Theo is in the placement year of her Psychology with Clinical Psychology and a Placement Year BSc degree at the University of Kent.
What attracted you to studying at Kent?
What attracted me most to Kent was the placement programme. I have always valued the opportunity to get real life experience, and gaining such experience with clinical psychology is extremely difficult as an undergraduate student. As a result, when I was looking for universities, I wanted one that offered opportunities to gain real life experience. The ability to choose what type of placement I wanted was also a key factor. Other universities would allocate specific placements to students, whilst the University of Kent offers a wide variety of placements, including but not limited to clinical, research, and developmental.
How is your course going?
I’m currently doing BSc Psychology with Clinical Psychology and a Placement Year, and it’s going well so far! The lectures have all been very interesting and insightful, and the assignments really help us build our knowledge. This course has also developed my interest in Psychology even more.
“This is because when I studied it in sixth form, there was very little emphasis on having students apply their knowledge to real life, but whilst studying here every lecturer encourages us to do so.”
I am currently doing my placement and have started developing my research topic for my research project, for which I am very excited to begin!
How would you describe your lecturers? What do you think about the level of support in your studies?
The lecturers are fantastic. They made me fall in love with studying here more. They always try to use new techniques to teach us, such as clips and data from their own experiments, showing us how to use different equipment in lectures, or even leading lecture-wide experiments. They are also very supportive and friendly with us. Most of our lecturers are doing their own research, so they are very passionate about what they teach, and are very willing to answer any additional questions we might have. We are also encouraged to email and contact them outside of our contact hours, as they always want to make sure we understand what we are learning.
How would you describe your fellow students?
One can feel a real sense of camaraderie within our cohort. We have a very diverse group of students within the Psychology department, and everyone is extremely friendly and supportive of each other. Group chats are often made where we discuss issues that the entire stage may have experienced, or even to just share memes. If there is a big issue affecting the stage or the entire undergraduate cohort, everyone gets involved with providing feedback and telling staff members.
Have you been on a year abroad or taken a year in industry? If so, how was the experience? Do you think it will help you in your studies and your future career?
I am currently doing a year in industry. I am working with the NHS and my team works with older adults with dementia. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been very rewarding so far.
“I have been able to shadow people doing initial assessments, visit psychiatric wards, and work with dementia service user groups.”
This has given me a deeper insight into what working in a clinical setting is like, something I cannot gain from only being at university. Not only have I learnt about how the NHS works, but it has also given me an opportunity to learn what a psychologist’s day-to-day life may be like. It made me realise how busy they can be and helped me develop skills such as time-management and team-working in a professional setting. It has also provided me with the opportunity to reflect on whether I want to continue working in a clinical setting in the future. I would highly recommend students to take a year in industry, because the experience in incomparable and can help you decide your future professional career.
What about the social life?
We have Venue, our campus club which opens on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. They host several events throughout the year, and sometimes invite guests to DJ.
“We also have a lot of clubs, pubs, and bars in town; or if that’s not what you’re interested in, the town is a gorgeous place to have a walk and explore. Canterbury has a lot of restaurants and events that take place throughout the year.”
Joining a society is also a great way to enhance your social life. You can meet a wide range of people from different courses, and societies often host events throughout the year. During the pandemic, most societies have adapted to creating online events, such as the Psychology society hosting an online escape room and online quiz night.
Have you used the University’s Careers and Employability Service?
I have used our Careers and Employability Service, and they have been very helpful. They offer a range of workshops, such as how to develop your CV, how to develop your graduate attributes, and so on. You can also book one-on-one sessions to develop such skills. They also host an Employability Fair each year, where students can speak to employers from all around the UK to seek summer jobs or internships.
What kind of career do you hope to follow when you leave, and why?
“I hope to become a clinical psychologist in the future after I graduate, with the main goal of normalising talk about mental health.”
Although society is moving forward in accepting and normalising discussions about mental health, many cultures still stigmatise it, some more than others. Although becoming a practising psychologist won’t necessarily have a global change, I hope that I can help those with psychological conditions understand that it is ok to have them, and that there are people who will be willing to help them overcome any challenges.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your time at Kent?
Outside of studying and doing a placement year, the School of Psychology actually offers a lot of opportunities to gain experience. As part of our course, we must take part in the Research Participant Scheme, in which we take part in different studies. These can be experimental or completing questionnaires. Taking part in experiments is extremely interesting, because you can see the equipment that we learn in lectures, such as brain imaging and brain stimulation equipment, work.
The Research Experiences Scheme (RES) is also another way of gaining experience. With RES, you help researchers, often our lecturers, collect data for their research.
“I was able to assist in a virtual reality project and it was fascinating to see behaviours change right in front of your eyes, almost like magic.”
If you want to be involved with sharing student opinions, students can become student representatives. As a student representative, you attend different meetings and forums to share the student voice to better our university experience. Through the rep system, we have established changes such as creating hoodies for the School of Psychology and opening an undergraduate common room. You can also work with the Psychology society and help organise different events, such as our annual Christmas party.