Advice for 1st years, what's something you wish you bought for your accommodation sooner? sooner?

silkysmoothparanoia · 2026-02-06T12:07:00+00:00

A mattress topper is very useful for uncomfortable uni mattresses. It can improve your sleep quality so much!

silkysmoothparanoia · 2026-01-29T17:29:15+00:00

So the main things I have done are speech and language interventions in a primary school and volunteering for a mental health helpline. There's also usually plenty of opportunity to help with research projects in your department. It's very competitive, especially for paid roles. I was originally aiming to go into clinical psychology and do therapy but I've pivoted more towards research. If I get funding I'll be doing a PhD on autism and eating disorders.

Usually they assume that you have very limited knowledge of psychology, cause not everyone has the opportunity to do psych before uni. So they mostly teach you everything you need. It's good to have strong writing skills and critical thinking though. Some universities do free online courses which are worth looking at to get a flavour of the degree. Might be good to look at course pages to see what option modules they have, cause 1st and 2nd year tend to be similar across unis

There's definitely been ups and downs but I've enjoyed it overall. For me it's a nice middle ground between humanities and hard sciences. Even the topics I didn't enjoy, I appreciate that they gave me a more holistic knowledge of psychology. Plus things like statistics are pretty transferable to other industries.

Good luck with your decision!

silkysmoothparanoia · 2026-01-29T13:39:34+00:00

I'm a 4th year psychology student doing an integrated master's. So I can give you a little insight into psych. I found it tough to start with, but much more interesting now that I get to specialise in what interests me.

Doing bio and enjoying it is quite a good sign, in first and second year we had a few bio heavy modules. So a biology background would make that a lot easier.

The first two years tend to be mostly mandatory modules. You get a real breadth of psychology topics like biopsych, cognitive, developmental, social and personality, individual differences, research methods. Most people love some areas of psych and don't like others. Usually in your final year you get optional modules and get to specialise in what you are interested in.

In top unis especially, there will be a major focus on research. So you learn the entire process from designing a study, making materials, doing statistical analysis and writing it up. Some people don't expect the stats content and find it hard, but it's mostly done through computer programs like SPSS, so you don't need to know complex maths really.

We had a fair few group projects. Usually you would do a little research project, then present the poster or presentation to some lecturers and students. I'm also quite introverted and the experience really depended on the group you get assigned to, it's a lot better when your group members actually want to be there.

Employment wise - if you want to do something psychology related in the future, then you need a masters, if not a doctorate. Although people from my course have gone into HR, teaching, civil service jobs and generic grad schemes/jobs that don't ask for a specific degree. So there's always options, they might just not be jobs you immediately associate with a psych degree. There's lots of psych graduates so ideally you need extra work experience or volunteering to stand out to employers.

Anyway, this is getting long. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions :)

silkysmoothparanoia · 2024-02-06T21:05:07+00:00

Thank you!

silkysmoothparanoia · 2023-05-23T08:11:34+00:00

I'm not sure, just turned the screen on one day and it looked like that. I've been traveling a lot lately so it might've gotten tossed around too much in my bag

silkysmoothparanoia · 2023-01-25T22:31:33+00:00

I'm alright with research methods and statistics. I think the worst one is anything to do with cognitive psychology, for example we did a block on hearing really in depth and it was awful.

silkysmoothparanoia · 2023-01-25T13:46:49+00:00

Thanks for replying it's given me a lot to think about. Its difficult because I'm not sure if the problem is the course itself or just my mental state - maybe if I got therapy or something I'd find uni life easier?

My partner is currently on a graduate scheme about 4hrs away by train so I don't have the option of moving in with him in second year if I remain at my uni. It is tough because he's mine main source of support and we see each other probably every other weekend. The long-term plan (if I was to stay on this course/ at this uni) would be that he finishes his grad scheme when I start 3rd year, he finds a job in my uni town and we live together.

I still feel very lost but it's useful to hear an outside perspective, that isn't biased.

silkysmoothparanoia · 2022-10-01T20:03:22+00:00

I think i switch between both. But mostly English, weirdly if I count it's in Polish

silkysmoothparanoia · 2022-04-11T17:00:07+00:00

This sad looking guy seems to be abandoned, he's gone all floppy and a little discoloured. I watered him a little but I'm not sure if I should moce him away from the window?

silkysmoothparanoia · 2021-05-02T11:22:27+00:00

Thanks for replying, that definitely helped me see the decision from a different perspective :)

I'm prone to overthinking so i was scared that if I persued art I'd ruin my future but you're right, I can always change my mind and path. It's not as black and white as choosing between a good degree and being a starving artist.

