Bethan Garratt (BSc Psychology, MSc Psychology of Creativity and Performance Expertise)

As someone who grew up in the local area and didn’t want to be far from home, The University of Buckingham was already one of my top choices before I knew much about it. After applying I was invited to a Taster Day to learn about the University’s tutorial-based teaching, which greatly suited my learning style. I found out about the 10:5 student-to-staff ratio, which I found appealing as I was concerned about feeling faceless at a larger university. This intimate relationship was proven to me when I came back for another open day and a member of staff recognised me by name; I knew then that I really wanted to study here!

I look back on my time as an undergraduate fondly. The tutorial-based teaching is a game-changer; allowing you to go in more depth about topics and form closer relationships with fellow students and academics. I gained skills that I will use the rest of my life. I completed my undergraduate degree in December 2019, graduating with an Upper Second-Class Degree.

Around that time, the Psychology department had just introduced new Master’s courses. Not knowing what I wanted to do in the future, and having found the BSc creativity module fascinating, I decided to apply; I was the first student to enrol to the MSc in Psychology of Creativity and Performance Expertise. The master’s only built on what I had gained from my BSc, and I improved my writing style, time management, and research and critical thinking skills. I graduated in July 2022 with a Distinction.

In 2021, I started my career as a Visitor Experience Psychologist for a business management consultancy that provides 5-10 year strategies for visitor attractions (museums, theme parks, etc.). I always knew I that didn’t want a traditional psychology-based job, so this niche offer appealed to me. I was hired primarily for my up-to-date psychological knowledge, which is essential to the company in understanding how people behave in visitor attractions. I am now a key member of the team and use our proprietary Experience Model to analyse visitor attractions on aspects such as value for money, quality of experience, visitor flow, and much more.

I use the skills I gained from both my degrees to write detailed reports for clients and keep tabs on research and industry trends which benefits my colleagues. My job takes me to attractions all over the world – something I never knew I would enjoy as much as I do! I believe that my non-traditional career path demonstrates that psychology is necessary in all industries, and shows that the opportunities a Psychology degree can give you are limitless.