In this blog, Psychology student Maisha Khan offers her top tips for studying Psychology at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences.
Attend your lectures
Sometimes lecturers say key points that are not on the lecture slides or in the books. These key ideas may come up in exams. Also, do not miss out on in-class tests as they are a good way to improve your marks. I say this because some students don’t take the in-class tests seriously but it could be the difference between achieving a higher grade.
Ask your lecturers questions
This can be during lectures, through email or even on the discussion forum. Sometimes you might think you are being annoying by asking your lecturers too many questions, but at the end of the day your questions will ultimately lead you to achieving higher marks. I remember one time I overloaded my lecturer with questions because I was so confused with my assignment, but those questions I asked ultimately allowed me to achieve a very high mark.
Apply for work experience
The Psychology department at Queen Mary offers a lot of work experience and voluntary work experience through email. It’s sometimes easier to get into these placements because they are offered by Queen Mary departments. It is very important to gain work experience and skills before you graduate.
Prepare
Briefly read the lecture slides before the lecture begins. This will ensure that the content sticks in your head for a longer time. Moreover, start making notes as you go along. One mistake I made was that I made a lot of my notes during my exam period. But if you make notes as you go along you will be less stressed when the time comes for exams and this should give you a better chance of a high grade.