{"id":274,"date":"2018-01-25T11:18:37","date_gmt":"2018-01-25T11:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-bscpsycholgy\/?p=274"},"modified":"2018-01-25T19:57:08","modified_gmt":"2018-01-25T19:57:08","slug":"introductory-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/2018\/01\/25\/introductory-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet our 2018 postgraduate bloggers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hi Everyone, we are Aisha and Shabani, Student Ambassadors for the IoPPN. Each month we will be sharing our experience of studying at King\u2019s. Find out more about why we chose King\u2019s, our courses and studying in London.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><strong>Aisha\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-274 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/2018\/01\/25\/introductory-blog\/screen-shot-2018-01-24-at-10-04-21-pm\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/files\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-24-at-10.04.21-PM-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/files\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-24-at-10.04.21-PM-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/files\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-24-at-10.04.21-PM-365x365.png 365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-278'>\n\t\t\t\tAisha &#8211; MSc Mental Health Studies\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hi everyone, I\u2019m Aisha Walker a postgraduate student doing an<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/study\/postgraduate\/taught-courses\/mental-health-studies-msc.aspx\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">MSc in Mental Health\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Studies<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">at the IoPPN. I was born and raised in a suburb of Toronto, Canada. For my\u00a0<\/span>undergraduate degree, I moved to Montreal where I studied Cognitive Science at McGill University. After graduation, I worked in Montreal as a Research Assistant. I started to realise that although I was passionate about psychology research, cognition wasn\u2019t the right focus for me. I wanted to transition towards clinical work and decided a Master\u2019s degree would be the right next step. Since my Dad was born in London, I\u2019m a dual citizen and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to take advantage of that! I got into King\u2019s in 2016, but deferred and took a year long detour back to Toronto (including an administrative job with the Toronto Police Service!) This past December, I finally started my journey at the IoPPN.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The IoPPN offers so many interesting and different Master\u2019s courses. It was hard for\u00a0<\/span>me to choose, but ultimately, I settled on the Mental Health Studies MSc for two main reasons.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A clinical placement is offered as a non-credit optional module and I appreciated the opportunity to gain some practical experience. I have secured a placement with the South London and Maudsley Community Mental Health Service in Brixton. I\u2019m currently going through the paperwork phase, but I\u2019m eager to get started! <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The chance to select optional modules that are of particular interest to me, I chose women\u2019s mental health and psychological therapies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m also excited about my dissertation as it\u2019s a departure from the research I\u2019ve done in the past. I\u2019m helping to develop a questionnaire to measure gendered behaviour in childhood\/adolescence and how it relates to sexual orientation in adulthood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My time outside of academia opened my eyes to all the great opportunities university\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">offers, so I vowed to take advantage once I got to King\u2019s. In my first few weeks in London I\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">attended the international student orientation, where I met other students from all over the world. They try to group you by faculty so I ended up meeting other students studying at the IoPPN! I\u2019m participating in the King\u2019s Leadership and Professional Skills award (KLPSA) where I\u2019m learning and reflecting on my skills for employability. For example, last term I did a workshop on problem solving and an online course about application forms. Plus, there\u2019s so many events happening all the time, my favourite so far has been the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn\/news\/special-events\/maudsley-debates\/index.aspx\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maudsley Debate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This year they discussed the reformation of the Mental Health Act.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once my course work is finished in May, and my dissertation submitted in August, I see\u00a0<\/span>myself staying in London for the near future. I\u2019m currently trying to familiarise myself with the types of roles that are available, both privately and within the NHS. I want to work with patients in a clinical setting ideally as an Assistant Psychologist. On the other hand, I\u2019d also enjoy a job as a Research Assistant working with a clinical population. As you can see I don\u2019t quite have it all figured out but I\u2019m sure things will come together in the next few months. Although I love Toronto (besides the harsh winters) I want to continue to explore London, the UK and Europe for a while once my time at the IoPPN comes to a close.