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Is it worth taking another gap year to get into a top uni?

I was planning to firm Aberdeen for psychology but I'm just wondering if it's worth to take a gap year to get into psychology at universities like Glasgow or Edinburgh. Aberdeen seems like a really good uni with high student satisfaction but obviously Glasgow and Edinburgh are more "prestigious". The thing is that I'm already a mature student going to uni (I'm in my 20s) and I already had to postpone uni for quite a while cause of the family issues. I told myself there's no way I'd be losing another year but I can't get rid of that feeling that I had a potential to do better. So I was wondering if taking another year off would be worth it at all just to get into a more prestigious university?
(edited 2 years ago)
Another year isn't really long in the grand scheme of things for a uni you really want, you probably have 30-40 years of career left so another year won't make that much difference time wise.

How much more will it advantage you to wait? Will a another uni give you better career prospects in your field? Do you feel you'd achieve a better grade at another uni? Can you use the next year constructively to get more work experience and save some money perhaps? All would be good reasons to think about to justify the year wait i think.

Edit: You could also see if there are any places in extra or clearing this year at a uni you prefer.
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by Kogomogo
Another year isn't really long in the grand scheme of things for a uni you really want, you probably have 30-40 years of career left so another year won't make that much difference time wise.

How much more will it advantage you to wait? Will a another uni give you better career prospects in your field? Do you feel you'd achieve a better grade at another uni? Can you use the next year constructively to get more work experience and save some money perhaps? All would be good reasons to think about to justify the year wait i think.

Edit: You could also see if there are any places in extra or clearing this year at a uni you prefer.

Thanks for your response X This is exactly what I'm wondering, I know Glasgow and Edinburgh are more prestigious but I wonder to what extent does it affect career prospects in psychological fields.

And clearing/adjustment are what I'm thinking of as well, although I don't think Glasgow or Edi will have psychology courses there.
Original post by bethanny_g
Thanks for your response X This is exactly what I'm wondering, I know Glasgow and Edinburgh are more prestigious but I wonder to what extent does it affect career prospects in psychological fields.

And clearing/adjustment are what I'm thinking of as well, although I don't think Glasgow or Edi will have psychology courses there.


I've not done psychology so not much idea how the uni choice affects job. I know that some courses have some sort of accreditation and others don't so that might be worth looking into. I've also seen a few threads that suggest work experience is very important in getting a job afterwards as they are so competitive (so do any unis offer placements or research assisting opportunities), as well as more specialist masters courses afterwards being helpful in landing a job (which you could do at a different uni).
Original post by bethanny_g
I was planning to firm Aberdeen for psychology but I'm just wondering if it's worth to take a gap year to get into psychology at universities like Glasgow or Edinburgh. Aberdeen seems like a really good uni with high student satisfaction but obviously Glasgow and Edinburgh are more "prestigious". The thing is that I'm already a mature student going to uni (I'm in my 20s) and I already had to postpone uni for quite a while cause of the family issues. I told myself there's no way I'd be losing another year but I can't get rid of that feeling that I had a potential to do better. So I was wondering if taking another year off would be worth it at all just to get into a more prestigious university?

I don't know what your specific career prospects/goals are, but if you want a career in applied psychology, then University ranking or prestige don't really matter much. There isn't known to be a discrimination in the posts you get or even the acceptance from other more prestigious Universities if you want to go onto do a postgraduate qualification, if you graduate from a lower-ranking University. Once you graduate, it will be your grade and the work experience you have on your CV that will increase your chances of getting and stepping up into the field.
However, if you're unsure as to what career to go into after your degree, then it is best to get into a University that can give you opportunities that are broader than the field and its prestige will also increase your chances of going into different fields once you graduate.

So keeping that in mind, it is your decision to make on where and when you're more likely to perform your best, and get those grades as well as have more opportunities for work experience.
(edited 2 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by GoldenCrow
I don't know what your specific career prospects/goals are, but if you want a career in applied psychology, then University ranking or prestige don't really matter much. There isn't known to be a discrimination in the posts you get or even the acceptance from other more prestigious Universities if you want to go onto do a postgraduate qualification, if you graduate from a lower-ranking University. Once you graduate, it will be your grade and the work experience you have on your CV that will increase your chances of getting and stepping up into the field.
However, if you're unsure as to what career to go into after your degree, then it is best to get into a University that can give you opportunities that are broader than the field and its prestige will also increase your chances of going into different fields once you graduate.

So keeping that in mind, it is your decision to make on where and when you're more likely to perform your best, and get those grades as well as have more opportunities for work experience.

