By Lauren Valentine

• Name: Ellie

• Home town: Oswestry, Shropshire 

• University: Liverpool John Moores University

• Course: BSc (Hons) Psychology and MSc Brain and Behaviour

• Top recommendations in Liverpool: “I love going down Bold Street and trying all the different food there. Fat Hippo does really good burgers and fries! I also liked going to Liverpool One and sitting on the grass, or catching the sunset at the Albert Docks.”   

Coming back stronger: the importance of belonging…   

“I was originally doing a different course at another university. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the most positive experience and so decided to take some time out to consider what I wanted to do next. At first, I thought there was no way I’d go back, but after a few months working in retail, I felt ready to head back into education. The reason I chose psychology was because I want to make a positive impact and help others, and that’s what drove me to write another application, this time to LJMU. 

I’ve faced some challenges throughout my education: I had speech and language therapy to help me learn to speak and some teachers underestimated me because I learn differently. This, along with the fact that I was coming to uni as a 21-year-old, made me quite apprehensive. I went to an applicant day at LJMU and found the University so welcoming, warm and friendly. There was a real atmosphere of belonging to a community. The staff seemed really genuine and made me feel like I could achieve something - and nobody cared about my age!” 

Postgrad study and pre-exam pet pics… 

“Psychology is such a diverse course - it’s not all about mental health or mind reading! We learn about development from childhood to adulthood, health education, promoting positive behaviours and so much more. My speciality will always be cognitive neuroscience. I’m drawn to learning about the brain, how it functions and how different areas can be affected by damage. Studying psychology opens your mind and enables you to go beyond thinking in black and white to think more deeply about others’ points of view. 

The transition from undergrad to postgrad was definitely a challenge for me. When people ask me about it, I say the undergrad is like a marathon and the postgrad is like a sprint. It’s very full on and you have to work hard to keep up. There were fewer students on my MSc (around 20 compared to over 200 on my BSc!) and feeling like we’re all in it together has really kept me going. We were lucky to have that small community where we all got on and supported each other. I remember us all sending pet pictures before our exams to boost serotonin! I’m still in touch with most of them now too.” 

Improving the future of healthcare recruitment…

“It felt strange at first to work for the Uni - I had a staff lanyard but still felt like a student! My course had prepared me well for working in the field, not only the knowledge but also practical experience and skills like report writing and data analysis. 

I’m currently working on a project alongside Health Education England to investigate ways to improve recruitment of neurodivergent people into the healthcare sector. It involves looking at the resources available to them and thinking about how they could be improved. I’ve been analysing interviews of people who work in healthcare and found that there’s a lot of stigma around reaching out for support. For example, if managers aren’t empathetic towards an employee’s mental health, they can feel disregarded. I want to change that through awareness and education. 

There have been positive examples too: one person was really happy to be in a place where people recognised their strengths. Often, neurodivergent people are highly resilient from dealing with past challenges, and they’re more likely to bounce back and embrace personal development. We’re hoping to develop a  neurodiversity toolkit in the future and I feel really lucky to be part of it.” 

Paying it forward…

“I’ve had a couple of people reach out about the MA and they talk about what interests them within the course. Even if they’re not set on what they want to do, they always want to make a great impact on people through research, understand others’ conditions and help to treat them. I had a really enjoyable conversation with a girl who was asking about the findings of my research project. It was so nice to share this! You meet some really friendly people and get lots of questions about accommodation and life in Liverpool. It’s a chance to just share my own experience.”

Ellie is a shining example of how a combination of personal motivation and a welcoming environment can make all the difference. Reflecting on her own choices, she says: “If I could say one thing to anyone who’s apprehensive about applying to uni, it’d be just go for it. Listen to your gut. It doesn’t matter what people think. I’m doing this for me!”