Hi everyone, Tamsin and Sarah here! We’re Student Ambassadors for the IoPPN and we’ll be posting monthly updates about life as postgraduate students at King’s in order to help you understand what to expect as prospective students.
Below we’ve written a bit about ourselves, how we got here, our experiences so far and what we’re looking forward to. We’ll also be in charge of the ‘IoPPN Postgraduate Class of 2017 Facebook page. If you haven’t already joined the group, please do so, as it is a great platform for you to ask us questions and raise any concerns. We will also post about interesting events, the latest IoPPN research and industry news too.
We hope both this blog and the Facebook group will be useful for to you all!
Tamsin & Sarah
Who we are
Tamsin: Hi everyone, I studied Psychology BSc at University of Portsmouth and I graduated in 2014. I then worked as a recruitment consultant for a year, before going travelling for a year across Asia, India and Africa. Now I am studying an MSc in Organisational Psychiatry and Psychology at the IoPPN. I am currently going through the graduate scheme application process and I hope to secure a place to start in September 2017. I have applied to various graduate schemes to keep my options open, these include management consultancy, HR and project management. The good thing about the long graduate scheme application process is that you get a really good feel for the job you are applying for – every cloud has a silver lining! If anybody would like any information about the application process, please get in touch and I will be happy to give advice.
Sarah: Hi all, I’m a postgraduate at the IoPPN studying an MSc in Affective Disorders. I graduated from my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology last year (November 2016) and went straight into starting my masters course here at King’s – after a working over summer to save up money for tuition. I have had a mixed bag of course-related work experience from working as a research intern in different labs over summer to taking part in summer school programmes such as EPFSA Junior Researcher Programme. I am hoping to go down the Clinical Psychology route, and so after my masters I will be looking for a paid position as a research assistant in a lab or as a staff member in a mental health service.
About our courses
Tamsin: The Organisational Psychiatry and Psychology MSc is a really unique course. I wanted to continue studying Psychology on a course that could be applied to business, so this one was perfect. I am studying mental health in the workplace and strategic interventions for psychological well-being in organisations, as well as basic mental health and research methods. It is also great that I could choose my own dissertation – I am currently working with the Widening Participation department to understand the mental health of under-represented student groups transitioning to university. I love that the course is relatively small (with only 27 people) but we share some lectures with the other Mental Health Studies MSc courses, so we have the best of both worlds!
Sarah: My course (Affective Disorders MSc) is quite new to the IoPPN, it’s a one-year taught master’s focused on mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. However it’s taught through a variety of techniques such as lectures, seminars, case presentations, workshops and a clinical placement with a service within the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust. Unlike my undergraduate degree, students are not solely assessed through essays and exams. I really like this aspect as I feel I’m acquiring skills I will need in the future as a practicing Clinical Psychologist.
What we like most about studying here
Tamsin: I really enjoy studying in cosmopolitan London at a university that offers so much towards your personal development. I am involved in two King’s awards and I have just submitted my assignment for the King’s Experience Global Award. The award recognises my time as a volunteer in Thailand and has been a great way for me to reflect on my experience. I am also completing the King’s Leadership & Professional Skills Award. There is always a social event like a free lunch or a pub quiz to go along to at the IoPPN. Our Christmas party was great, it was held at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton and we watched Elf the movie, ate popcorn and ice-cream, then enjoyed free cocktails for the rest of the night – Not sure it gets much better than that! I’m also excited to start Yoga classes at the IoPPN this term.
Sarah: My course is a great mixture of psychology students like myself fresh out of their undergraduate degrees (or those who have taken a year or two out to work), those from a non-psychological background and even medics who are making the transition into psychiatry. Students are from different academic backgrounds, countries and ages and this creates a really interesting learning environment as everyone has a unique perspective to bring.
What we’re most looking forward to
Tamsin: As I am entering in to the second term, I am really excited that everything is in place for me to really dive in to my studies. My dissertation title has been decided and I have a really supportive supervisor, I have got to grips with my modules, I now know my lectures and course mates and I can (mostly) find my way around the IoPPN. So, now that I am settled, I have no excuses for lots of hard work. I have already learnt so much that I can apply to the business world, I am really excited to see what doors this masters opens for me in the future.
Sarah: I’m really looking forward to really getting into my research project. I chose to do my own independent project that wasn’t listed as an option by my course, but still covered the area of ‘affective disorders’. I am really thankful to my personal tutor who encouraged me to make sure my topic was on what I was interested in. Now I’m conducting secondary analysis of a data from a large community study in South London. I was never really good with statistics in my undergrad and so I’m determined to use this experience to harness my knowledge and confidence in running different types of statistical analyses.
That’s’ all for now from us, next time we’ll be discussing our top tips for making the most of your time at King’s, including the best ways to make the most of your money, so make sure you check that out!
Tamsin & Sarah
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