Thanks for your response, it definitely helped clarify things :smile: I do have a general idea of what I want to do, it includes possibly going into forensic psychology so MSc, maybe DForenPsy etc. Thanks again!
Reply 6
Original post by bethanny_g
I was planning to firm Aberdeen for psychology but I'm just wondering if it's worth to take a gap year to get into psychology at universities like Glasgow or Edinburgh. Aberdeen seems like a really good uni with high student satisfaction but obviously Glasgow and Edinburgh are more "prestigious". The thing is that I'm already a mature student going to uni (I'm in my 20s) and I already had to postpone uni for quite a while cause of the family issues. I told myself there's no way I'd be losing another year but I can't get rid of that feeling that I had a potential to do better. So I was wondering if taking another year off would be worth it at all just to get into a more prestigious university?

Did you apply to Glasgow and Edinburgh this year? Keep in mind you might not get in next year, so you’re postponing based on a place that’s not guaranteed. Aberdeen is a good university and the degree is BPS accredited, so I imagine you’re not damaging career prospects too badly. Honestly, I’m really not sure how much prestige matters, or even what exactly it is. That being said when I look for jobs or apply for postgraduate study I am hoping I’ll be looked at as an individual application with specific skills and interests, and that I wouldn’t be rejected solely because I went to Aberdeen and the other applicant went to Edinburgh.
Original post by bethanny_g
I was planning to firm Aberdeen for psychology but I'm just wondering if it's worth to take a gap year to get into psychology at universities like Glasgow or Edinburgh. Aberdeen seems like a really good uni with high student satisfaction but obviously Glasgow and Edinburgh are more "prestigious". The thing is that I'm already a mature student going to uni (I'm in my 20s) and I already had to postpone uni for quite a while cause of the family issues. I told myself there's no way I'd be losing another year but I can't get rid of that feeling that I had a potential to do better. So I was wondering if taking another year off would be worth it at all just to get into a more prestigious university?

As someone is who is doing a doctorate in Clinial Psychology, prestige does not matter ( I was at open university). Also, what does prestige even mean to you, is it just a better brand, or more renowned research. In the vast majority of cases, prestige is just another way of saying this course has more applicants, more money spent on research or is older. If these matter to you thats okay, but it won't matter in psychology.

Its a long road to get where you want anyway, so personally would not waste the time on a different name on a cv, as that is ultimately what it is in psychology and something no one is bothered by.

Good luck,

Greg
Reply 8
Original post by 2001duck
Did you apply to Glasgow and Edinburgh this year? Keep in mind you might not get in next year, so you’re postponing based on a place that’s not guaranteed. Aberdeen is a good university and the degree is BPS accredited, so I imagine you’re not damaging career prospects too badly. Honestly, I’m really not sure how much prestige matters, or even what exactly it is. That being said when I look for jobs or apply for postgraduate study I am hoping I’ll be looked at as an individual application with specific skills and interests, and that I wouldn’t be rejected solely because I went to Aberdeen and the other applicant went to Edinburgh.

That's exactly my issue, it kind of feels like the possibility of getting into a slightly more prestigious university isn't worth the risk of missing out on a place next year. I just wasn't sure if I'm right, because at first I was going to do law where the whole "prestige" situation is still a thing and so I wasn't 100% sure how important prestige is in psychology fields and postgraduate study. Based on everyone's responses and the fact that I've been hearing from people here and overall that Aberdeen is still a great and well-respected university, I decided against taking a gap year :smile:

Original post by greg tony
As someone is who is doing a doctorate in Clinial Psychology, prestige does not matter ( I was at open university). Also, what does prestige even mean to you, is it just a better brand, or more renowned research. In the vast majority of cases, prestige is just another way of saying this course has more applicants, more money spent on research or is older. If these matter to you thats okay, but it won't matter in psychology.

Its a long road to get where you want anyway, so personally would not waste the time on a different name on a cv, as that is ultimately what it is in psychology and something no one is bothered by.

Good luck,

Greg

This is really helpful, I mentioned above how I was originally planning to study law where firms look at prestige etc. and I wasn't completely sure how different it is for psychology so I was being heavily influenced by my experience with law. Thanks guys :smile:
Reply 9
Brilliant! Best of luck! I’m also thinking of studying psychology at Aberdeen, and would be happy to DM if you’d like. :smile:
Original post by 2001duck
Brilliant! Best of luck! I’m also thinking of studying psychology at Aberdeen, and would be happy to DM if you’d like. :smile:

ah yeah! I think I've seen you in the applicants thread :smile:

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