cambridge personal statement psychology

I structured it by introducing myself first and then talking about my passion for psychology. I then talked about my experiences and how they adapted me for my studies, before talking about why I wanted to come to USW and study Psychology. – First-year student Keira

If I was to do it all again, I would talk more about my current interest in Psychology and read around this subject, as I think this would have demonstrated initiative and real passion. – First-year student Keira

Here in our Psychology personal statement examples section, we have amazing samples you can use as guidance for yours. Make sure you check them before you start perfecting your application for UCAS .

Psychology Courses to Apply In The UK

A list of psychology degrees available for undergraduate applicants in the UK are:

Final Thoughts

Preparing a personal statement for psychology is a vital part of the university application process. It’s your first contact with admission tutors as a future student.

A compelling personal statement focuses on your passion for psychology and your future goals, provides specific examples of your experiences and achievements, and it’s tailored to the specific course you are applying for.

With these tips and guidelines in mind, you can start preparing for an application that will increase your chances of getting accepted.

Most universities in the UK recommend that a personal statement for psychology be around 4,000 characters or 47 text lines long.

In your personal statement, you should include your passion for psychology and your future goals, any relevant research, coursework, or extracurricular activities, and how these experiences have prepared you for a career.

Study at Cambridge

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Psychological and Behavioural Sciences

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences is an exciting, broad and flexible degree that covers all aspects of psychology.

Psychology is very diverse – overlapping with and contributing to many other disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, neuroscience, philosophy and sociology.

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBS) at Cambridge gives you the opportunity to study cognitive, social, developmental and biological psychology within the broader context of the behavioural sciences.

The course covers, for example, cognitive psychology, psychopathology, language, brain mechanisms, family relationships and influences, personality, statistics and data-science, and group social behaviour. A wide range of options enable you to study the topics that interest you most in greater depth.

Teaching and facilities

In the Department of Psychology, you’re taught by lecturers and researchers of international excellence. Subject societies and seminar programmes offer regular talks from guest speakers too.

In addition to this academic expertise, you have access to the Department library and specialist collections held in associated departments’ libraries – amounting to around 50,000 books and more than 150 periodicals – as well as other resources and computing facilities.

Course costs

Information on tuition fee rates for PBS is available on the tuition fees page .

Additional course costs

All students are required to have a University approved calculator (c£23).

Changing course

It may be possible to transfer from another course into the PBS Tripos. Transfer is usually into the second year, when students will take four papers in total - the two Part IA papers (Introduction to Psychology and Psychological Enquiry and Methods) and the two Part IB papers (Social and Developmental Psychology and Experimental Psychology) before proceeding to the third year. Students wishing to transfer to PBS will need to consult their Colleges and the department and in some cases undertake a short assessment.

To be able to change course, you need the agreement of your College that any change is in your educational interests, and you must have the necessary background in the subject to which you wish to change – in some cases you may be required to undertake some catch-up work or take up the new course from the start/an earlier year. If you think you may wish to change course, we encourage you to contact a College admissions office for advice. You should also consider if/how changing course may affect any financial support arrangements.

Professional accreditation and careers

The University’s teaching of psychology is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) . This means that students who successfully graduate (with at least second class Honours) achieve the ‘ graduate recognition ’ needed to pursue a career in psychology.

Many students continue with further study and research, and graduates are eligible for admission to professional courses in clinical, educational, forensic or applied psychology. Recent graduates of psychology at Cambridge have gone on to positions in psychology and related fields, as well as careers in social, community and charity work, research and teaching.

Our course also equips you with skills and knowledge applicable in a range of professional sectors, including the media, management, the Civil Service, finance, law and business. Some of our former students have gone on to work in destinations as varied as global communications firm Edelman, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, the Cabinet Office, and Arsenal Football Club.

Course outline

Teaching is provided through lectures, classes or seminars, and supervisions. Some papers include a practical element, which takes place in laboratories. You can typically expect two lectures a week for each paper.

You also have one or two supervisions a week to discuss your work and develop your reasoning and ideas.

Year 1 (Part IA)

In Part IA, you take a total of four papers, three of which are compulsory:

The remaining paper is chosen from a selection of around nine options. The optional papers available each year may vary but subjects usually include:

You will be assessed via a range of laboratory reports, and written exams.

Year 2 (Part IB)

Part IB provides specialised training in Developmental Psychology and Biological Psychology, in addition to further developing the research skills for your third year project.

