Nicola O’Donnell graduated from Kent in 2016, she reflects here on her journey, from A level results day, to getting a first here in her undergraduate degree at Kent, a masters at UCL, and is now just a couple of years off becoming a clinician herself.
‘Back in 2012, 10 whole years ago (!!), I logged into UCAS and was met with “you have been entered into clearing”. I had not learnt much about clearing, so I wrongly assumed it was for people who “weren’t good enough” to get into university the “normal” way. I was distraught and assumed that I must have failed all of my exams; instead I had achieved ABB, missing my 3 A grade offers by a matter of marks. Nothing anyone said would console me, in fact, my A Level Psychology teacher (who I have remained in touch with) still texts me every year recalling the trauma of the day!! Eventually persuaded to just “have a look” at clearing, I saw that Applied Psychology with Clinical Psychology at the University of Kent was available. I remember feeling really surprised, as this was a good course, at a good university. I was fortunate to be accepted with minimal paperwork and stress and in the next few days I travelled down to Canterbury with my Mum to visit; I immediately loved the campus and could see myself there.
I would be lying if I said I found the transition to University easy. For the first 2 years I struggled being away from home, but the quality of the course and the friends that I made at Kent kept me there. I received invaluable support from the psychology department; I am so grateful for that. Everything changed for me during my placement year, when I spent time working at the Child Heath and Paediatrics Department at East Kent Hospitals. This experience cemented the idea that I wanted to be a psychologist, and allowed me to put all of my theoretical learning from my degree into practice. Doing this placement was invaluable and I would encourage any student to do one if they can. It definitely gave me the necessary work experience that I needed to apply for future jobs, and I developed so much knowledge and confidence that has stayed with me throughout my career journey.
I finished at Kent in 2016, graduating with a first class degree. This was an achievement that felt completely unrealistic for me, given my A-Level experience. I was fortunate enough to gain a job straight away as an assistant psychologist within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, where I also completed my Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training. After this I spent time in various other assistant psychologist and therapist roles across different teams, including all-age eating disorders and autism services. I was always drawn to working psychologically in physical health settings, and completing my MSc in Health Psychology in 2020 (at UCL) secured me the research experience to enrol on to a doctorate programme. I am now one year in to my PhD in health science which I am doing alongside my Health Psychologist clinical training. I am absolutely loving this and am passionate about helping aspiring students to follow this route too; I didn’t know that this was an option for me, and I post a lot about it online to try and raise awareness.
In two years’ time I will be dually qualified as an academic researcher and clinician, and I hope to work in children’s cancer and palliative care, which is where my research is centred.
Essentially what I am trying to say is that, no matter how results day goes today, it will all work out in the end.
There are numerous routes to getting to where you want to be, and sometimes the ones less known are actually the best ones to take.
Clearing and the University of Kent were life-changing for me, not only for my career but also in life more generally. If I hadn’t been in clearing I would never have met my now-husband, who I met in Kent during my placement year. I believe that everything will always work out if you believe it can, you might just have to step sideways and shift your perspective slightly.
If anyone would like any advice or to ask any questions, please do get in touch via my social media: Instagram: landofnod__, twitter: nicolaod_, linkedin: Nicola O’Donnell’