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Shabani\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-274 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/2018\/01\/25\/introductory-blog\/shabani-chaudry-pic\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/files\/2018\/01\/Shabani-Chaudry-Pic-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/files\/2018\/01\/Shabani-Chaudry-Pic-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/files\/2018\/01\/Shabani-Chaudry-Pic-365x365.jpg 365w, https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/files\/2018\/01\/Shabani-Chaudry-Pic-500x500.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-276'>\n\t\t\t\tShabani -MSc Neuroscience\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Hi, I\u2019m Shabani Chaudry, and am currently studying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/study\/postgraduate\/taught-courses\/neuroscience-msc.aspx\">MSc Neuroscience<\/a> at the IoPPN. Originally from Bournemouth, I moved to London for my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at Medipathways College (part of the University of Buckingham). Originally, I had the intention of studying dentistry, however, through studying neuroscience as part of my BSc I began questioning this decision and realised that myotivations for becoming a dentist were superficial. I realised that the study of the brain and behaviour is what drives me and is the kind of research that I have always enjoyed doing in my spare time. So despite the objections from my family, I decided on doing an MSc in Neuroscience, which has been one of the best choices I have ever made.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I chose the IoPPN because of the multidisciplinary environment it provides. I have always wanted to merge neuroscience and psychology, finding it very difficult to choose between the two. However the IoPPN specialises in both, so although I study neuroscience I have insight into the latest psychology research. Additionally, I am very interested in the research conducted at King\u2019s regarding Psychopathy, IQ and Autism Spectrum Disorder and hope to do my MSc dissertation on such a topic. All KCL students may also undertake the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcl.ac.uk\/aboutkings\/principal\/dean\/akc\/Associateship-of-Kings-College.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Associates of Kings College (AKC)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> course alongside their studies, which covers topics of philosophy and politics, which was very appealing to me. I love the ability to intercalate philosophy and neuroscience, in order to better approach questions regarding morality, the soul and free will. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>MSc Neuroscience is one of the biggest courses at the IoPPN having a large cohort of around 150 people of all different nationalities and backgrounds, ranging from Psychology and Law to Biology and Maths. Being able to interact and discuss topics with such a wide range of different people that have so many different skills to offer is what I particularly appreciate about this course. Furthermore, the curriculum is designed for all people as it starts with very basic Biology and progresses to more complex subjects like epigenetics and psychiatric illnesses. This widespread of topics has allowed me to really find my niche, giving me a lot of freedom to explore what I am passionate about. I thoroughly enjoy the fact that I am able to choose an optional module as well, which include Neurodegenerative disorders, Psychiatric Genetics and of course Cognitive Neuroscience (my favourite!). I am very much looking forward to doing my dissertation since I will have the freedom to explore and create something original and thought-provoking, on a topic that I am passionate about.<\/p>\n<p>After my MSc, I hope to do a PhD which I am currently in the application process of (so please feel free to ask me any questions regarding this). Ideally I would love to gain a PhD role at the IoPPN as a continuation of my MSc dissertation (which often happens), however, I am open to other options as well, since places are very competitive. Although the PhD application process is tough I have attended many application support classes that the IoPPN offer, as well as meetings with my personal tutor, all of which have made the process much easier! Following my PhD, I hope to become a researcher and lecturer in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We hope you\u2019re excited to start your own journey with the IoPPN! We will be writing monthly blog posts and hosting weekly Q&amp;A sessions on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/1207009319398487\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">facebook group<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>Bye!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>Aisha and Shabani<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Hi Everyone, we are Aisha and Shabani, Student Ambassadors for the IoPPN. Each month we will be sharing our experience of studying at King\u2019s. Find <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/2018\/01\/25\/introductory-blog\/\" title=\"Meet our 2018 postgraduate bloggers\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":946,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[14],"class_list":["post-274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-postgraduates","tag-postgraduate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/946"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":311,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274\/revisions\/311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kcl.ac.uk\/ioppn-students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}