My life at the University of Nottingham
By Alvina Tam (School of Psychology International Graduate)
I wanted to study psychology after A-levels, partly to satisfy my desire for novelty, but also for the scientific perspective on understanding human behaviour.
Looking forward to a white Christmas
As an international student, I already knew of the University of Nottingham's strong connections with the Asian community based on the existence of two other campuses located in Malaysia and China. Nottingham also welcomes international students with open arms and offers scholarships based on academic merit that is an important factor. In addition to that, I have family ties with Nottingham and they were full of praise for their Alma Mata! Moreover as a student from Hong Kong, I had a “big city” mentality so I was looking forward to what I thought would be a change of pace and experience a quiet lifestyle and hopefully a white Christmas! Unfortunately, the latter never quite occurred but the peace and calm of the campus gave me new found independence and the chance to reflect on my outlook on life. However, there was a vibrant hall culture and the large patches of green grass on ’The Downs” acted as a haven in my rare homesick moments. The library was a great place to hangout during exam period as it opens 24 hours, literally making it my second home. The sports facilities and libraries are just a stones' throw away for those living on campus.
The variety of modules offered in 2nd year and 3rd year made it possible to develop my intellectual curiosity, motivating myself to learn with self initiative. This was accompanied by detailed notes written by the lecturers which are some of the most comprehensive handouts I've seen. The department is well equipped with high tech labs and software. The strong research culture in the school feeds back to the students as there are innovative ideas flowing around. The academics are very understanding and friendly and gave me an extension on coursework when I needed one in my second year.
Preparing to study
I have just completed a research placement in psychology at University College London. I believe that my statistical training at Nottingham, coupled with the opportunity to conduct my own research project during my final year there, gave me extra confidence during the placement.
The psychology degree from the University of Nottingham opens many doors such as market research, executive recruitment, and jobs in psychometric assessment, to name a few. I believe this degree gives you the edge and I hope that all the future entrants to Nottingham will treasure their time there. I have many happy memories and learnt valuable life lessons. My graduation day was full of smiles!