After working in the creative industry for almost 14 years, my passion and enthusiasm to study Psychology grew rapidly after my brother was diagnosed with acute depression and schizophrenia. My quest to learn as much as possible about these conditions to help my brother led to my deep commitment to pursue a career in clinical psychology. My first step was to develop my psychological knowledge and obtain GBC membership for further clinical training through a conversion course in Psychology as a steppingstone towards a clinical psychology doctorate.
I was lucky to get a place in the BPS accredited MSc Psychological Studies at the University of Aberdeen which provides an exciting and vibrating research led learning environment in psychology. This course covered the topics and issues at the very core of psychology like Psychological Assessment, Biology Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Social Psychology which I found very fascinating and engaging. Each module presented the opportunity to investigate the topic in a great depth through a variety of projects and discussions. Despite my initial worry about the statistical aspects of the degree, to my surprise, I really enjoyed the Research Methods module and discovered my love for statistics and getting to analyse lots of data using a system called SPSS which is used by professional academics for research. This module provides an opportunity to carry out some research and analyse the data, and then write up your own report. The thesis module in the last semester was an encouraging opportunity to take ownership of my own research with just the right amount of support and direction. The assessments were varied (essays, exams and research projects) and were
relevant to the employability skills associated with psychological research and practice.
Although the course was challenging, I enjoyed all aspects of the course and develop a deeper understanding of psychological theory. All this would not have been possible without the excellent quality of teaching by the lecturers and overall support by the course team. I specifically found the tutorial sessions with my personal tutor especially useful as it provided ample opportunities to get one-to-one guidance and feedback which really helped me to develop my critical and creative thinking.
Honestly, studying MSc Psychological Studies at the University of Aberdeen has been an intellectually stimulating experience because I did not expect to learn as much as I have done in the last 12 months and to develop as quickly over as short period. I feel much more confident in my direction in the psychology field and well equipped with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to enter into a new career. I could have not predicted the opportunities available to me with the experience and knowledge I have gained through this course. So as I begin my journey to achieve my dreams all I can say is thank you “The University of Aberdeen”.
Anupriya Vyas was an MSc Psychological Studies student during the 2019/20 academic year
It is a challenging to change the course of study in a nlentitely new field after study and work in a different disciplines. It is a sheer will & determination that led you to get distinction in MSc Phycology.
Simply Amazing .. sheer determination and will to complete studies with accolades. That too with family duties of mum and wifey.. so proud of you
Well done! Would be great to chat with you. I am also at the point of a career change due to the need to support mental health challenges in my country and it would be interesting to know how you are chattering the next steps to to gain more knowledge post achieving the MSC.