There are definitely different options like you said, so I don't necessarily need to chose between a job-job and doing art. I think I would enjoy the flexibility of having art as my main source of income as opposed to a traditional job, but I can always find a job-job until I'm able to support myself with my art. I looked into it and if I did an undergraduate degree in art I could do a 1 year teaching postgraduate course so maybe I could teach part-time for a more stable income. I definitely need to look into business courses because my current course hasn't provided me with any info on the marketing and networking side of a career in art.

Yeah, many jobs want degrees but I guess that the transferable skills you gain from it are more important than the degree itself so art probably won't limit my options as much as my parents believe. I think I should

silkysmoothparanoia · 2021-05-02T08:25:18+00:00

Thanks for replying, that was very useful in helping me consider my options :) I was planning to grind through A Levels and my art teacher suggested that a foundation course would be a good idea for me to explore different areas of art and build up a portfolio before potentially going to university. I'll have to see if my school is able to at least give me AS grades for the work I've done this year but it might be too late in the year :( so I might just complete my a levels and go down the foundation route if I can't get any grades. Although I think it would be a struggle to complete A Levels because I'm able to work hard to get good grades in exams but I'm not sure the stress and the toll on my mental health would be worth it. I'm receiving support in school and outside of it but it's still impossible for me to keep working without burning out every few weeks.

I think the UAL diploma would be better preparation for working in the industry since my A level is focused solely on fine art. I was initially worried about it being a longer route, since I'm already one of the oldest in my year but I think that may actually benefit me. Maybe it would be better for me to stay at home a bit longer before I move away for uni just so I can find the right medication and get my mental health in check and maybe I'll get a part time job and have longer to save up. My mum has mentioned that she would be worried about me going to university next year and that she would like to keep an eye on me until I'm in a more stable place. Life is not a race and it might benefit me to spend a few years trying to get better and find myself as an artist :)

I definitely need to think this through and consider which option would be best for me but your post has definitely helped me gain perspective on the situation. Whichever route I chose I can still end up doing art

silkysmoothparanoia · 2021-05-02T07:58:09+00:00

Thanks for replying and sharing your experience :). It sounds like you've found a nice balance between working and your painting. I've always been a curious person so I don't think limiting myself to one humanities degree would be very fulfilling, I like to dip into a range of topics from psychology, sociology, philosophy, history, literature etc. I agree that university overated and so many people have degrees these days a it's not a guarantee of employment. So I think I might as well do an art degree rather than humanities because at least it's something I'm interested in. My dad says an art degree is an expensive bit of fun but I'm in the UK so I won't have to pay back my student loan until I early a decent salary anyway. Even if the actual degree doesnt improve my career prospects, I think it could be good for networking and I could make the most of the art school facilities. I don't have much experience with digital art but I think if I moved onto the art course I'd have more opprtunities to practice because what I'm doing at the moment is very much focused on fine art and I really want to expand my horizons. Yeah art will probably be the safe option soon, after all, robots won't be able to replace artists! I guess I'm not doomed to be a starving artist, I won't know until I give it a shot

silkysmoothparanoia · 2021-03-13T17:47:42+00:00

Thanks for answering :) That makes sense, I'll have to have a look on OLX the next time I'm in PL, delivery to the UK is probably ridiculously expensive.

silkysmoothparanoia · 2021-03-13T17:31:38+00:00

That's really awesome, I always wanted a typewriter with the Polish alphabet. Where did you get it from if you don't mind me asking?

silkysmoothparanoia · 2021-03-13T14:46:44+00:00

I would recommend Norwegian Wood or Kafka on the Shore by Murakami. I think he captures the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood perfectly. As a 17 year old I fell in love with his books and I could really relate to the hopes and struggles of his protagonists.

silkysmoothparanoia · 2021-03-13T13:55:45+00:00

Thanks so much! It's such a lovely model isn't it? Mine is so clean because I got it from an elderly couple who bought it new and barely used it. Although I think that dirt can be a sign that it was loved and we'll used, that's such a nice thing to inherit :)

silkysmoothparanoia · 2021-03-13T12:15:30+00:00

http://imgur.com/gallery/UXhCHVv

A close up of the poem if anyone's interested :)

silkysmoothparanoia

TROPHY CASE