How Laura went from student to Doctoral Teaching Associate

Laura’s decision to come to UCLan was made after she had a difficult time at another university. After achieving incredible results in A Level Psychology, BSc (Hons) Psychology at the University of Central Lancashire was the obvious choice of course.

In 2017, Laura graduated with First Class Honours and won three awards, which recognised her ability and potential. Following this, Laura stayed in touch with her tutors which led to her securing a job as an assistant for Future U, a collaborative project between themselves and UCLan, which provides an outreach programme to support young people progressing onto Higher Education.

In March 2019, Laura took on the role of Graduate Teaching Assistant in the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Psychology where she taught and supported undergraduate and master’s courses, workshops and lectures. Alongside this, Laura also commenced a fully funded PhD working with academics researching how auditory distraction affects the reading process and hopes to get her dissertation published.

Laura's current role is Doctoral Teaching Associate in the School of Psychology and Humanities, and she is also due to begin working as a research assistant in October on a collaborative project with UCLan and the NHS.

Looking back on her student experience, Laura was actively involved in other opportunities outside of her degree course. She was a Student Ambassador and became a Research Assistant within the School of Psychology. Laura found this beneficial. She said: “It helped my personal and professional development immensely.”

When asked to give advice to students wanting to study Psychology and pursue it as a career, Laura stated: “Take every single opportunity that you’re offered. There are so many opportunities at UCLan. Talk to people and ask questions, you can never ask too many questions. Work experience, be it in or outside of UCLan is great. Try and bring your interests to your studies and you won’t go far wrong. Lastly, you only get to do your degree once, so make the most of it. It can take you far.”