You take four papers in total, two of which are compulsory:

The optional papers are selected from a broad range. The subjects may change from year to year but typically include papers in:

Year 3 (Part II)

In your final year, you undertake a research dissertation of 7,000 words from a range of topics across the psychological sciences. You also choose a further three papers from a selection available, each of which is assessed via a range of assessments, including written and oral exams.

The subject of these papers may change from year to year but typically include the following topics:

For further information about studying Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Cambridge see the Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Tripos website.

Entry Requirements

This page shows the standard entry requirements for this course. A PDF detailing any variations between Colleges (some may ask for an A* in a particular subject for example) will be published here in April 2023.

Typical offers require

A Level: A*A*A IB: 40-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level Other qualifications : See Entrance requirements .

Subject requirements

Required: No specific subjects required by all Colleges, but applicants would normally be expected to have taken A Level/IB Higher Level Biology or Mathematics. Where this is not the case, applicants should show evidence of strong performance in the Sciences to GCSE level (or its equivalent, as demonstrated in a high school transcript).

See Entrance requirements and Choosing your post-16 subjects for additional guidance and conditions of entry.

Admission assessment

Some Colleges may require applicants for this course to take a written assessment if shortlisted for interview - please check the document above for details. You will not need to register in advance for this assessment and the Colleges will provide details directly to you.

See Admission assessment for further information.

Applicants to some Colleges are required to submit written work prior to interview. See the 'entry requirements by College' document above for details.

All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges. Please contact the relevant College admissions office if you have any queries.

Typical PBS entrants (A Level and IB)

For 2017, 2018 and 2019 entry, the majority of entrants from an A Level background achieved at least grades A*A*A (65% of entrants). These successful applicants typically took Psychology (78%) and at least one of Biology or Mathematics (82%). For the same period, the majority of International Baccalaureate entrants achieved at least 42 points overall and/or grades 776 at Higher Level.

This information is intended to give you a sense of the academic standard of our typical A Level entrants. We welcome applicants from a range of qualification backgrounds .

Find out more about Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at Cambridge

Discover Uni data

Contextual information.

Discover Uni allows you to compare information about individual courses at different higher education institutions. This can be a useful method of considering your options and what course may suit you best.

However, please note that superficially similar courses often have very different structures and objectives, and that the teaching, support and learning environment that best suits you can only be determined by identifying your own interests, needs, expectations and goals, and comparing them with detailed institution- and course-specific information.

We recommend that you look thoroughly at the course and University information contained on these webpages and consider coming to visit us on an Open Day , rather than relying solely on statistical comparison.

You may find the following notes helpful when considering information presented by Discover Uni.

The above list is not exhaustive and there may be other important factors that are relevant to the choices that you are making, but we hope that this will be a useful starting point to help you delve deeper than the face value of the Discover Uni data.

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Psychological and behavioural sciences (pbs) at cambridge.

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Psychology Personal Statement 2

Sample Psychology Personal Statement

Human behaviour fascinates me. From the thoughts and feelings people posses, to motives underlying such behaviour, the science and study of behaviour exhibited by individuals and groups intrigues me. I wish to embark on a career where my understanding of the human mind will positively contribute to individuals and society. I believe my range of skills, academic performance and enjoyment of working with others, make me an ideal candidate to study Psychology.

Having studied psychology and biology at A-Level, I have a broad overview of applying scientific methods to human behaviour. I particularly enjoy the fact it relates to everyday life by covering areas such as learning, memory, group behaviour, development and disability. Biology complements the study of behaviour, focusing on genetics and physiology. The course will offer further insight in to a variety of social and scientific areas which I find highly interesting, from drug addiction, language, memory and mental disorders. Studying psychology at a higher level will combine these areas, alongside computational and philosophical elements.

As a social science, hypotheses are presented, investigated, tested and proven. I have a firm grounding in methodological skills needed for a psychological investigation, from computing skills to advanced statistical techniques for analysing data. Carrying out a range of studies at A-Level, I used logic; organisation and problem solving skills to ensure the study adhered to the methodology, to ensure results were valid.

I have a natural curiosity to understand and interpret the behaviours of others, on an individual and group basis. My research and analytical skills have been reflected in my studies, where I look for commonalities and anomalies, to prove or disprove theories. This course will offer me the opportunity to take this forward in conducting my own empirical research. I wish to develop my research methods within the BPA standards. I fully understand the ethical impositions placed upon studies, which protect the participants and researcher. However, I also understand that these have been developed from previous studies which are deemed unethical but important to the field of psychology. Psychologists such as Zimbardo and Freud are controversial, but important figures who have contributed to the development and understanding of how humans interact in various situations.

