BSc Psychology, 2024
Msc in Clinical Applications of Psychology at the University of Warwick
My name is Aisha, and I am currently 21 years old, completing my Msc in Clinical Applications of Psychology at the University of Warwick. I have always been interested in Psychology so studied it at GCSE, A-Level and then for my undergrad here at Birmingham. I have always wanted to go into clinical practice and researched extensively the routes into Clinical Psychology before my undergraduate degree. Although there are now a number of routes, at the time I started the route seemed quite linear. I completed my undergraduate degree and had applied to a few different masters with placements. I will soon be starting my placement as an honorary assistant psychologist in paediatric diabetes as part of my current course and am super excited for that experience.
Whilst completing my undergrad at the University of Birmingham I volunteered for a year as a crisis helpline volunteer for Birmingham Mind. This experience was crucial in exposing me to different scenarios in adult mental health and how mental health services are structured. After many emails to many different mental health services, I was lucky enough to do a 3-day placement on an acute female mental health ward in Warwickshire. Although I did most of my volunteering across my second/third year, I would recommend getting as much experience as possible in my first year of university straight away. In my second and third year I was also working as a Psychology subject ambassador, did a bout of student mentoring and had a part time job too, which meant I had a very, very busy schedule alongside my studies. It’s easy to get burnt out so if your career goals mean you need to do extracurriculars, give yourself enough time to fit them nicely around your schedule. And ensure that you make time for yourself outside of this as your wellbeing should be your ultimate priority.
In my final year, I began applying for summer internships and managed to get a spot on a social sciences internship at the University of Cambridge. The internship was research focused, aligning with my career goals. If you are interested in summer internships and specific master’s programmes (i.e. with a placement), I would recommend starting to look as early as possible, because often application deadlines will clash with your assignment deadlines. I would also encourage building a good relationship with your tutor as they will be writing your references (so please attend all your tutorials!). I had 3 tutors across my undergraduate which is not common, but I managed to maintain good relationships with them all and consequently was able to get their help when it came to application season.
In terms of who inspired me, my aunt has a huge impact on my life and inspires me to be a better person every day. She is extremely resilient, and remains positive in the face of difficulties, which I also try to do, and I try to embody her caring nature in my own life. My coach at UoB (Nicki) also hugely inspires me. There are few people in your life who will drastically change your life the way she did mine. She enabled me to see myself and my struggles in a new light. She made me believe in myself and my abilities in a way nobody had before and for that I am eternally grateful.