Sian's Story: Three Reasons to Study Psychology at the University of Chester

1. The support for students is incredible. Lecturers are approachable and will do the most they can to help you alongside your studying. There are a range of teaching styles during the course which will help different types of learners and offer the opportunity for students to engage, as well as opportunities for students to get one-on-one support by booking in appointments with staff. This includes a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) that you will be able to talk to regarding any issues you might have or about any support you might need – they will help you to the best of their abilities or signpost you to other more relevant help.

2. The range of information that is taught. I’ve learnt about psychological wellbeing, social psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, biological psychology, and there are further optional modules that include areas such as forensic psychology, therapy interventions, the role of parenting, animal psychology, and even a Work Based Learning module. These are particularly useful if, like me, you are interested in psychology but do not necessarily know what you want to do in terms of a career, as learning about different theories will help you find out what you are most interested in, and you can find guidance on how to get into certain careers by following pathways.

3. The opportunity to meet people who are interested in the same things as you. The group work on this course alone provides amazing opportunities to get to know other students, and you can discuss the topics within psychology that you are interested in. There are also Department events that the staff run to allow people to get to know each other outside of a learning environment, too.

Facilities

All of my teaching has been delivered on the main campus, Exton Park. The building in which the School of Psychology is based is Best building, and there, as well as the surrounding buildings (Chritchley and Westminster) are where lectures and lab classes are held. There are a range of facilities, such as computer rooms to practise using statistical programmes, smaller classrooms for group work, and lecture halls all over the campus, too.

My Highlights of the Course So Far

Overall, having coursework as the main method of assessment has been good, as well as having the option to get some drafts read by staff and being told how to improve before I submit my actual work for grading. I find this very helpful and being able to ask for help if I need it is so important.

Another part of my course that I really like is the different activities for coursework. I have currently just finished my second year, and some of the assignments I have been given have been interesting to complete. For example, I have written an offender profile based on offender characteristics, I have designed a leaflet about a chosen therapeutic approach, I have analysed a film and discussed theories about why characters acted the way they did based on social and individual psychological theories.

And lastly, my favourite part of the course so far was my Work Based Learning placement. Being able to experience a workplace that I probably never would have on my own has had a great impact on me and made me think more about my transferable skills. Being able to work as part of a team (with the staff there and with other students at this placement) and understand more about how to interact with a wide range of people, as my placement was with adults with physical and learning disabilities, was incredibly valuable to me.

For information about the about the course, visit the BSc (Hons) Psychology course page.