?

York is a "new" University, similar to Warwick, so it's only been around from the 1960's, so it's definitely a modern University.

4. I've heard that there are 8 or so colleges at York. What difference does it make in terms of the college you're in? Are you more likely to be grouped with others studying the same subject?

It makes no difference academically. The only difference it makes is which halls you're in in your first year, and if you play college sport, you have to play it for your college. The accommodation office try to spread people evenly around the colleges.

5. I live in the south of England, near-ish Southampton. York is a long way for me travel- the only thing that has really put me off the uni so far. Would it be easier to make the journey by train or by car? Anyone got any idea how long it would take me for me to get to York?

I would say by train, apart from when you're moving in and out and have tonnes of stuff with you. There are direct trains to Southampton, but they're slow (5 hours). Just tapping it into TheTrainLine gives a route via London, which will be a bit of a pain, but takes only 4 hours. Driving would take about 4 hours too.

6. What are the surroundings like? Where's the nearest town? Is there plenty to see and do, or is it quite quiet?

York's the nearest city to campus (surprisingly). It's a small city with a lot of history, although it doesn't have the nightlife of a bigger city, although Leeds is very close by train. There's also the whole of North Yorkshire to explore :smile:

York also has the most student societies of any UK uni (I think), so there's no shortage of things to do!

Reply 2

SylverStrike

laser

Okay, I'm not a Pyschology student but I can answer your more general questions

Thank you so much for the help, laser!

I quite like the idea of colleges, even if it doesn't really make a difference on the whole. I guess it creates a smaller community spirit within a larger community.

A four hour drive isn't as bad as I thought it would be! Especially if I were to leave early in the morning...And four hours by train also isn't bad.

So York the city is quite traditional? That must be nice in comparison with the uni- I like the sound of that. I prefer unis based in small cities as opposed to the idea of going somewhere like Manchester or London, definitely.

Most student societies? I really like the sound of that!

Once again, thanks very much for the help. York is sounding more and more appealing. I really ought to go and visit one weekend and get a real feel of the place.

Reply 3

SpinachCheese

I study psychology at york. I'm just going into my 2nd year. The first year consisted of 2 modules per term, with generally 14 lectures a week for each module, along with seminars and practical sessions. Generally, theres a lot of personal study time to be done. You tend to get a lot of free time where you're expected to do reading, write essays and reports etc.

The psychology department is really nice, looks really new and modern and has good facilities.

Most of the people i talked to last year were offered AAB. I dunno how likely that will be this year, but if I were you I'd aim for that. If you have any other questions, ask away!

Reply 4

Dez

I think it's more like the biggest society:student ratio, rather than the most societies outright. York is quite a small uni, only about 8,000 students total. It's about 20-30 mins walk from the city centre, which is all very old and cobbled and traditional. There's no shortage of pubs and bars though there's scarce choice between nightclubs. The uni itself has a very green campus, though the buildings are rather drab and ugly. Unlike most campuses it doesn't have many roads, mostly due to the massive lake in the middle of it. So it tends to be fairly quiet, at least until the students get there. :wink:

I would say it'd be more like 5 hours driving, but it mostly depends on traffic and things of course. The trains from King's Cross are generally quite quick, but can be expensive, especially on weekends.

Reply 5

Interrobang

I live in Portsmouth and went to York uni (doing Psychology as well). The journey wasn't that bad - the trains are comfortable to London, have wireless internet (free) if you take your laptop, and you have a reserved seat. The only difficulty is if you have a huge bag and taking it on the underground, but I often got a taxi. Just remember you have to book in advance to get cheap tickets! I often visited my bf during term time (not near here but took basically as long to get there) and I found it fine to do on a fairly regular basis

Reply 6

Flyingmarshmallows

I am currently in a dilemna, I can't seem to choose between Exeter Sheffield and York for Psychology. They all seem very decent and are ranked highly for undergraduate Psychology. Is anyone else doing psychology at any of these places? Do let me know your insights.