Finding the right fit
I will be starting the course Psychological and Behavioural Sciences from this October.
Pinpointing THE reason for choosing a psychology degree is quite a challenge for me. Towards the end of year nine I started to look more deeply into possible University subjects as I always enjoyed studying and thus wanted to pursue a university degree.
For over a year, I then was certain that architecture would be a right fit, but after doing two internships and finding my love for biology and politics, I figured that might not be the right fit. Thus, I searched for degrees that could combine my interests and came across psychology. A subject that immediately captured my heart.
I love the wide range of disciplines, from biology to philosophy, which is covered by the (Cambridge) degree and the possibility of going on to help individuals as well as societies via research and the various applications thereof.
Lucky to apply
I’m from a state school in Germany and though we are heavily encouraged to attend university, no one ever talked about studying abroad. My application was solely due to my interest in the subject and my stubbornness wanting to study at a world leading school.
(As no one was familiar with the UCAS application system, I stumbled over quite a few hurdles. When asking my English teacher to write me a reference she smiled and finished it within a few days, yet on the deadline day she still needed to send it in on the website. No problem if it hadn’t been for Hamburg having autumn holidays during that time. I ended up calling another teacher, who then was able to reach her at the Greek airport where she used the lousy airport WIFI to upload the form. Summing up, there was quite some luck involved with me applying.)
A Gap Year – an insight into working life
I have taken a gap year during which I applied to the university. I spent my time doing a “voluntary year in science”, in a biomedical lab in Hannover, where I helped two PhD students with experiments for their thesis. I gained insight in scientific working styles and was able to perform what I learned in high school biology classes. My lab focused on working with human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs); I cultured and analysed them, performing PCR, gelelectrophoresis etc.
It was a fun experience, and I would definitely recommend getting an insight in to working life before going back to studying. Not only for taking time out of academia but also to learn more about your interests and what style of work you want to do in the future. I realised that I want to work in an environment with more interaction with other people than is most often possible in biochemistry, information that supported my choice of psychology.
Applying to Cambridge
I applied to Cambridge as it is a world leading university and I was really intrigued by how learning is structured at Cambridge. Especially the supervisions with their possibility to regularly discuss my work with professors appealed to me. Compared to this, the German system is way less personal and supervised, so personally I prefer Cambridge teaching.
The third reason is the specific course that is offered. “Psychological and Behavioural Sciences” gives you the opportunity to choose half of your papers from other natural science/humanities subjects, which gives me the opportunity to continue my broader interests in both science as well as politics. And thus integrate my learnings in a broader context.
Everything will work out
I am really excited about getting started studying at Homerton College. We have already had some contact with the staff and other new students. Everyone seems to be genuinely happy for us to be starting and welcoming, which makes me feel like I am already a part of the community. Therefore, moving countries becomes less of an intimidating thing.
I certainly am worrying about the academic side of university, especially not having sat exams in over a year, but I am positive that everything will work out one way or the other.
Becoming part of the community
I most look forward to meeting all new and already existing students and becoming part of a big community. And of course, I do look forward to starting to study again and really getting to know my director of studies. And as one is allowed to walk on grass ;) I’m hoping that the weather will be good enough for an autumnal picnic.
