From the day I decided to leave my home country, Nigeria, to undertake postgraduate studies in a country with a better education system, I knew the experience would be different. What I didn’t know was how different the experience would be.
Moving from Nigeria to the UK was made easier for me because the University had provided lots of information to enable a smooth relocation, and physical registration was a breeze.
On my first day here, I had to collect my Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) from the Info Point at Binks Building, which was super easy to find as it is the first major building you see once you walk through the main entrance of the Exton Park site. I had no issues collecting my BRP, and I got my school ID card on the same day as well. Seeing Chester for the first time, I noticed how beautiful and serene it is in person and how unique all the high walls are. The Exton Park site is also stunning and designed in such a way that locating buildings is simple. It was also easy for me to connect with my classmates and lecturers; I even made my first friend that day. The lecturers are very kind, reassuring and easy to talk to. I knew I was going to settle in well.
For me, studying a Master’s Conversion Course in Psychology was daunting at first, because apart from the introductory course in Psychology that I had taken at undergraduate level, I didn’t have much depth of knowledge in this subject. I remember the first day in class when my lecturer mentioned, “Eysenck and Keane” (Psychology Scholars) and I jotted it down as “Isoken King” in my notes. That was the first cultural difference I experienced, the British accent. When I eventually saw what the correct spelling was, it made me chuckle. From then on to this point, studying psychology at the University of Chester has somehow reprogrammed my mind – I can now think on my feet.
The University of Chester was nominated and placed in the top five in the UK for Lecturers and Teaching Quality in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs) 2023, so it’s no surprise to me that my critical thinking skills have greatly improved. I can speak confidently about my course and am confident in my identity as an MSc in Psychology (Conv.) student.
After graduation, I hope to go into the field of user experience (UX) research. This is because my course has sharpened my research skills and I have developed more of an interest in research. User research is an interesting field and seems like the right application of my skills; as a user researcher, my job would be to study the user experience by collecting and analysing data which will then inform the product design process. In the past, I would not have been confident enough to go into this field, but the quality of education at the University of Chester has changed that for me and I’m super grateful. In addition to research and critical thinking skills, I have also learnt better time management, communication, problem-solving and self-learning skills. In conclusion, if I had to make the choice to study psychology at the University of Chester again, I 100% would.
