Case Study

I decided to study at the University of Sunderland as I’d grown up in the city and was familiar with what Sunderland has to offer, plus I’d seen many of my friends graduate from the University, having had great experiences.

I finally made the decision to come to university at the age of 24 after spending years working in the healthcare sector. I was working in a call centre, and felt like I was in a bubble, not knowing what kind of career I wanted for myself. I decided I wanted follow my dream and start my path to becoming a psychologist.

The best aspects of the course are the huge range of topics you learn in Psychology, for example exploring the mind, behaviours, genes and evolution theories which are all taught by fun lecturers who have a good sense of humour for sure!

Since starting at the University, I have received a huge amount of support from the We Care Team, which supports care leavers or care experienced students, like myself. The support I’ve received has ranged from financial support, to encouragement, to overall one-to-one, genuine support, which I am very lucky and thankful to have.

I would definitely recommend the University of Sunderland to other students as I have found it a warm and fun environment which has a huge range of diversity among students. The best advice I would give prospective students looking to study at University of Sunderland would be to enjoy and appreciate every moment you have at university, as I have found just how fast the years go by while studying. Make friends and get used to reading!

In my future career I aim to be a clinical psychologist working closely with patients in mental health. I find it motivating to always dedicate some attention to the future, to keep you focussed on, not only what you want, but what will eventually get you through the hard work.

If I could sum up my experience of studying at University of Sunderland, it would be that it is definitely the best thing I have ever done with my life, especially coming as a mature student. Since starting the University, I have been lucky to have had so many fantastic opportunities, from meeting new friends to getting to know the wonderful staff that work so hard. Even becoming a Student Ambassador has meant that I’ve had the opportunity to learn so many new skills and do fun, interesting things, such as getting to air on daytime radio and being invited to the House of Lords. All of this I would have never had the opportunity to do prior to coming to the University of Sunderland.”

Published 20 April 2020