As a high level Decathlon athlete, I possess an understanding of the human form pushed to its limits. Time management is an essential skill at performing well academically and competing at a high level. As a qualified lifeguard, I am responsible for observing and reacting in situations, which may be stressful to the individual and surrounding people. Effective communication skills, attention and managing group situations are skills I have developed.

As an active sports person, I am acutely aware of psychological challenges professional sports players face, from extreme adrenaline rushes of winning, to the spiralling lows. I am keen to understand and apply psychological knowledge of how different experiences and influences affect sport performance, both positively and negatively. Developmental, group, personality traits, biological and social psychology all come in to play with regards to sports players.

My future expedition to Ghana will involve working with local school children, offering me the opportunity to immerse myself in a culture radically diverse from the UK. Here, I will observe a range of cross-cultural behaviours, attitudes, motivations and actions. This experience will provide a higher level of critical thinking, which will be applicable to the course and future career.

I am committed to expanding my psychological knowledge, learning from esteemed professors and sharing experiences with likeminded peers. I have a passion for science and human behaviour and endeavour to pursue a career within the health industry.

We hope this Psychology sample personal statement proves useful for you.

Personal Statement

Psychology Personal Statement

Psychology Personal Statement Example Since studying Psychology at GCSE my interest in this subject has gained new impetus with every academic paper and publication I read. Because of my immense fascination in behavior and the mind, and my concurrent interest in science, Psychology is my chosen subject to take into further education. Building on my knowledge and learning as much as possible is highly important to me, and I am passionate about engrossing myself in this subject at university level.

Many areas of academic psychology appeal to me, currently the most significant being the debate of nature versus nurture. Reading Philip Zimbardo’s Lucifer Effect as a consequence of my interest in this argument has furthered my intrigue, and also guided me onto a new course of exploration into the subject. Environmental influences on human behavior, and the idea that the structure of our surroundings can alter how we treat the people around us is hugely captivating and I am enjoying exploring this with much enthusiasm. Cialdini’s principles of social influence are very engaging, and during my undergraduate degree I hope to be able to pursue research into this field of persuasion based behavioral studies.

Having weekend jobs whilst in education has been important to me, as I have widened my skill base and diversified the competences already learnt at school. Working in a Deli, with one other colleague, allowed me to develop my organizational and motivational skills; we ran the shop alone and hence had to cooperate well and work both as a team and alone whilst providing a high quality of customer service under pressure. Taking on the role of manager gave me confidence in my leadership abilities, and to also function well within our small team and to hit set targets, deal with customers and to assist my colleague when he was short-handed. The benefits of having these skills will invaluable whilst reading psychology – I feel prepared for large work loads, pressurized deadlines and projects involving both team and individual work, as an effort has been made on my part to equip myself for the demands of higher education.

Working as a credit controller for Harlands Services has developed my eye for detail and also permitted me to increase my analytical and statistical aptitude. Using the database to examine and investigate unpaid contracts, my critical and numerical skills have been greatly improved; I feel assured of my capabilities in this area and look forward to translating these skills when studying statistics. This position at Harlands has also been valuable – it has taught me persuasive tact when dealing with outstanding payments, and has illustrated the advantage of dealing patiently with sometimes abusive clients. These communication skills were developed from the basics I learnt whilst working in the community teaching skateboarding – communication is essential in the study of psychology and I look forward to utilizing this aptitude within practical seminars and in projects where interviews and verbal testing are necessary.

In the future my ambition is to continue my studies and progress towards a PhD, eventually leading to an academic career; the British prison environment and rehabilitation process are currently high on my agenda for postgraduate study, alongside the area of institutional aggression. I do of course realise that these interests can be developed, or indeed superceded, during my undergraduate education.

Over the past two years, whilst at school and working in jobs, I have attempted to academically prepare myself for my undergraduate course - I am a member of The British Psychological Society and immensely enjoy reading The Psychologist. The Economist also provides excellent insight into world news and opinion, and I appreciate having a subscription to this due to the informed writers and varied opinion it voices. I place great importance on having awareness of world events and issues - being lucky enough to have the chance to study at university offers us much opportunity to support others and to positively influence our environments.

My hard work and determination in relation to both my academic interest in psychology, and in gaining the essential skills necessary for succeeding at university, demonstrate well my motivation to study this subject.

This undergraduate degree will kick start my career and my anticipation and motivation is already high. Having studied psychology at both A Level and GCSE I feel prepared for the challenges that lie ahead, and very much look forward to tackling them with the skills I have learnt during my time at school and during work, and with those that I am yet to learn.

We hope that this Psychology Personal Statement has been of use to you.

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Psychology Personal Statement
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