New and incoming students
The following offers information for students who are joining the University to study Psychology or Neuroscience.
- Orientation - events and activities on your arrival at St Andrews.
- Draft module handbooks - information on current modules and sample module handbooks.
- Wellbeing officer - information about the School's Wellbeing Officer.
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Head of School - Professor Gareth Miles
On behalf of the whole School of Psychology and Neuroscience, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to those of you joining us this year. Whether you are going to be staying with us for one semester or for four years, it is important that you know that you are joining an extended family which takes pride in helping you make the most of your time in St Andrews.
As current Head of School, I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to help ensure that you progress, and eventually leave, knowing that you made absolutely the right choice in studying with us. Whilst this is often a daunting time, as you meet new people and familiarise yourselves with new and perhaps very different experiences and surroundings, we will all face additional challenges this year, due to the ongoing pandemic. However, please rest assured that we are doing everything we can to deliver the best learning opportunities and experiences for all of our students, whether in person or remotely.
The School has a long tradition of high standards in everything that we do. We adopt the pedagogy of Benjamin Franklin (1759), one of the University’s honorary graduates (1759): “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. You will be taught, in an interactive and collaborative manner, by the very best academic psychologists and neuroscientists in the country. You will also experience cutting edge research in the areas that you find fascinating and will have the opportunity to learn about the latest and most relevant research techniques.
You will leave as very different, talented and fulfilled people and with an entirely new perspective on life. However, don’t be surprised if, years from now, when you have successful careers in your chosen field, you still find yourself drawn back to St Andrews. The coming years will fly past so please enjoy every moment and every experience that is on offer!
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible when you join us.
Gareth Miles, PhDProfessor of Neuroscience
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School President - LindsayNielsen
Hi and welcome to the School of Psychology and Neuroscience! My name is Lindsay (you can call me Linds) and I am your School President. As President, my job is to represent you within the School, provide guidance, and help you have a memorable time here at uni. With the assistance of the School, class reps, and affiliated societies, there will be numerous social and academic events throughout the year that you don’t want to miss! Feel free to follow the Instagram (@psychneurosta), twitter (@psychneuro_pres), or FB page (psychneurosta) to see what the School is up to!
I understand that this year is certainly not what everyone was expecting; however, I am here to make your transition as smooth and enjoyable as possible. We are all navigating this time together and my job is to make your experience a little less overwhelming along the way. I am always here if you have questions and I will try my best to connect you with the resources that you need. Don’t be afraid to reach out just to say hi either (psychpresident@st-andrews.ac.uk).
I hope that you have a wonderful year – I am looking forward to meeting you!
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School Mentor Champion - Reed Frazel
My name is Reed Frazel and I am the mentor champion for the School of Psychology and Neuroscience. It is a pleasure to welcome you to our family!
It is regrettable that Covid-19 has impeded the traditional first year frenzy but the university is working hard to innovate new ways to establish relationships. One such way is the new expanded mentor scheme! In the past, various mentor schemes could be accessed by first year students but under the current circumstances, it is being reinvented to be universally accessible to help ease your transition to St Andrews. The student mentoring scheme operates as a part of the Centre for Educational Enhancement and Development (CEED). Across all faculties, we have recruited nearly 500 mentors!
The aim of the mentor scheme is to provide peer support, encouragement and practical advice. The mentors have been trained to help answer your questions to the best of their ability. If your mentor is unable to answer your questions, they will direct you to someone who can! In addition to practical questions, our mentors are there to build a trusting and respectful relationship. Whether you need assistance finding Aldi or just need someone to listen, we are there to help. Based on our experience, we can provide information about accommodation, modules, workload, societies, Scotland and more! Through sharing our knowledge and insight, we hope to increase social and academic confidence while also establish friendships.
As an incoming student, you can sign up to receive a mentor with similar interests as you! The mentoring form will ask you about your subjects, hobbies and more. This form will be completed both by you and our mentors and will be used in the matching process. Once the matching process is complete, your mentor will reach out to you via email and you can begin establishing a relationship. We can do in-person signups after that but it’ll be active until September 4th
As your mentor champion, it is my role to supervise the mentor scheme within the school and ensure that all is running smoothly. If you have any issues contacting your mentor or would like to be assigned a new one for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can reach me at psychmentor@st-andrews.ac.uk . In addition, I will be organising events and activities for those in the program. I look forward to getting to know you all better and wish you the best through your arrival to our beautiful coastal town!
Best,
Reed.
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School PGT Mentoring Scheme - Nicola Balloch
Hello to all incoming PGT students!
My name is Nicola, and I am the Student Coordinator of the School’s PGT Mentoring Scheme. I am delighted to welcome you to our wonderful community!
Starting a new course can be daunting, and it is common for students to experience some challenges settling into university life. Therefore, the School of Psychology and Neuroscience has set up a mentoring scheme specifically for incoming PGT students.
The aim of the mentor scheme is to provide peer support, encouragement and practical advice. The mentors have been trained to help answer your questions to the best of their ability. If your mentor is unable to answer your questions, they will direct you to someone who can! In addition to practical questions, our mentors are there to build a trusting and respectful relationship. Whether you need assistance finding Aldi or just need someone to listen, we are there to help. Based on our experience, we can provide information about accommodation, modules, workload, societies, Scotland and more! Through sharing our knowledge and insight, we hope to increase social and academic confidence while also establish friendships.
As an incoming PGT student, you can sign up to receive a mentor with similar interests as you! The PGT mentoring form will ask you about your course, hobbies and more. This form will be completed both by you and our mentors and will be used in the matching process. Once the matching process is complete, your mentor will reach out to you via email and you can begin establishing a relationship.
As the Student Co-Ordinator, it is my role to supervise the PGT mentor scheme within the School and ensure that all is running smoothly. If you have any issues contacting your mentor or would like to be assigned a new one for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can reach me at pgtmentorpsy@st-andrews.ac.uk
PGT Mentee recruitment poster (PDF)
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The following are files provided to first year students as a welcome pack.
- Psychology and Neuroscience Orientation Events (Word)
- Welcome letters from Head of School and School President (PDF)
- PS1001 introduction and teaching ethos (PDF)
- Welcome pack FAQ (PDF)
- Thoughts and advice from students (PDF)
- Careers poster (PDF)
- Academic skills project (PDF)
- Research participation poster (PDF)
- PGT Mentee recruitment poster (PDF)
- School societies (PDF)