Loughborough or Cardiff Psych?

I care very much about employability especially since psychology is oversubscribed. I know I will be doing further study so I just want to know the differences between these two universities

Any information will be good- about prospects from each uni and if the rankings are even worth thinking about

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 1

McGinger

There are relatively few graduate entry roles in Psych - and its tough career path - see Clinical psychologist job profile | Prospects.ac.uk The majority of Psych grads will end up in many, many different career areas entirely disconnected to Psychology.

In terms of these two Unis, the difference is marginal, and you really need to be looking at practical stuff like what extras like work placements or study abroad each course has (these add heaps to your graduate CV regardless of what career you go for), cost of housing - and for Loughborough, if you are into Uni sport as it has some of the best facilities of any UK Uni.

Reply 2

catradora

Original post by McGinger

There are relatively few graduate entry roles in Psych - and its tough career path - see Clinical psychologist job profile | Prospects.ac.uk The majority of Psych grads will end up in many, many different career areas entirely disconnected to Psychology.
In terms of these two Unis, the difference is marginal, and you really need to be looking at practical stuff like what extras like work placements or study abroad each course has (these add heaps to your graduate CV regardless of what career you go for), cost of housing - and for Loughborough, if you are into Uni sport as it has some of the best facilities of any UK Uni.

Thankyou! I am definitely going into further study. Both courses I have a placement for in the third year so that is comforting.

Reply 3

CardiffUni Rep 2

Official Rep

Original post by catradora

I care very much about employability especially since psychology is oversubscribed. I know I will be doing further study so I just want to know the differences between these two universities
Any information will be good- about prospects from each uni and if the rankings are even worth thinking about

Hi there! Current psychology placement student at Cardiff here 🙂 I would say that a good thing about the course is that the school is pretty strong in all areas of psych, so you get a great understanding when you leave your degree of what career routes work best for you.

The careers service here is great! We have a careers advisor specific to psychology, and they're really knowledgeable. You can have 1:1 appointments for CVs, applications, mock interviews etc. They also often set up careers talks such as new career opportunities such as CAAP roles, or talks with psychologists to understand career routes. For placement year, they also do a whole series on how to apply and prepare for placement year, which I found super helpful.

The uni also has a great contact list for placements. These are all clinical, research, occupational etc. It's honestly massive haha, and you are spoilt for choice a bit. Just to give some perspective, over 100 students secured a placement in my year group.

These all of course build into employability, of course. I'd say if you wanted hard statistics, have a look at DiscoverUni where you can compare employability stats between courses. Just be mindful that these stats only come from students themselves, so in situations where not many students respond to the survey, you won't get a very accurate representation. (It should say on the website how many students contributed to the stats).

Hope that helps!

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

Reply 4

Layal1611

Original post by CardiffUni Rep 2

Hi there! Current psychology placement student at Cardiff here 🙂 I would say that a good thing about the course is that the school is pretty strong in all areas of psych, so you get a great understanding when you leave your degree of what career routes work best for you.
The careers service here is great! We have a careers advisor specific to psychology, and they're really knowledgeable. You can have 1:1 appointments for CVs, applications, mock interviews etc. They also often set up careers talks such as new career opportunities such as CAAP roles, or talks with psychologists to understand career routes. For placement year, they also do a whole series on how to apply and prepare for placement year, which I found super helpful.
The uni also has a great contact list for placements. These are all clinical, research, occupational etc. It's honestly massive haha, and you are spoilt for choice a bit. Just to give some perspective, over 100 students secured a placement in my year group.
These all of course build into employability, of course. I'd say if you wanted hard statistics, have a look at DiscoverUni where you can compare employability stats between courses. Just be mindful that these stats only come from students themselves, so in situations where not many students respond to the survey, you won't get a very accurate representation. (It should say on the website how many students contributed to the stats).
Hope that helps!
~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

Hey there, I received an unconditional offer from both Cardiff and KCL can you please tell me how much difference there really is in terms of getting a masters degree/ finding work. Does KCL’s name really give an advantage? Because Cardiff is way cheaper and it offers international scholarships

Reply 5

Loughborough Student Community

Official Rep

Original post by catradora

I care very much about employability especially since psychology is oversubscribed. I know I will be doing further study so I just want to know the differences between these two universities
Any information will be good- about prospects from each uni and if the rankings are even worth thinking about

Hi @catradora ,

Great to hear you are considering Loughborough 🙂

Loughborough is a top 10 University and is currently ranked 7th (Complete University Guide 2024).

I study Psychology at Loughborough so can give you some insight. The rankings for Psychology at Loughborough are high. The facilities at Loughborough are amazing- not just for sport but for academics too. I personally really enjoy the course here as you have the opportunity to learn many aspects of Psychology through many different modules. If you haven't already I would recommend taking a look at 'What you'll Study' on the course page to see the range of modules you will study. You can also choose some optional modules, so you can tailor the course to be what you want. I found it really useful to compare these modules with other Universities I was considering to see which course would suit me best.

If you are considering doing a placement/year abroad Loughborough is great as they offer so much support in searching and securing a placement/year abroad. They also have strong industry links within the UK and internationally. I found this support particularly helpful when I was looking and interviewing for placements. You can also use the Careers network at any point during your studies which may be particularly useful if you are considering further study.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions please do ask 🙂

Alex

Reply 6

CardiffUni Rep 2

Official Rep

Original post by Layal1611

Hiya, congratulations on both your offers! I can't comment on other universities as I wouldn't be able to give an accurate representation (due to not being a student myself there haha). It is also hard to say because whilst both are very reputable universities, securing a masters or a job is mostly based on the students own efforts. But of course, some universities provide additional support to help you get there 🙂 I would say Cardiff is quite good because in addition to the employability support the university already has, we also have a masters discount scheme, therefore, if you want to continue with a Masters in Cardiff you get a 20% discount as alumni.

I will also assume you are interested in psychology? My apologies if not - but Cardiff has great links with the workforce (particularly the NHS). For example, a new CAAPs masters course (Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology) is being run at Cardiff Uni, where you work whilst also studying.

But again, it sounds like a direct comparison seems beneficial to you, and I'd recommend comparing courses on DiscoverUni as compares states how many students get on a masters or get a job :smile:

I hope that helps!

~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 7

jhjt9966

of course cardiff. loughborough university's staffs in admisstions team are really not good at their jobs, they sent my interview link to the wrong email address🤬

Reply 8

Layal1611

Original post by CardiffUni Rep 2

Hiya, congratulations on both your offers! I can't comment on other universities as I wouldn't be able to give an accurate representation (due to not being a student myself there haha). It is also hard to say because whilst both are very reputable universities, securing a masters or a job is mostly based on the students own efforts. But of course, some universities provide additional support to help you get there 🙂 I would say Cardiff is quite good because in addition to the employability support the university already has, we also have a masters discount scheme, therefore, if you want to continue with a Masters in Cardiff you get a 20% discount as alumni.
I will also assume you are interested in psychology? My apologies if not - but Cardiff has great links with the workforce (particularly the NHS). For example, a new CAAPs masters course (Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology) is being run at Cardiff Uni, where you work whilst also studying.
But again, it sounds like a direct comparison seems beneficial to you, and I'd recommend comparing courses on DiscoverUni as compares states how many students get on a masters or get a job :smile:

I hope that helps!
~ Fatiha, Cardiff University Student Rep

Thank you!! This has been a huge help. Appreciate it❤️