Harriet
Broadbent

What made you decide to undertake postgraduate study at NTU?
"I would like to go on to do research as a job and in order to do that I need a PhD. But I felt that completing a masters would be a good bridge between my undergraduate and a PhD. I studied as an undergrad here and this is what made me decide to stay on at NTU. The support I received here was excellent and the atmosphere of the university as a whole is accepting and friendly."

What did you hear / know about NTU before you came here?
"I started at NTU in 2015 knowing fairly little about the university other than the student satisfaction was high, particularly for psychology. Also the career outcomes of graduates from NTU were really good which was an important influence on my choice of university."

What were the key features that attracted you to your course? 
"The course is very skills based, specifically towards research methods and as I am planning on going on to do a PhD I felt that it would put me in good stead to achieve this. As well as this, it also has a really good mix of independent work and taught content so the support is there when you need it. Postgraduate study is also only on Wednesday to Friday meaning that I was able to get a part-time job to support myself financially while studying."

When choosing a course for postgraduate study, what did you consider it important to have?
"I think the most important part of choosing my course was how it would help me get to my future career, this course in particular meant that I could get more experience with different research methods and therefore help me decide what direction I want to go when I choose to apply for a PhD."

Is there anything that stood out on your course that wasn’t offered anywhere else you applied?
"The support offered by NTU is second to none in my opinion and the responses from previous postgraduate students were what really stood out when deciding to stay at NTU."

What were the key facilities that attracted you to the University?
"I know that the Department of Psychology has some really good equipment such as eye-trackers that students can learn to use.

The library opening times really help because I don’t have a space to work at home so knowing there are so many places on campus no matter what time of day that I can go and work means that I can keep my home life and study life separate."

If you are working as well as studying, what does your job entail and how do you juggle both?
"I work as a Bookseller and do full-day shifts. I find that working is actually a relief, it helps that I enjoy my job, it would be a real struggle if I didn’t. It’s important to stay on top of university work as that should always be the priority so I know not to take on too much, I went in with the mind-set of if I struggled then I would go down to working two days a week instead of three. There are times that I will work a shift at work and go straight to the library and work for a couple more hours, however as long as I keep an eye on my workload it is possible for me to get everything done to a good standard."

What has been your greatest achievement as an NTU postgraduate student so far?
"I think my biggest achievement is the increase in confidence, whether this be in my university assessments, being able to tackle and understand new software such as R, as well as in my personal and work-life."

What are your plans for the future?
"I plan on applying for a position as a Research Assistant within the university to gain some more hands on experience and more insight into the area of psychology I want to study before applying for a PhD at NTU."

How have you found the postgraduate community in Nottingham? Is it what you expected?
"Very soon after starting this course I’d made some incredibly close friends who I believe I’ll be friends with for the rest of my life. I’d definitely say that friends are important when taking on a postgraduate degree because you will need time to let your hair down, but everyone on the same or similar courses who I’ve met are supportive of each other, not only in the work environment but outside of university as well."