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I can't seem to pick a career.....

I started the year expecting to become a cognitive neuroscience researcher, however, realising they work with AI, I decided to switch to someone more psychology-leaning. Because I was originally planning on becoming a type of neuroscience researcher the A-levels I chose are Psychology, Biology, Chemistry (+EPQ, which I'm writing about the relationship between THC and the development of psychosis)
I then started to lean more towards forensic psychology but eventually landed on criminal psychology. I searched up what could be wanted in terms of A levels and I'm getting a lot of psychology sociology and law/politics. It's WAY too late for me to switch my A-levels (plus I enjoy my current ones). Honestly, I totally get influenced by shows/movies. I wanted to be a cognitive neuro researcher because of Amy Fowler from big bang. Leaning more towards criminal psychology because of Dexter.

Long story short, is there anything I can do relating to criminal psychology/cognitive neuro with my current A-levels?

Reply 1

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Reply 2

Just an FYI but criminal psychology doesn’t exist in the UK, forensic psychology is the closest thing we have here

Reply 3

Original post
by bones-mccoy
Just an FYI but criminal psychology doesn’t exist in the UK, forensic psychology is the closest thing we have here

I figured, same thing here in the Netherlands. Either way I'm interested in working within the fields of forensics & criminology so it fits what I'm interested in

Reply 4

Original post
by reallycringename
I figured, same thing here in the Netherlands. Either way I'm interested in working within the fields of forensics & criminology so it fits what I'm interested in


You could do a Forensic Psychology BSc with those A Levels, then go on to do an MSc and doctorate afterwards to qualify. I generally advise those interested in forensics to stick with straight psychology initially to see if it’s the right fit for them before specialising. Plus it won’t decrease your chances of getting onto the forensic MSc.

Reply 5

Just realised my answer was UK based but I guess it still applies if you want to study over here. I would just be aware that forensic psychology is nothing like how it’s portrayed on television.

Reply 6

Original post
by bones-mccoy
You could do a Forensic Psychology BSc with those A Levels, then go on to do an MSc and doctorate afterwards to qualify. I generally advise those interested in forensics to stick with straight psychology initially to see if it’s the right fit for them before specialising. Plus it won’t decrease your chances of getting onto the forensic MSc.

I'm thinking of doing a bsc in psychology and then masters in forensic psychology, since that's pretty much the only options here. I don't know about doctorate because tbh I'm not looking too far into the future lol, I still have to pass my A levels, but I hope that I can get a masters with a bachelors in psychology
Original post
by reallycringename
I started the year expecting to become a cognitive neuroscience researcher, however, realising they work with AI, I decided to switch to someone more psychology-leaning. Because I was originally planning on becoming a type of neuroscience researcher the A-levels I chose are Psychology, Biology, Chemistry (+EPQ, which I'm writing about the relationship between THC and the development of psychosis)
I then started to lean more towards forensic psychology but eventually landed on criminal psychology. I searched up what could be wanted in terms of A levels and I'm getting a lot of psychology sociology and law/politics. It's WAY too late for me to switch my A-levels (plus I enjoy my current ones). Honestly, I totally get influenced by shows/movies. I wanted to be a cognitive neuro researcher because of Amy Fowler from big bang. Leaning more towards criminal psychology because of Dexter.
Long story short, is there anything I can do relating to criminal psychology/cognitive neuro with my current A-levels?

Hi there!

Amy from Cardiff Uni here!

How exciting that you're considering a career in Psychology- I have actually just graduated from my BSc Psychology with Professional Placement degree at Cardiff, and am now doing an MSc in Children's Psychological Disorders!

Within the 4-year sandwich course, which is the one I did, you have the opportunity to embark on a placement year (between 2nd and final year). The Psychology department help you out massively with this, and provide you with an expansive list of potential placements you may want to apply to- many of which are actually Forensic Psychology based! From experience, doing a placement year is incredibly valued by future employers and postgraduate applications. It's also a really great way to try out a potential career path for a year, and see if you actually enjoy it in a practical, real-world setting.

Within final year, you are also able to choose Forensic Psychology as an optional module, led by Robert Snowden (who is a leading researcher within the field). I chose it for one of mine, and it was so interesting- lots of stuff on Psychopathy which everyone was so fascinated by!

Do you have any more questions regarding career paths? More than happy to help! 🥰

-Amy, Cardiff Uni Rep

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