I’m honoured to have been awarded the Anderson Prize for highest performing Level 2 Psychology student this academic year. I know many students, including myself, can be harsh on ourselves, so receiving the news that I won this award while just ruminating on my grades for some of my assignments was surprising but deeply validating and I truly appreciate that my efforts have been recognized.
I have never doubted my decision to study psychology, and my experience studying in the School of Psychology here is one reason why. I’m an international student and have lived in many countries, attending many schools. Often, there was an environment of unhealthy competition among my peers and we were rarely uplifting one another. On the other hand, at the University of Aberdeen, I have many sources of support which I can rely on such as my peers, lecturers, tutors, and PAL leaders, all of whom have provided unique and valuable feedback these last two years. I am especially grateful for the teaching staff whose passion in their fields has encouraged me to continue engaging in the course even when it gets difficult.
The broad range of areas covered by the first two levels of psychology courses has been immensely useful in helping me discover which fields interest me, such as developmental psychology, specifically how children and adolescents grow socially and emotionally. I was fortunate to be able to help in a PhD research study this past academic year and I hope to gain more hands-on experience through an internship or another research opportunity in the upcoming year. I have so many dedicated and intelligent peers so I am excited to see what we all do moving forward!
Zara is studying for an MA in Psychology with Counselling Skills and will begin their third year of study in September 2026.
