- Why did you choose the University of Greenwich?
Two main reasons. The first is the beautiful campus. I saw a picture of a boy a couple of years above me at school posted about the Greenwich campus. He was studying here at the time. It was a picture from the top of the hill near the Royal Observatory overlooking the Queen’s House and Royal Naval College when it had snowed- it was pretty impressive. I knew I wanted to go to university in London and I knew very few universities had a campus as breath-taking as this. That picture initiated my search about the University’s Psychology course (I was already set on Psychology having taken it at A Level). My second reason for choosing the University of Greenwich was that when looking at the course outline, and especially the optional modules, I was brought to tears (I’m not exaggerating!). All of the modules sounded so interesting that I wanted to take them all! For reference, alongside the compulsory modules required for British Psychological Society (BPS) accreditation, I ended up taking Introduction to Health Psychology, Advanced Statistical Methods, Adult Development and Mental Health, Applied Positive Psychology, and Organisational Psychology.
- How was your experience? Did it meet your expectations? What did you enjoy about the course?
Even though I wasn’t expecting my degree to coincide with a global pandemic, it by far exceeded my expectations. I well and truly found all of my module topics intriguing and looking back on earlier assessments, I can see how I’ve developed both academically at university as well as mentally in my approach to life outside of university. At the start of my degree, I would say I was ‘interested’ in psychology, but now, having learnt so much by developing my skills and understanding, I would call it my ‘passion’- I can’t stop talking about it! The course and teaching staff have really built my confidence in knowing I can pursue a career in psychology and make an impact.
I have to say a highlight was certainly my final year project: Menopausal Experiences Relating to Psychological Wellbeing in White British Women: A Thematic Analysis. I had the freedom to explore a topic tailored to my research interest and career aims, supported by my supervisor Oliver Robinson (a researcher in adult development). My third-year project topic was shaped and built onto by my optional modules: Introduction to Health Psychology, Adult Development and Mental Health and Applied Positive which meant I could bounce ideas off of modules throughout my third year. Learning about women’s health from this topic sparked my interest and eagerness to pursue this specialised area in my future research towards becoming a Chartered Health Psychologist. My supervisor has also encouraged me to publish my third-year project.
Another highlight of my time at Greenwich was winning the British Psychological Society (BPS): Undergraduate Research Assistantship Award (2021) at the end of my second year. You can read about it here. I worked as a research assistant for Professor Josh Davis for two years and during that time won an award to receive funding for a research project exploring individual differences in face naming ability during the summer of my second year of study. We are aiming to publish our findings soon in a top Cognitive Psychology journal. The award itself marks out a student as a future researcher and potential academic which aided my progression onto postgraduate study and aspirations of becoming a Chartered Psychologist. I know of other lecturers on the Greenwich BSc Hons Psychology course who have supervised undergraduate students for this award and only a handful of universities across the country do. The experience I gained over that summer was invaluable to my understanding of conducting research to a publishable, academic standard.
- Can you tell us about your lectures and lecturers?
The lecturers who taught me on the BSc Hons Psychology course were always available and willing to help. Even during the pandemic, the staff sent weekly emails providing course updates and increasing engagement that was lost to online learning. They all provided engaging lectures with useful materials and clear information and guidance on assessments so that we could produce our best work. I always enjoyed attending lectures and was grateful to get to learn about so many diverse topics relating to psychology. Assessments themselves varied and considered the best way to showcase understanding of the module areas as a whole whilst, allowing for individual creativity and originality in exploration of specialist areas.
- How about your peers? Did you make friends?
Luckily, I managed to make friends in the first term and a half before COVID-19 lockdowns in my first year. We stayed in touch throughout the lockdown and through our second year of mainly online learning and came together in the third year where we had selected the same optional modules. It was interesting to also hear about the topics they were learning about in modules I hadn’t chosen as well as how our third-year research projects differed from each other. My friends did so well, and I am so proud and excited to see how they progress as they continue postgraduate education or pursue specialist roles relating to the area they are interested in.
- What did you gain from the course to help with your future?
Where do I start?! Firstly, the fact the course is accredited by the British Psychological Society means I am eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership which aids my progression in becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
Secondly, the breadth and depth of the course allowed me to explore novel avenues of psychology during my degree which enabled me to identify the areas I found most interesting and would want to pursue.
Thirdly, the third-year psychology project equipped me with the skills to independently to design, develop, and implement a piece of research to take forward onto my master’s and future career as a researcher. It certainly helped to bridge the gap between reading a Journal Article and understanding how research is conducted and implications of this.
Over the three years overall, apart from achieving my Psychology degree as hoped, I have learnt a lot about myself as a person as the course built on my confidence and resilience that has not only been fundamental to my progression to master’s level and future career as a researcher but are aspects I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
- What are your next plans?
I have not gone onto employment after my BSc Psychology course, but I have been accepted onto an MSc Health Psychology course at the University of Southampton. I hope to go onto Doctoral level study and Chartership in the field of Health Psychology.
- Would you recommend the course?
Most definitely! There’s such a range of psychology areas the course covers- some (especially the third-year optional modules) I never saw when researching other
universities. I would also recommend Greenwich because it is such an intimate university where you recognise people around campus all the time - you certainly feel like part of a community instead of an institution.
We thank Katie for sharing her story with us and wish her all the best for the future.
