Why Psychology?
I had never intended to do Psychology at University, and now I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else! During school I was always more interested in English, and when I chose my A Levels, I picked Psychology in the hopes that I would do well in it. Four years down the line, and I love the subject. It’s the perfect combination of scientific practice, lab work and writing essays – that I loved so much in English studies. It’s a real mix of everything, from cognitive and biological to social psychology. And with practicals, tutorials and lectures, it’s such a varied programme of study that I’m still invested in, even halfway into my second year.
Psychology at Durham
The first year of Psychology at Durham acts as an introduction to everything that subject entails. For my first year, the modules were Cognitive and Biological Psychology, Developmental and Social Psychology, Introduction to Psychological Research, Classic Papers and an optional module. I chose Careers in Psychology. First year was great fun, meeting lots of staff members in the department and getting my foot in the door. I learnt a great deal and my favourite thing was definitely the practicals where we ran our own experiments.
I’m now in my second year, and the studying has definitely gone up a notch. The statistics and research methods have become increasingly important this year and it’s vital to keep on top of that workload. I’m enjoying my Clinical and Differential Psychology module, which I didn’t have in my first year, as it explores a whole new area of Psychology that details research in clinical psychology. Super interesting stuff.
I am currently looking towards my third year and deciding my dissertation topic. The department have started this process nice and early with us, and we should be grouped up with a dissertation supervisor by the end of second term. I think it’s great this way because it gives us ample time to really get to grips with our topics and start to do reading, slowly but surely.
Outside of the classroom
The department offers lots of opportunities, outside of the degree programme. I have personally been to career talks and events that have provided me with insights into psychology careers. There are also lots of opportunities to take part in real research and these are often advertised and made available to us. This can be research that the staff are running or even research for students’ dissertations. I have taken part in countless surveys and questionnaires for other students. I have found this so beneficial because it provides insight into how research can be done, and has encouraged me to think about the kind of research I would potentially do.
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