I consider myself lucky and privileged to have had the chance to be a part of this community

Reflecting on my experience with this programme is rather difficult when considering that the academic year 2020/21 was like no other and for many of us very isolating. As such, it is with great caution, yet confidence that I would claim that what MA Psychology and Education offers is a valuable and transformational academic experience.

Psychology has been my first interest and love for some time now, whereas education grew into me with my teaching experience at an international school. Coming into this programme was an advancement of these previous educational and career routes. The programme encompasses a broad range of disciplines and builds critical thought – rather compatible with my own intellectual approach to learning and knowledge.

To no surprise, the programme is well-structured, coherent, and very much in-line with educational and psychological theory that it preaches. It is concise, yet diverse. It challenges and criticizes. Yet, it is welcoming, open and a safe learning space. Due appreciation for this goes to the amazing lecturers and coordinators of the programme, that show clear investment and engagement in the jobs they do.

Despite the perspective that my previous teaching experience gave me in terms of the discipline itself, it also pushed me towards a greater appreciation towards the teacher/educator/professor. I am unable to tell whether this is a programme-specific phenomenon or a common practice of University of Sheffield’s programmes, but the staff that I came to communicate with have all left a strong positive impact in me.

Whether it was through their availability, their willingness to go an extra step when they see fit, their professionalism in lectures and beyond, their strict marking but very constructive feedbacking and much more. I believe this to have been the best practice of care and support for a learner that I have seen – in a manner that is not incapacitating, but with empowering relationships that provide a sense of sameness, a feeling of bilateral respect.

I consider myself lucky and privileged to have had the chance to be a part of this community and for this I thank the Chevening Awards programme. I highly recommend University of Sheffield’s School of Education and specifically the MA in Psychology and Education to anyone with a strong passion for a specific area of the related field(s). Personally, I found a way for it to fit my needs: it gave me a clearer vision for my future endeavours in improving mental health support in my home-country’s schools.