Inside the Life of a Psychology Student – Laura (#11)

Hey guys! Another interview with a psychology student for you to read! This article we’ll be talking to Laura Whittick, a psychology student from England. She is studying at the University of Kent, which is based in Canterbury, England. She is about to start her third year, which is her final year. Things may be different in England than in the country you are from so bare that in mind while reading.

We will ask about the course Laura takes, as about what she wants in terms of a career, ask about her thoughts on psychology as a field and finally, we will ask her for that ever valuable advice for our readers. Enjoy!

Firstly, let’s ask her about the course she studies.

Us: How’s the program like and cost? 

LW: The programme is fantastic – so much so that in the latest Guardian University Guide, Kent University’s student satisfaction for Psychology came 14^th overall for the UK. The cost, however, is slightly more difficult as it costs £9,000 a year ($14,000) with international student yearly fees being closer to £12,000 ($18,774 ish). Luckily at the moment this is covered by Student Finance which I will have in debt after I graduate. Living costs, however, are even more on top of that – my accommodation yearly fee has been, on average, about £5,600 (~$8,761) and this is not entirely covered by loans, so it is tough sometimes trying to find the remaining money and/or borrowing from parents. However, going to university was always going to be expensive, and the price so far has definitely not put me off staying at university to further my education.

Us: How’s the education? 

LW: Despite having done psychology at a lower level, I still feel like I’m constantly learning, which is great! I love the idea of expanding my knowledge of human behaviour and it’s been really interesting so far to cover such interesting topics regarding the way humans act.

Us: Who’s your favourite professor?  
LW: This is a difficult question! I feel that my University has luckily hired a lot of very competent and interesting lecturers who have shown such a high level of interest as they tend to teach in areas where they have themselves performed research. Although, being slightly biased, the two professors I have in mind are teaching within areas that I find the most interesting. One Forensic lecturer called Eduardo Vasquez who is so passionate about his subject and extremely friendly has to be one of my favourites because of how easy his lectures are to listen to since they’re so packed with research and facts that are applicable to everyday circumstances and occurrences. Another of my favourite lecturers is a Developmental lecturer called David Kelly – again, his friendly quality and genuine passion for the subject definitely can encourage learning.

Us: And course/module? 

LW: My favourite module would probably a toss-up between Developmental and Forensic psychology – primarily because they both work with quite vulnerable groups that can be difficult to figure out. I like how the research into these areas can still find new information that can be very useful, whether it’s to help raise a child in the most encouraging way or if it can be used to help reduce crime or recidivism in criminals. I have a feeling my future career may be in one of these areas.

Next, we asked about Laura’s career aims.

Us: What do you look to do after your degree, further study or work, or something else? 
LW: When I first started at University, I wanted to become a primary school teacher (this has since changed) and had wanted to partake in a PGCE or teacher training course. However since my interests and ideas have changed, I decided I would probably most like to continue my education through doing a Masters after graduation. If I had to choose I would either like to do a Master’s degree in Developmental or Forensic psychology – however I have recently discovered that I would have to fund this 100% by myself, and it would cost me £12,000 (roughly $18,774) for this one year. Since I, unsurprisingly, don’t have this kind of money lying around I feel like I’m most likely going to take a year out to work and save some money so that I can fund a further education. I think it’s good to keep in mind while at University or even before, that your ideas and goals for the future might and probably will change but there are so many options out there that these changes shouldn’t be too big of a problem when you’re looking at the bigger picture.

Us: What, outside of your degree, have you done to further your interest or career in psychology? 

LW: During the summer and holidays when I’m not at university studying, I try to read up on the various psychology-relevant books I own. Over the two university years so far I have bought a few books that have been suggested as interesting and relevant to the course, even if it’s just because one of the characters has autism or some psychological problems. So far I’ve read a few, but mostly just books that are only slightly relevant, however I recently ordered a couple of books written by psychologists and at the moment I’m reading Phillip Zimbardo’s The Lucifer Effect. I quite like reading about the more applicable areas of psychology, especially when the areas are dark and unheard of, like Zimbardo’s explanation of ‘how good people can turn evil’. In terms of what I’ve done towards a potential career in the future, I have had a look at researching various internships that exist near enough to me that after graduation I could sample what it would be like to be a psychologist or researcher in different areas of psychological work.

Next, we asked about Laura’s thoughts on the field of psychology as a whole.

Us: What’s your favourite psychology fact/research study? 

LW: I like the studies that really surprise you with their outcome and so for that reason, or perhaps because I’m learning more about it through the book written about it, I would have to choose Phillip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment. Not only was this study an extremely remarkable (and slightly troubling) look into human behaviour and the situations in which people can become more evil, but it is also useful in seeing beyond the atrocities people have committed and can explain why certain brutalities have come about through history. Other than Zimbardo’s I’d say my favourite pieces of psychology research have to be the classics including Milgram’s 1960s work into obeying authority. I still find this interesting, particularly since some human behaviour experts of the time were asked about what they expected to find, and completely underestimated the actual results. If you haven’t heard about Milgram’s 1963 experiment I wholeheartedly recommend that you do!

Us: Do you have any criticisms of psychology as a field of study? 

LW: The only thing I would say as a criticism to psychology is just how difficult it can be to claim research conclusions as being reliable. For example, telling someone about a recent finding can be a great input to a conversation or topic but simply saying “there was this one study” makes many people immediately discount it as being less dependable as a piece of evidence even if there were a handful of other in-depth studies that also supported the findings. I guess this just makes sharing psychology facts/research findings more difficult with others who might be put off by the idea that you might not technically be able to call it a fact.

Finally, we asked her to share some wisdom for you guys, our readers.

Us: What’s the one thing a student should know about studying psychology? 

LW: Don’t underestimate it as a course as it does require some hardworking. A lot of students I know think that psychology is a wasted subject that requires next to no effort – which is not the case. I don’t want to put anyone off, since the subject is brilliant and I am so so glad I decided to continue it to university! I think what I’m trying to say is that there will still be the stress there, especially around deadlines and exams so don’t assume it will be an easy-going course, but it is definitely worth it and the stress is easy to cope with if you pre-prepare for revision and plan ahead.

Us: And what’s one thing a student should know about studying at University? 

LW: Don’t be afraid or nervous – everyone is in the same boat. When I first started I was really scared of being alone in a new place with absolutely no one that I knew, but everyone feels the same way at the beginning. After initial introductions it seemed kind of awkward but less than 24 hours later everyone living in my accommodation block were all friends and got along really well. I think because almost all universities have at least one week in which people tend to go out and socialise and meet so many new people as an introduction to the university, you tend to spend a lot of time with people, so it makes getting to know people so much easier. The time does fly by and it all becomes easier so you have nothing to worry about!