My final year experience

I’m a final year Psychology student from Huddersfield. Initially, I was excited to say I was a final year student, but now I’m at the end of my journey, it’s a little bitter-sweet.

When you first start university, three or four years sounds like a long time…but you soon realise that time whilst you’re at university seems to operate very differently to ‘normal’ time. In the blink of an eye, you go from a fresher who’s excited by everything uni life has to offer, to a soon-to-be graduate who’s taking measurements for their cap and gown.

Although it flies by, coming to university was one of the best decisions of my life. That’s not to say there haven’t been ups and downs, plenty of tears, and moments where I’ve questioned things; but the experiences, connections, and memories I’ve gained have made it all worth it.

My first year was great, the second year can be summed up by one word – Covid, and my feelings towards my third year have been interesting to say the least. It’s great knowing I’ve made it this far; getting my degree is what I’ve been working towards and I’m pretty much there! But that also means leaving uni, and if you’ve worked full time, you’ll know there’s no place quite like it.

Although I had one exam and four written assignments during the year, my dissertation was the star of the show. I knew it’d be hard work, so choosing a topic I was really interested in, and that I’d enjoy researching was important to me. I’m glad I took this approach.

Aside from handing in my final report, doing the interviews themselves were the highlight for me. It was amazing hearing about people's experiences and making sense of what they’d shared with me. I also did a presentation as part of my project and that was surprisingly enjoyable. Once I got over the nerves, I was proud to share what I’d done, and it was interesting to hear what my peers had been working on.

The library and 24-hour computer room, alongside the vending machines, were lifesavers for me when my concentration at home started dwindling. You’d be surprised at how much a change of scenery can make a difference. As a late-night studier, it meant I could get to uni at around 7pm and leave the next morning feeling accomplished.

Another thing that helped me get through the year was extensions. I had some family issues that impacted my academic work during the year, and although I didn’t access the Wellbeing Service in Student Central, my lecturers were really supportive.

Knowing that the university has systems and policies in place to support students going through a difficult time is reassuring; it helped make a stressful time a little less stressful. A bit of self-care and making sure I still did the things I enjoyed throughout the year helped too.

Find out more about the university and our courses by chatting to our students via Unibuddy here.