Quite simply reading Psychology at Queen's transformed my thinking and my life

"I had applied on the presumption that I would gain some mystical insight into people's souls; instead I was introduced to science and discovered how it is not a set of disciplines like Physics or Biology but a systematic way of checking theories against facts. I realised how lazy it is to base ideas on anecdote and supposition and how misguided we can be by intuition. I learned how vulnerable humans are to misperceptions, misremembering and to social pressure. And to my chagrin I discovered that my colleagues who came from a science background often cared as much for theatre, music or culture in general as those who, like me, had majored in the humanities and arts - whereas we were could barely explain scientific fundamentals, such as how a radio signal gets through walls.

"Eventually I was distracted from my career path - I had been determined to become a clinical psychologist and hoped to work with children and adolescents. Instead I drifted into broadcasting, encouraged by my head of department, Professor Seth ("You can come back to Psychology whenever you like; you might never get a chance in radio or TV again"). I always maintained that when I grew up I would get a proper job and that I really would go back to be a psychologist for real. Instead, what I learned at Queen's has shaped my whole career, with a constant quest for evidence rather than mere opinion."

Find out more about studying our Undergraduate BSc (Hons) Psychology programme or Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DCLINPSYCH)