Hi, I am Sarah, an MSc Applied Clinical Psychology student, and I recently completed the Bath Award. Whilst it was a rewarding, albeit strenuous experience, I genuinely wouldn’t have had it any other way. I learned a lot throughout the process, but here are some of my insights from my journey...
Given that I am currently completing my master’s degree, I had to make sure I consistently dedicated at least two hours per week towards developing my chosen capabilities. One of the biggest advantages of the Bath Award is that it encourages you to explore a variety of professional development avenues. Some of the activities I took part in included acting as a Department Representative, volunteering with a local independent health and social care agency, working as a research apprentice, and mentoring A-Level students on a criminology programme through a Widening Participation Scheme.
What helped me most was pacing myself from the moment I signed up and learning to be both disciplined and compassionate with myself for balancing extracurricular commitments alongside academics. This was especially important because the award also requires you to attend workshops, engage with online courses and readings, and most importantly, reflect honestly on your learning experiences (i.e., the good, the bad, and the ugly).
My biggest takeaway would be not to focus too heavily on whether a professional activity directly aligns with your field of study. Instead, consider the transferable skills you gain from the experience and how it contributes to your overall professional development. Thus, I encourage future students to stay open-minded and get involved in as many opportunities as realistically possible. Most importantly, enjoy whatever you choose to do since it would genuinely make completing the award far more rewarding.
Now that I have completed the award, I feel much more confident in applying my learning to my future clinical research career after graduation. The experiences I gained throughout the award strengthened my adaptability, collaboration, communication, and leadership skills in ways that I know will benefit me moving forward.
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