Chris Foley –  Psychology

I have known from a young age that I wanted a career that involved working in an environment centred on dealing with people. Of the multitude of possible career avenues that exist in the field of Psychology, human interaction has been the one common denominator, and this is what influenced me to choose to study Psychology at UCD.
I chose UCD due to the university’s high ranking and the School of Psychology’s accreditation from the Psychology Society of Ireland. UCD is a vibrant campus with no-end of options outside of the classroom, and I engaged heavily with societies and sports teams during my time here. The campus is well-served in terms of support networks for students, which can serve as an excellent resource for students willing to make use of them! The psychology undergraduate programme has recently been re-packaged as a 4-year degree programme in the School of Social Sciences, meaning that future graduates of my programme will graduate with a BSC rather than a BA, another factor to consider when choosing which university program to enrol in.

During my studies, I was also given the chance of a lifetime after being accepted for a year-long exchange at The Chinese University of Hong Kong for stage 3 of the degree cycle. The UCD School of Psychology has international links throughout the world, with classmates of mine going to places as varied as Australia, Singapore and The Netherlands for their exchange programmes. Upgrading to a BA International can definitely help to set graduates apart when applying for positions in the future, as well as being a great chance to build on personal skills. In my case, this was a golden opportunity for me to immerse myself in a different culture, experience a totally different academic environment and develop my personal interests. Ultimately, it was my exchange year that has led me to the career path I am pursuing today. My time spent in the bustling corporate hub that is Hong Kong led me to develop a keen interest in global business marketing. After considering a number of postgraduate options in Ireland and the UK, I have decided to accept a year-long position I’ve been offered at a multi-national firm based in Bangkok, with the aim of returning to Ireland next year to enrol in a master’s degree in digital marketing.

Upon graduating, holding a degree in Psychology from UCD can lead to a variety of different career opportunities. For most, a career in Clinical Psychology remains the carrot to chase, which requires a master’s degree, doctorate and many years of professional experience to attain what is without a doubt a satisfying and stimulating career choice. For others, careers in the field of psychology can be found in areas such as education, industry, social work, marketing and academia. However, many other classmates of mine have made diversions into completely different career fields, taking the skills they learned during their undergraduate with them. Luckily, the accreditation of the BSc Psychology in UCD is such that entry into graduate programmes and postgraduate studies are very rarely an issue.