UCAS Psychology - Why should I study Psychology at University?

Here are three great reasons for choosing to study Psychology at University...

Reason 1 …Because you love it

Studying what you love is immensely important at university. It will keep you motivated and make the 3/4/5/ years you spend there some of the best times of your life. One of the best things psychology teachers will hear from their students is how much they love the subject. Why would you not want to know more after your A level?!

Reason 2 … Because it helps you understand behaviour

We observe and experience other people’s behaviour all day every day. Gaining some insight into what makes people tick is useful. It may not explain everything, but makes you aware of other reasons behind behaviour. This helps in both your personal and work life. It’s hard to imagine someone who would not find this helpful…maybe a lighthouse keeper?!

Reason 3 …Because you want to be a psychologist

There are many psychology specific routes for careers. You might not, at this point, know which type of psychologist you will want to become, but that’s fine. A psychology degree is the first step. Below are some options as detailed by the British Psychological Society (explore the website …www.bps.org.uk ). There are more, together with other related careers such as advertising/ marketing. You do not need to say which career you are interested in on your application, but an awareness of where it might lead is important.

Remember, a Psychology degree can lead to being a...

Clinical psychologist...

• Works with individuals who have mental health problems and their families. They diagnose and treat these problems and are heavily involved in trying to make the person feel better.
• It would be clinical psychologists who would, for example, diagnose depression ( as well as GPs), devise a treatment for someone trying to overcome a phobia or work with families of a schizophrenic.

Occupational psychologist...

• Works predominantly in the work place trying to make it a better and more effective working environment.
• There are many different areas of work where an occupational psychologist might help from recruitment to preparation for retirement.

Forensic psychologist …

• Works in many areas with the criminal population.
• They may work on treatment programmes, reducing stress in prisoners and the staff who work in prisons They can also be involved in offender profiling, give evidence at trials and help diagnose mental health

Sport Psychologist …

• Works with athletes, coaches and referees. They can help with motivation, dealing with injuries, building performance and team work.
• Practitioners’ will often specialise in either the sport or exercise branches of the discipline, or both.

Educational Psychologist…

• Works with children and young adults in schools, colleges and early years settings.
• They advise and diagnose learning difficulties and social and emotional problems.
• They will often observe in classrooms and interview children and staff. They help teachers, parents, and the wider community in helping the child or young adult.

This list is not exhaustive so, prior to applying look at all the various options open to you.

Many psychology graduates do not have a career as a psychologist, but you do at least know there are some clear options should you decide to pursue them.

You should note that almost all these career paths require further study or experience as they are specialisms. You would need to study the area specifically to become an expert.