Now and then : An interview with an Environmental Psychology MSc graduate

Firstly, congratulations Sadhana, how are you feeling today?

I’m a bit overwhelmed. It’s really nice to be back on campus and meeting all my friends. It’s nice to see my mother and sister proud of me. I’m really proud of myself, for doing this.

So talk us through your first moments at Surrey. What do you remember when you first got here?

I was scared a little, because it was really cold and I didn’t know anybody here. But it was really nice, I met people and made friends, and we did things together. Then I was walking around spotting things that I had seen on the website, like the Stag. That was the most memorable part.

Meeting the staff at the induction was nice. Just walking around campus, this campus is lovely. I love it.

Yes, you did a lot in Guildford as well, didn’t you? And the local area.

Yes, with the international orientation, I took part in that. We got taken around Surrey and to Loseley Park and Box Hill. It helped me to settle in.

What did you learn on your course?

I joined the course of MSc in Environmental Psychology to explore human behaviour in different spaces; to see how the spaces we design as architects affect people. During this course, we studied how individuals and groups react to physical environments, natural and built. We explored psychological processes that are triggered by the environment and how they in turn affect people’s perceptions, attitudes, and behaviour.

We also explored how individuals and groups can change their environments in order to create one that best responds to their functional and affective requirements. This knowledge has helped me understand the human and environment relationship better and arrive at the need to develop and design environments that have the right impact on its users.

What would you say is your favourite moment in the last year?

It has to be archery society. I just love doing archery.

What sort of things did you do when you were on the postgraduate ambassador team?

Campus tours and getting in touch with prospective students through emails, campus tours, talking to students, webinars and I also worked with the marketing team and did an international video on student life.  And the Facebook offer page, answering questions on there.

What are your plans after graduation?

I plan to come back here and do a PhD in October, so working out my funding right now. I’m looking forward to it.

What would you say for anyone considering postgraduate study at Surrey?

I’d say go for it. Really, following your passion and trust the universe. All the student support services really helped me a lot. You can do whatever you want here. So just go for it.

Discover more about the postgraduate psychology courses on offer at Surrey.