The decision to continue with a MSc Psychology Studies Conversion Postgraduate Programme at Aberdeen was a life changing one. Re-entering academic life after a decade of work was a major transition and having done so at the University of Aberdeen proved an excellent choice. Considering the circumstances and change of environment imposed by the pandemic, staff members at the University of Aberdeen were quick to adapt and I’d like to take the time here to commend the staff at University of Aberdeen for exceptional work in delivering quality education, positive attitudes, support and encouragement toward students.
My time in Aberdeen was in many ways a reflective period. Understanding the theoretical approaches grounding psychology as a young science deepened my interest in the field. Compounded by the effects of the pandemic, I saw as well as experienced first-hand the many ways in which mental health played an important role in the regular functioning of individuals as well as larger communities. It is in this way that the commendation for the Anderson Prize for the best MSc Psychological Studies Thesis of 2020/2021 is particularly heartfelt.
Personally, what I learned throughout the duration of the course accelerated my own growth and helped transcend personal limitations and biases. Trauma education was particularly helpful in understanding my own childhood traumas and provided me with a framework to reframe thoughts and behaviours from a more helpful standpoint. If there was one personal take-away from the course, it would be that learning never ends and that is a wonderful parting thought as my time in Aberdeen comes to a close.
Academically, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work on a live experiment under Dr Jacqui Hutchison. Working on the thesis gave me an opportunity to reflect on existing theories in the field and I particularly enjoyed expanding the line of thinking into other possible areas of relevance. Psychology is a truly interesting field with many opportunities for growth. From where I stand, a future in psychology looks promising and I see myself contributing and playing a part to shape to the field of clinical psychology in the near future and for many years to come.
