Michal Frackowiak

Why I chose Surrey

I started my journey at Surrey back in 2016, studying English literature with psychology for my undergraduate degree. The entire experience, from the course itself to student life, was the greatest period of my life and I knew Surrey could give me that again.

I knew I wanted to go on to postgraduate study in a more specific discipline. I’ve always been interested in how our minds work and understanding the reasons why we act the way we do, and this led me to the MSc Social Psychology course.

My course

I really enjoy the structural components of the course, especially the optional modules. These have helped widen my knowledge and allowed me to gain an insight into a variety of different areas, including the social psychology of health, life development, morality and emotions, influence and the history of research.

I’ve been very impressed with the research expertise of academic staff at the School of Psychology. My supervisor, Dr Peter Hilpert, and my personal tutor, Dr Patrice Rusconi, have inspired me through their professional approach to teaching, and have shared tips to help me improve my skills in academic writing and data analysis.

Throughout my studies, I’ve used lots of the psychology facilities and equipment, including the student research laboratories, the observation laboratories and the Computer Laboratory. These have helped me develop my research project and improve my understanding of psychological processes that take place under specific conditions. There are technicians who are always willing to talk you through how to use equipment in the safest and most efficient ways – they’ve helped me select equipment to use in my experiments.

"I’ve used lots of the psychology facilities and equipment to develop my research project and improve my understanding of psychological processes that take place under specific conditions."

My most memorable moment

I was over the moon when I successfully ran a social experiment, investigating emotion dynamics and mental health in male-female couples. I spent months preparing for the study, training my research skills and completing ethical considerations, and it was great to see all the hard work pay off. I led more than 30 sessions and each of these were unforgettable in their own unique way!

My life at Surrey

I absolutely adore the campus – it reminds me of a cosy village and it has everything you need, including restaurants, coffee shops, a bookstore and the Library. You can also hang out with friends at the MySurrey Hive (a place for study and somewhere to get advice) or down by the lake, especially during the summer.

My career and development

During my time at Surrey, I’ve learned so much about who I am and what I want in life, and I’ve used this to reinvent myself.

My interactions with course mates and lecturers have fuelled my ambition to learn more. I want to develop a career in research and academia by completing a PhD, specialising in social and health psychology.

My advice

Buckle up and get ready for some hard work - masters is truly the next level!

Find out more about our social psychology course