Hi all,
So if you’re in AS year, you’ll be beginning to think about where to apply to and getting your applications started, and if you’re in final year, you’ll be waiting for your offers eagerly and wondering what to choose as your firm and insurance!
Firstly… Try not to stress!
I’m not here to promote the University of York directly, but I am here to tell you about my experience of it… I could go on for pages but will try my best not to!
My biggest piece of advise in choosing your University, is to go and see them! I was so stuck about my firm choice between Durham and York, so I went to see them both and just knew I wanted to be at York. I felt happy there, I could see myself living there, and I got a brilliant vibe of enthusiasm and passion from the Psychology department.
And 2 years on… I’m the boss!
Obviously league tables and the rankings of places have their importance, but I think it’s much more important to be somewhere that you are happy. You have to live, work and study their for 3 years minimum – so choose somewhere you can call home!
So… why do I study Psychology?
- From my very first AS Level lesson of Psychology – I was hooked! I thought it was absolutely fascinating and knew within about a month that it was what I wanted to study for years to come.
- It was actually my mum who suggested a Psychology degree, because I was coming home from college and talking about everything I had learnt in my lessons, I was so enthusiastic about it that it was hard to miss!
So there was decision no. 1… I’m sure by now you know what subject you want to do, but if you don’t – do something you enjoy! Unlike GCSEs and A-Levels, you will be down to just this one subject, so you have to love it!
Do a degree for enjoyment, for enthusiasm, for passion.
Now, where to study it? It’s easy to think that if you’re so passionate about a subject, does it really matter where I do it? If anything, it matters more! Each course will study different topics of a subject, teach it in different ways, assess it differently, and have a different structure. So look on University websites for the course outline.
For my experience… why did I choose York?
- The first time I came to visit York, I just remember being in awe of the Psychology department, I got a one-to-one showing as I couldn’t make the Open Day, but the great vibe still came through and I didn’t want to leave!
- I went on a trip around the city and fell in love with it’s beauty – if you’re going to live somewhere for three years then why not make it somewhere as stunning as York?
- I like how the structure of the course at York meant that you didn’t branch off onto modules until final year. So for two years, you learnt a huge scope and variety of topics from social to science aspects, making you well equipped for narrowing down your choice in third year.
- I also liked the huge opportunity to be hands on from the word go! With one practical a term where you analysed your results and wrote a report, mini projects at the end of your first two years, your final year project, and getting involved as a participant of experiments for a minimum of 9 hours a year (including getting MRI scans of your brain!)… you end up thoroughly prepared for advancing onto many careers at the end of your degree.
All in all, I genuinely believe I made the best decision of my life in choosing to study Psychology, here at York. I have become so much more passionate about the subject than I ever thought was possible, and I truly believe that is due to the enthusiasm that beams from my lecturers (who, I like to believe, have become friends through my time here).
Well, I hope this blog helps in some way for your decisions over the next few weeks or months. Just remember, choose somewhere you will be happy! Because these 3 years are YOUR time!
Katie x
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