Psychology Is My Lifelong Aspiration

I am applying for Psychology. When I was 14 years old I had made the incidental decision to take Psychology at GCSE. Unknowingly I had chosen a subject in which I would become extremely passionate about. This has led me to studying Psychology at A level alongside English language and English literature. Psychology I find to be the most intellectually stimulating in my opinion, as it is a broad subject that allows me to explore a range of my academic interests. I am a firm believer in the idea that there is always more to learn. Thus, it is not only a subject in which I am free to explore but it also allows me satisfaction in knowing that there is not just one explanation or one answer to be found.

I find research and theories concerning metal health disorders extremely interesting as mental health is a topic that is extremely personal to me and in the past, I have previously helped raised money for a counselling service when I partook in NCS. Therefore, learning about certain mental health disorders and treatments is not only intriguing but also, I believe to be necessary in my lifetime as I hope to one day helped in discovering more about certain mental health disorders and how they can be treated. Other topics such as attachment, cognitive development and obedience are also fascinating to learn about as I am eager to find out how an individual may behave or respond to a situation and also why certain experiences may affect an individual physically, mentally and emotionally.

Studying psychology, English literature and English language has encouraged me to become more accomplished in areas such as critical thinking and time management. Psychology has allowed me to understand the importance of research and prioritisation, which has led to helping build skills in other areas such as communication and constructing an argument. Additionally, numeracy and statistics are both things I have been able to understand and comprehend more clearly while studying psychology. English language and literature have both lead to improvement of my written and oral communication skills as I have learned how to present an idea while also providing context for my analysis. I believe I am also more sensitive to language and how it used in everyday life. Furthermore, as an independent learner I have the capability to be able to handle high pressure situations to an exceptional standard and pride myself in being able to respond correctly to a situation in which I am responsible.

Previous work experience in retail has allowed me to further improve my interpersonal skills as partaking in Customer service has helped me in terms of working people and has allowed me to be more confident when presenting ideas or cooperating in a group. In addition to this I have volunteered in a day center for the elderly- I found this to be an eye opening and rewarding experience as a young adult in a modern society. I regularly find myself curious and inquisitive about the world around me which has fortunately benefitted me as it has motivated me to partake in situations I may not be completely comfortable in. For example, I have previously written and performed my own speech at TEDx about the meaning of self-control, this opportunity let me become more confident as a person in terms of public speaking. I also became more confident in my ability to write.

I try to fill my spare time with productive or beneficial activities such as reading, sketching or painting. As an avid reader I have a wide collection of novels, however personal favourites include classics such as Pride and Prejudice and fantasy novels like Lord of the Rings. I am looking forward to university for a variety of reasons, the main one is that I simple love to learn and have always had hunger for information or anything that makes my brain tick. For me I have always enjoyed my education and take it very seriously not just to do well but because it is something that I love to do. To be able to continue to enjoy what I love is my lifelong aspiration.