When I first visited Newcastle on an open day, I felt so at home and fell in love with the city. Living here as a student is great! The university still has a campus feel but is so close to the city centre which is really handy when you have gaps between lectures and fancy doing some shopping. Newcastle is such a vibrant city and I am still finding new places to visit despite having lived here for over 3 years now!

Newcastle is one of the few universities that offers a professional placement year on the Psychology course. This really appealed to me when I was applying, as I was keen to gain as much experience as possible. I completed a placement with Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS in an assistant psychologist role and learnt so much from this experience! I am so glad I decided to take a placement as not only did I gain useful experience for a career in Clinical Psychology, it also helped my personal development as I gained a lot of useful skills like resilience.

The Psychology course at Newcastle offers a diverse range of modules, especially in stage three when you have free reign over which modules you take!

What do you like most about studying Psychology at Newcastle University?

I think that studying Psychology at Newcastle is great for many different reasons but one of the big factors is the friendly team. I have found the Psychology admin team really helpful when I have any queries relating to the course and they have been great in organising the Psychology student staff committee meetings. My lecturers are really approachable and have helped me a lot with my essay writing during my final year.

Now that I am in stage three, I have had the option to choose modules I am most interested in such as the psychology of religion and neuropsychology. Being able to study what you are interested in definitely makes revising for exams easier too!

This year I have particularly liked the module ‘Forensic Psychology’. It is really varied, and topics range from understanding criminal behaviour to the different ways of interviewing suspects. I am also completing my final year research project, which explores the role of shame in the relationship between beliefs relating to possessions and symptoms of Hoarding Disorder, such as having difficulty discarding objects which I am really enjoying researching!

There is a brand new building opening, the Dame Margaret Barbour Building, where the school of Psychology will be based. This will provide amazing new specialist facilities for Psychology including clinical suites, learning spaces and lecture theatres.

What is it like living in Newcastle?

I really enjoying studying and living in Newcastle, I think there is something in Newcastle for everyone. The music scene is fantastic; there are independent venues like the Cluny that host smaller bands as well as larger stadiums and arenas for bigger acts. Newcastle is also great for foodies like me as there are some amazing restaurants, cafes and eateries across the city to try. There is a lot of cultural stuff to do in Newcastle as the city has a large range of theatres, cinemas, museums, comedy clubs and art galleries just to name a few! A personal favourite of mine is Tyneside Cinema, an art deco cinema that shows a diverse range of films from art house to cult classics. If you love shopping, Newcastle is definitely the right city for you! Newcastle has a goo mix of independent shops and high street classics, as well as the Metrocentre shopping centre, which is just a short bus ride away. Grainger market is in the heart of Newcastle city centre and is a great way to support local businesses whilst buying great food at very reasonable prices!

Newcastle is a lively, affordable and student friendly city in a beautiful corner of the country. The surrounding countryside in Northumberland and nearby beaches is something that I really like about living in Newcastle, as I love spending time outdoors. There is also lots to do in the city itself, from art galleries to comedy clubs. Although Newcastle has all the same benefits of a big city due to its smaller size and friendly locals, it does have a community feel, which I really like.