What will you be doing over the Easter break? >>

Advice on uni choices??🏫

Currently in Y13 but my choices are:
(For all 5, I applied for Psychology Undergraduate)

✧ QMUL (foundation year biology)
✧ Royal Holloway
✧ City University of London
✧ University of Southampton
✧ Bournemouth University

A few questions to any students/ or anyone who can help:
~Is there more coursework or exams? (% wise of the split of the two)
~Are there more seminars or lectures? (% wise of the split of the two or how often is each one weekly)
~How many people are in your ‘group’ approximately?
~How do exams questions look like? Is it mostly MCQs or also essays etc. like in the actual A-Level
~How does a typical day in a life (academically)look like?
~How long is a day at uni on average?
~How would you say the environment is? (In terms of how serious students are)
~How is the actual town/city life itself?
~Is it crowded or more quiet in the university and town/ city?
~Which has the best nightlife? (Not particularly interested in this since I’m an introvert but just out of curiosity)

My ultimate question is which one would you recommend the most out of these 5? I’m having a difficult time choosing my firm and insurance so prior to that, I thought I’d find out some more info on here.

Thank you ₊⋆·˚🪷.‧₊˚ 🦢༉‧₊˚.

Reply 1

PS Reviewer

These are the sorts of questions you can find answers to when you visit for offer holder/applicant days in the next few months.

You have until June to pick a firm/insurance so no rush

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 2

BU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by 1luvska

Currently in Y13 but my choices are:
(For all 5, I applied for Psychology Undergraduate)
✧ QMUL (foundation year biology)
✧ Royal Holloway
✧ City University of London
✧ University of Southampton
✧ Bournemouth University
A few questions to any students/ or anyone who can help:
~Is there more coursework or exams? (% wise of the split of the two)
~Are there more seminars or lectures? (% wise of the split of the two or how often is each one weekly)
~How many people are in your ‘group’ approximately?
~How do exams questions look like? Is it mostly MCQs or also essays etc. like in the actual A-Level
~How does a typical day in a life (academically)look like?
~How long is a day at uni on average?
~How would you say the environment is? (In terms of how serious students are)
~How is the actual town/city life itself?
~Is it crowded or more quiet in the university and town/ city?
~Which has the best nightlife? (Not particularly interested in this since I’m an introvert but just out of curiosity)
My ultimate question is which one would you recommend the most out of these 5? I’m having a difficult time choosing my firm and insurance so prior to that, I thought I’d find out some more info on here.
Thank you ₊⋆·˚🪷.‧₊˚ 🦢༉‧₊˚.

Hi 1luvska

I’d say there is a 50/50 split between exams and coursework, although the exams aren't too difficult as we are mostly assessed through online multiple-choice questions. In the second year you may have a take home essay question to complete within the week exam period. Coursework often involves essay writing but we aren't required to do as many as other courses, since we usually do one per unit per semester (we only study 3 units in a semester). Essays have a different structure to A-Level but there is a lot of support in seminars on how to write these and they all follow APA style.

We also have a similar number of seminars and lectures as seminars apply lecture content to real scenarios and expand on it, but seminars may be shorter than lectures depending on how quickly your class gets through the content. In your first year, you have more contact hours compared to second year (14-20 hrs -> 6-8 hrs) as you need a bit of support to understand how uni works, though after that we are expected to work more independently.

In our lecture theatres, typically there are 200-300 students in the first year and in seminar groups there are around 30 students.

Your day may not start until 3pm or it might start at 9am, depending on uni timetabling. Some people have very regular timetables but in psychology, most students' timetables change on a weekly/fortnightly basis. In the second year, there's a lot more consistency since there are fewer contact hours but in the first year it's not very regular. Something to appreciate, however, is that very rarely will you have long days without a break. The minimum number of hours in a day I've had is one and the maximum has been seven.

The environment in every year will be different, which I'm sure you've noticed even in secondary school but in my year, everyone seems to be quite focused. That may be because I surround myself with those types of people, but university is what you make of it and you will most likely encounter every type of person - the environment is dependent on who you decide to spend your time with. One thing I will say though, is that people become more focused with increased responsibility through their years on the course, especially after a placement. First years are usually excited about the prospect of being away from home and party a lot but having some balance is never a bad thing. University is a once in a lifetime experience, so I'd say make a most of the academic and social side of it.

Bournemouth is quite lively! There are lots of different clubs, restaurants, arcade/game locations and a shopping strip in Castlepoint. A lot of clubs will have themed nights and we have our own student nightclub called the Old Firestation, most notably hosting Yungblud. The BIC is also another performance venue which has hosted Stormzy, Russel Howard, Jason Derulo, Craig David, Ricky Gervais, along with many others. There is a lot of cultural diversity too, so we have a lot of good, authentic food places. We also have a stunning beach, which is only a 15-minute bus journey from the main (Talbot) campus. It can get crowded in Bournemouth but there are many locations in the Dorset countryside which are good to just chill and enjoy nature, such as the New Forest. The university itself is quite busy but there is always a place to study in either our Students' Union building with 6 floors or our 24-hour library with 5 floors.

