Elliot Negru

BSc (Hons) Psychology and Early Childhood Studies, Class of 2021

As an international student, I knew that I wanted to attend go to university in the UK ever since I visited London for the first time in 2014. Considering there are so many universities in the UK, I found it quite daunting to make this decision that could impact my future in so many ways. One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to experience the ‘campus life’ while still living in a smaller town that wasn’t overcrowded with students.

When I found out about University of Suffolk, it was exactly what I was searching for – a new, modern university with a Psychology course that I was very interested in, as well as a lively town centre and surrounding areas full of nature. The small cohort numbers appealed to me, where I knew all my course mates, the lecturers knew us by name and where it felt like I wasn’t just a number. After attending both a virtual and in-person Open Day event and learning more about the university, I knew that this was the place where I wanted to study for the next 3 years, and I never regretted it. And maybe the unlikely prospect of accidentally bumping into Ed Sheeran while walking around Ipswich played a part in my decision too!

Having a small number of students in my course meant that the lectures and seminars were more interactive, gave me the opportunity to get to know a lot of my course mates and build friendships. Having a flexible schedule meant that I could plan my day in a way that made sense to me and ensure that I can focus on both self-studying as well as hobbies and social events. Even though the University was quite small when I joined, that did not mean that it lacked opportunities for students to get to know people from other courses, have fun and create long-lasting friendships. From taking part in Freshers Week events, to joining different societies, I feel like I was able to take part in everything that the University had to offer.

I also enjoyed being taught by a diverse range of lecturers on the course, with each of them having their own specialisation in a Psychology field. However, the biggest strength of the course was actually the openness and kindness of the lecturers, who were always happy to help you if you did not understand something and give you just the advice you needed to set you on the right path. I might not remember everything that I was taught on the course, but I will never forget the professors who encouraged me to think critically, look at a problem from multiple angles, and helped me to develop my Psychology and Research skills.

My degree from University of Suffolk has provided me with the foundation skills I needed to kickstart my career in Research. Skills such as learning how to build a project from the ground up, critically analysing and disseminating information and presenting it in a concise manner have helped me throughout all my job roles.

Collaborating with my peers on team assignments has built my active listening and emotional intelligence skills and has helped me better understand team dynamics and navigate conflicts more effectively. All these skills have helped me in all my roles since graduating and made me a more dependable team member.

I am currently working as a Research Officer for Mencap, the learning disability charity. I am particularly working on a project that is looking at the enablers and barriers to accessing and using public transport for people with a learning disability. I am involved in all sorts of research related tasks such as filling in ethics forms, designing topic guides and scripting survey, as well as conducting interviews with people with a learning disability to better understand their lived experiences.

Before this job, I worked as a Research Consultant where my role consisted of interacting with multiple clients such as Local Authorities, charities, and the NHS and helping them design and evaluate different programmes. No project was the same, and they all involved conducting interview and focus groups with participants, staff members and stakeholders, as well as writing literature reviews and providing recommendations for the future.

My student experience at University of Suffolk was amazing. It helped me build confidence, independence and resilience, skills that I use both in my personal and professional life. What really made my experience stand out was the support I received. The course offered a lot of resources to help me stay on top of my work such as academic peer schemes and to workshops. It was like having a safety net, making sure I could overcome any challenges that came my way and still keep moving forward.

One of the main things that helped me succeed was the access to a wealth of academic materials that the University provided me with. I spent a lot of time in the library and searching online databases, hunting for journal articles that helped me dive deeper into the theories and concepts I was learning.

In a way, graduating from University of Suffolk was the first major trial that I went through as a young adult, and I am proud to be an alumnus of the university. I walked away from it feeling not only knowledgeable about Psychology and research methods, but also more equipped to pursue a career in research. It was a solid foundation, and I am grateful for how much it shaped both by academic and personal journey.