My name is Vaishali and I have recently graduated from Liverpool Hope University with a degree in BSc Psychology (honours).

One of the main reasons why I chose Psychology at Hope was because of how small the university and the department really was. Having a small department and cohort means that I really got to know the people on my course and my tutors. The academics really get to know you on a name basis and not just as a number on the course, they are really approachable and will always make the time help you with any problems that you have during your time at the university. Hope has such a sense of community within a large and busy city which put me at ease, especially as I moved to a new city for university.

Another reason why I loved Hope and Liverpool was the amount of opportunities across the university, while studying Psychology and in the city of Liverpool. During my time, and with the support of the careers hub, I worked as a Student Ambassador which really improved my university experience. I would get paid to support with Open Days, school visits, campus tours and representing the Psychology Department. This was great because I only worked when I wanted to, so I could focus on my studies if and when assignments were due. I also made so many friends from different courses and year groups – I had more familiar faces around the campuses which made me feel like I was really part of a community. I really enjoyed helping others and learned so much, which informed a lot of my course work.

The Psychology course at Liverpool Hope University provides a range of topics from religion to research methods. I got a better understanding of a large variety of topics throughout my degree and you have the option to choose specific modules that you want to learn. My favourite module was Clinical Psychology, which prepared me a lot for my dissertation during my final year. You have the opportunity to choose your own research project to conduct with the support of a supervisor. I was able to do my dissertation on investigating the genetic and environmental factors which influenced smoking behaviours and being able to quit smoking.

I loved my time at Liverpool Hope and I have learned so much about Psychology and myself.