Bournemouth Uni has some Applicant Open Days coming up. Even if you've visited before, they're a great way to really get a feel for whether it's the right fit for you. Keep an eye out for an email invite.

I hope that helps!

Alexia
BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling
Bournemouth University

Reply 3

Ishrat CUoL Rep

Official Rep

Original post by 1luvska

Currently in Y13 but my choices are:
(For all 5, I applied for Psychology Undergraduate)
✧ QMUL (foundation year biology)
✧ Royal Holloway
✧ City University of London
✧ University of Southampton
✧ Bournemouth University
A few questions to any students/ or anyone who can help:
~Is there more coursework or exams? (% wise of the split of the two)
~Are there more seminars or lectures? (% wise of the split of the two or how often is each one weekly)
~How many people are in your ‘group’ approximately?
~How do exams questions look like? Is it mostly MCQs or also essays etc. like in the actual A-Level
~How does a typical day in a life (academically)look like?
~How long is a day at uni on average?
~How would you say the environment is? (In terms of how serious students are)
~How is the actual town/city life itself?
~Is it crowded or more quiet in the university and town/ city?
~Which has the best nightlife? (Not particularly interested in this since I’m an introvert but just out of curiosity)
My ultimate question is which one would you recommend the most out of these 5? I’m having a difficult time choosing my firm and insurance so prior to that, I thought I’d find out some more info on here.
Thank you ₊⋆·˚🪷.‧₊˚ 🦢༉‧₊˚.

Hello 1luvska,

•

There is definitely more coursework compared to exams. In first year, I only had 2 exams (one multiple choice and one 24 hour exam). In second year, I also had 2 exams (one multiple choice and the other was a combination of writing and multiple choice). In my final year, everything is coursework based. So, I would say, that it’s 80% coursework and 20% exams

•

There are definitely more lectures compared to seminars. Depending on your timetable, the seminars happen either every week or every 2 weeks

•

There are definitely at least 200, if not more, in our psychology cohort. The seminar groups are much smaller as they are split throughout the day, so some people go to one seminar, whilst others go to other seminars depending on their timetable

•

Over my 3 years at uni, both of my biological psychology exams were MCQ based. My second year ‘introduction to clinical psychology exam’ was a mix of MCQ and 2 essay questions. My 24-hour cognitive psychology exam, which I did in second year, was essay based with 3 essays and each essay being 500 words long

•

For me, I normally start after 10am. My lecture lasts around 1 hour 20 mins. If I have a seminar that week (as my seminars are every 2 weeks), I will go to that seminar straight after and that lasts 50 minutes. If not, I will probably go home, hang out with my friends or stay back to finish some work. Sometimes, I have a lecture followed by a seminar and then another lecture followed by a seminar, which are all back-to-back with 10 mins in between. I typically finish uni before 5pm, depending on the day

•

It all depends on your timetable. Some people could have an early 9am start and some people even have a 12pm or 3pm start, so it differs from person to person. My first-year timetable changed every week or 2 weeks, but my second-year and final-year timetables are more consistent. However, if you have a long day of lectures and/or seminars, you will get a break, even if it’s 10 minutes

•

I can speak for my year group and say that we are a more focused cohort although that was not always the case. In first year, there was definitely more excitement and more of a ‘buzz’. I don’t think that was a bad thing because inevitably, everyone is in a new environment and they are keen to make new friends and explore. But, as the years went on, we all matured and that was definitely because of increased academic pressure and responsibility

•

I really like the city that my uni is and it’s one of the key factors I considered before applying. It’s located in Angel where everything is either a train or bus ride away from places like Chinatown, Camden Town, etc. However, Angel is great in itself, it has so many food, dessert and coffee shops like Blank Street, Wingstop, etc. so everything is very accessible if I need to get something for lunch before my lecture

•

I would say that it’s both crowded and quiet depending on the day. But, the city is definitely more loud compared to the actual university. I would say that the quiet times are 9am-11am and after 4pm at uni. It can get quite loud from 12pm onwards because of lunchtime, etc. Regardless, you can book booths at uni if you ever need that quiet space to work

•

I wouldn’t know much about the nightlife because I’m not interested in that aspect. But, I have seen pubs nearby the uni and I’m also aware that the uni has many societies which host events that involve going out, etc.

Please check the university website to see if we have any Open Days coming up where our student ambassadors can help you further with any questions that you may have. Also, here is a link that takes you directly to the website regarding psychology at City:
BSc (Hons) Psychology Degree • City St George's, University of London

I hope that I answered your questions, if you need any more info then please don’t hesitate to contact me. I wish you all the best in whichever university you choose to attend! 😊

Ishrat
Final year Psychology (BSc Hons) student
City, University of London

(edited 3 days ago)