Sam McBride

"I’d never given much thought to a career in school and sixth form, so I found myself working in a factory, assuming that would be fine for me. Safe to say I was wrong, and I really had to think about what I wanted to do, with counselling being the answer that I came to.

I wanted to stay at home to study, so I looked at local universities before applying. Sunderland’s BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling course really appealed to me given that it had the specialised route alongside the core psychology content, as well as the way different topics were broken up across the years. What ultimately swayed me was the Open Day experience as the friendly atmosphere and general vibe of the people and place attracted me a lot more than the other universities I looked at did. My favourite thing about the undergraduate course was how broad it is – covering topics that I didn’t expect to learn about and linking them all together kept things fresh and interesting throughout.

After getting to the end of my three years as an undergraduate, I was really involved in the university, as well as being comfortable in a generally uncomfortable period due to the pandemic. After this, I saw my career going more towards academia than counselling. Because of this, I knew I wanted to continue studying and the MSc Psychological Research Methods degree seemed the obvious choice. Research methods were the weakest part of my undergraduate degree and I knew that I’d need to improve if I was ever going to pursue a PhD. Having a 20% alumni discount on postgraduate course fees was also a pretty good incentive!

The best advice I could give to a prospective student is be strict with your attendance and don't be scared to ask questions. It can be easy to start to slack off if you decide to miss a lecture or two, but it makes studying so much easier by doing the simplest thing of just turning up. The academics are always happy to help, and I’m not sure I would've ever got a grasp on statistics if I didn’t ask any questions. If you persist, it'll come to you eventually. For a master’s, I'd advise either picking a course that'll address your weaknesses (to make you more well-rounded for employers and further study) or go down an applied route (e.g. counselling, clinical, or forensic psychology) if you’re set on what you want to do.

Since completing my master’s, I have worked at the university as an academic tutor and have taught on foundation, undergraduate, and the MSc Psychology (Conversion) course. I've also started a PhD, with the aim being to stay here and become a lecturer in psychology afterwards.

If I was to sum up my experience of studying at the University of Sunderland, I’d struggle not to be clichéd and on-brand by saying it’s been life changing. As well as my degree, I've been able to have other experiences, such as being on the Athena Swan team, becoming a Student Rep for my course, and being a Student Ambassador – the latter of which I can’t recommend enough if you want flexible, enjoyable, and valuable work during your degree. Not only was studying at Sunderland my way out of a job that I felt stuck in, but it also provided me with lots of opportunities, and I don’t see myself looking to leave anytime soon."