Amelia
"A lot of the content that we learn is also applied to a work place setting, so we are not only gaining the knowledge that we need to complete our degree, but we are also gaining an understanding of how we best may be able to use this knowledge."
Entry year
2025Why did you choose to study your course at Surrey?
I studied at Surrey during my undergraduate degree in Psychology and have always loved being at the University. I couldn't imagine myself studying anywhere else and was very happy when I found out that the University offered the course that I wanted to study for my masters degree. Many of my friends were still at Surrey so it was a bonus that I get to live with my friends for another year, and it was also very appealing for the fact that undergraduate students who study at the University get a 20% discount on their masters course fees (which makes a HUGE difference as there is only a limited amount of student loan that you can get as a masters student). Overall, I have had the most amazing experience at this University, having always felt supported through my studies as well as knowing that there are various support services if I ever felt that I was struggling with my wellbeing.
What are the best things about Surrey and your course?
Surrey is not only a great university but also located in such a lovely town. Whenever you want a change of scenery to do your uni work there is such a range of places to go to in town or in the sports park. Whenever you need a break from university there is so much to do and see around the area. All around, Guildford is a town that I have never become bored of during my whole time here. The University itself also has so many perks such as discounted gym membership at Surrey Sports Park, as well as allowing free access to things such as Statista and the Financial Times depending on what course you are on.
For my course, it has been great to have met a whole new group of people. For my undergraduate degree, there were around 200 students on my course, compared to only 30 on my postgraduate course, so it's so great to be learning in a room of people were you are able to create such interpersonal relationships with everyone.
What are the best things about life here as a postgraduate student?
My favourite thing about being a postgraduate student is that a lot of the lectures that are taught include applications to jobs that we might choose to do in our future careers. For example, there are lots of guest speakers that come to the university with various different roles, and so we get to hear about all of the different paths that we might be able to take upon completion of our degree, and we have the opportunity to ask questions to the speakers. Moreover, a lot of the content that we learn is also applied to a work place setting, so we are not only gaining the knowledge that we need to complete our degree, but we are also gaining an understanding of how we best may be able to use this knowledge. Overall, I feel that being a postgraduate student at Surrey prepares you for life after university, compared to only completing an undergraduate degree.
What are your career plans?
To continue my learning in the field of occupational and organisational psychology, I want to do my level 2 chartership in this area in order to be fully qualified as an occupational and organisational psychologist. This chartership needs to be completed whilst working so I'm hoping to find a job in human resources whilst undertaking this, as I worked in this sector during my placement year and absolutely loved it! After this, using my experience within human resources and chartership as an occupational and organisational psychologist, I hope to begin my career in this industry. Examples of the type of role I might undertake could be within people consultancy, assessment and selection, or job design. The exciting part will be trying a range of different roles and deciding which area I want to pursue as a career!
What advice do you have for students thinking of doing this course?
I would 100% recommend the course! I have loved every minute of it with the lectures being so engaging
I would 100% recommend the course! I have loved every minute of it with the lectures being so engaging, the lecturers being willing to help you whenever you need any extra support, and being surrounded by a group of likeminded individuals who also chose the course due to their interest in the same topic as each other. Because of this, as a student on this course it's so interesting to hear the different perspectives of other students on the course topics; with some student having previously worked for multiple years within the industry before completing the masters degree, some students having completed placement years during their degree, and others having started their degree straight from their undergraduate degree from a range of different universities.
My number one piece of advice would be to utilise everything you are given! Listen to the different perspectives, use the resources that are given to you, and ask questions to any guest speakers who are working in roles that may be of interest to you. No question is a silly questions!
