Lucy Gallagher

My three years spent at University of Leeds were the most amazing three years of my life! Leeds University is by far the best there is and allowed me to thoroughly enjoy the Psychology course. The three years enabled me to gain knowledge of all different areas in Psychology to allow me to graduate with a holistic understanding. I owe a lot to staff in the Psychology department at Leeds who were dedicated to ensure I had the best education and provide me with a stimulating learning experience. The lectures and classes were taught at a very high level and, along with my commitment to my studies, I passed the course with a 1st Class Degree. Further to this I won an award for my outstanding mark in my Final Year Dissertation project As well as providing an outstanding learning experience, Leeds University understand the importance of adding additional activities and experiences to your CV to increase your employability.

I took advantage of the wide array of opportunities in the Psychology department and Leeds University Union to ensure I was gaining skills for the future. I became a Tutor group representative, the President of the LUU PsycSoc Psychology Society, a Charity helper and a Psychology Ambassador. These responsibilities gave me extra-curricular experiences and allowed me to develop transferrable skills that I could adopt to the workplace. When I went to Leeds, I was unsure of what Psychology path to go down, however in my second year I started to think about what I wanted to do following my degree. I attended an event put on by The Psychology Society that included speakers from a variety of different Psychology occupations.

I heard from leading experts in the various fields and it was then that I decided Occupational Psychology was something I was really interested in doing! After gaining some work experience within HR at Leeds University Union and with an external Occupational Psychologist, I applied for a place at City University to do Occupational Psychology. Without the exceptional teaching and opportunities that the University of Leeds provided me with, I would not have been able to complete my Masters degree at a high level and achieve a Distinction. A few years on from Leeds, I am now working as a Business Psychologist at Saville Consulting, a Towers Watson company. This role involves using psychometric aptitude and personality tests to objectively attract and develop talent into organisations. My time at Leeds was invaluable and thoroughly prepared me for my Masters and a job in my chosen career. My advice to future students is to take advantage of the vast array of societies, events and opportunities at Leeds University and in the School of Psychology.