Julia C

What do you like about your course and why?

I’ve been fascinated with psychology ever since I started learning about it as part of my chosen GCSE subjects.

I really liked that Surrey’s course doesn’t require you to choose a specialisation but provides you with a wide range of topics to learn about, giving you a well-rounded understanding of all the main areas of psychology. Then you get a range of modules to choose from during your final year.

I was really grateful for the statistics workshops that were provided to us during first year, as it is a vital part of psychological research and the lecturers helped us to understand them, which was reassuring.

During the course, I also had the chance to design research proposals and conduct actual research, which was an amazing experience.

What do you enjoy most about Surrey?

Surrey provides lots of opportunities such as student campus jobs, volunteering, and various societies and clubs. I was part of the Dodgeball Society and all the members were so nice and welcoming. I got to meet a lot of lovely people and make new friends.

I’ve had the privilege to make friends who I now consider to be my family during my time at this University, and I will continue to be thankful to Surrey for the opportunities it gave me to step out of my comfort zone and help me to somewhat overcome my social anxiety!

If you've completed a Professional Training placement, what did this involve? What were the highlights?

I worked as a research assistant under Professor Mark Cropley, focusing on stress and work-related rumination. Through this placement, I gained real experience in the world of psychological research. I was entrusted with designing study protocols, compiling research, writing literature reviews, and even developing a novel intervention.

My placement year provided me with the opportunity to further develop multiple transferable skills, including presentation and communication skills, and helped me become more confident and independent. 

I could not recommend doing a placement year enough. It helped me gain a better understanding of my future aspirations and pushed me to pursue further education. It provides you with a ton of opportunities and allows you to gain real life experience, which is useful for any future career. It is what you make of it, though, so make sure you stay proactive and engaged so that you can make the best of it.

What do you want to do when you graduate?

My placement, final year modules, and dissertation project have shown me how interesting and important health psychology is, which has pushed me to consider becoming a health psychologist in the future. 

I plan to continue my studies by doing a Masters in Health Psychology at the University of Surrey!

What advice would you give to students thinking of studying your course?

Don’t be afraid of complex topics or the statistics – they are vital for our understanding of human behaviour and provide us with evidence to show that our research has significant meaning. 

Ask questions. In the words of Dr Lewis Jayes, there is no such thing as a stupid question! Don’t be afraid of asking too many either, our lecturers are here to help and guide us, which includes answering any questions you may have.

And most importantly, make sure to talk with your personal tutor. They should be your first point of contact in any situation. And if they can’t help, they will always point you in the right direction.

Find out more about our Psychology BSc