I'm Elin, and I've just finished my Psychology (MSc) course at Cardiff University. Last September, I had no idea what to expect; my undergraduate course was Welsh and Journalism, so it was a completely different course to the master's course that was ahead of me. Although I studied psychology in sixth form, I was a little sceptical before starting, as it had been over three years since then.
But a fond memory I have of the welcome week was meeting the other students, a new bunch of people, and understanding that everyone felt similar to me and in the same boat, with hardly any experience of studying psychology in the past, as this was a conversion course. Immediately, I felt more comfortable in the situation.
I have to admit, the work was heavy from the start, so that took me a couple of weeks to get used to. There were several coursework and assessments throughout the twelve months, as well as exams in January (I hadn't sat an exam since sixth form before, so that was a shock to the system for sure!).
After the exams, I had to immediately start working on my research project. This was a slightly less busy time in terms of lectures, but very busy in terms of meetings to discuss the work etc. I enjoyed these months, as it's an exciting time of delving into the fascinating topic of ethical issues within psychology.
Through the twelve months, I was also chair of Aelwyd y Waun Ddyfal – a group for Welsh-speaking Cardiff students and young people aged 18-25. In the first few weeks, it was difficult for me to try to find the right balance between the master's course and the Aelwyd, but, once I did, the Aelwyd gave me the opportunity to get a break from the work pressure. I would encourage everyone to join a society or group as they start a new course, to give them the opportunity to be able to relax from work.
Part of the course that really stood out to me was having a twelve week work placement at Cardiff University's Mabilab between May and August. This was an experience for me to be a research assistant in an incredibly supportive and enthusiastic team. The lab was doing research on the development of babies and young children with Down's Syndrome. The work placement gave me and two other students the opportunity to get a taste of what it's like to be researchers in the field of psychology, and I feel very fortunate that I have had this opportunity to develop as an individual, as well as developing several valuable skills.
As I look back on that, a year later, although there were a few challenges ahead of me, overall, my time on the course was a very exciting and interesting experience. For any person who is feeling unsure about starting a new, different course, I'd say really go for it!