Why I chose UON for my Master’s Degree
Date 31 January 2025
31.01.2025Destine has recently begun her postgraduate studies at the University of Northampton. She describes her journey into choosing Northampton to further her education, and details about why the university stood out to her, and why UON was her final decision.
Choosing my Master’s Degree
I recently moved from my home in Ireland to the UK, to get my Master’s degree at the University of Northampton. You may ask – what was so special about Northampton, or why this university? Well…
I had always planned to get my Master’s degree, and if at all possible, right after my undergraduate degree. I did my undergraduate in Psychology in my home city and had begun researching my options for postgraduate study by the middle of my degree. I was pretty sure I wanted to work in the mental health field, specialising in teenagers.
One day, I came upon the MSc in Counselling Children & Young People at the University of Northampton, and upon reading and researching into it, I concluded it as something I would have really loved to do – but I had never planned to study in the UK or anywhere else for that matter, so I just forgot about it.
The idea later resurfaced in my final year, and as I continued considering my other options, UON came out on top every time.
Gradually, I began to view coming here as an exciting opportunity, and now that I’m here, I’ve found UON to exceed anything I had expected.
Here’s why I chose UON for my Master’s degree
The courses
UON offers great postgraduate courses in my area of interest. My course stood out to me because it was 2 years part-time, allowing time to work and engage in lots of other activities as I like to do. The length being only 2 years rather than 3-4 years as I’ve seen in other universities, allows me to gain the remainder of my experience in the working world, which I liked probably because I am fresh out of my full-time undergraduate degree. UON was also one of very few places to have this specialisation built into the programme.
So, if I was to find the perfect course, I’d say this is it.
Assignment Focused
A significant attraction for me to the course I chose to study here at UON, was its focus on practical learning in class and on placement. Instead of being assessed through hall exams, my course’s assessments run through various practical assessments and written assignments. For me, this approach helps develop my critical thinking skills, and helps me to better retain and apply what I am learning.
The campus
The Waterside campus is a beautiful campus. The photos certainly don’t catfish. There’s lots of different seating throughout, modern facilities, great places to get food and hot drinks, and a regularly updated library open 24/7. It really makes for the ideal student experience.
The cost and location
With UON being located in Northampton, I have easy access to two of the UK’s biggest, liveliest cities – Birmingham and London, both being approximately 1 hour away by train. By being in Northampton, I feel like I am in a great position, where I don’t have to deal with the high congestion and costs of living that come with the bigger cities, whilst still being close enough to reap their benefits. Northampton itself is pretty chill, not too quiet either, with lots of nice food places, activities and opportunities.
The value for money I get to study my master’s at UON certainly sealed the deal.
Book an open day to find out more about Master’s courses at UON.
Destine is a 21 year old Irish student who is studying for her Master’s degree in Counselling Children & Young People at the University of Northampton.