ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´

Cassandra Chan is making a difference to young lives

Cassandra thought her master's degree would be a stressful experience. ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ showed her another side of postgraduate study.

You're originally from Hong Kong and you completed high school in the UK. What made you decide to enrol in a Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental) in Australia?

I always knew in my heart that I wanted to do psychology. It's something I'm passionate about. I considered quite a few universities across the world and I discovered that Australia has the longest pathway in terms of training to become a psychologist. That's something I value - I want to get sufficient training to be competent in what I do. Even though it might take a little bit longer, I think it'll be worth it.

There are lots of universities offering postgraduate psychology. What made ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ stand out?

When it comes to the Master of Psychology, some students look for a course that's more research based, while others prefer something more practical. ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ has an equal balance of both research and the practical skills you need to be an effective psychologist. That balance is really important for me.

You noticed a difference between undergraduate and postgraduate psychology study. What can you tell us about that?

Psychology can be a very competitive field. For my whole undergraduate degree, all the students saw each other as competitors because everyone was so focused, so dedicated to getting into a great graduate school. I was really surprised to find that jumping into the master's at ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ was a very different experience. Everyone was so supportive, so welcoming. Academically, I'm doing more practical work, more reflections, which we don't get to do in undergrad. The transition has been smooth.

Can you share more about that support? How has ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ helped you to thrive?

ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ offers a lot of support to students - they're so patient with my stupid questions! It's something I'm really grateful for. My favourite thing is the postgraduate room, which is like a study space for postgraduate psychology students at ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´. It's really important in my field to communicate with peers and get their thoughts and feedback. That's how I found my own community. ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ offers that location, that program and that community support for students and international students.

ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ is home to Australia's top-ranking psychology researchers and was ranked #7 among the world's most productive educational psychology institutions. Choose a postgraduate psychology degree that's shaped by academic excellence when you apply to study at ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ - talk to our international student support team to find out more.