I chose to attend this course at Goldsmiths as there was no course in neuroscience in Ireland with the same focus on the clinical aspects of working in neuroscience/neuropsychology. I was also hopeful to be able to undertake a research project with a clinical population and to chance my arm at getting a coveted volunteering position in Blackheath Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre, which is affiliated with Goldsmiths. I had the opportunity to do all of these while studying in Goldsmiths. 

There was a similar course on offer in a Scottish university but I preferred the atmosphere in New Cross, and the easy access to all that is on offer in central London. The atmosphere in Goldsmiths is eclectic, creative, personal and easy-going, and the staff are dedicated and interesting people.

When I graduated, I found a volunteering position in a Neuropsychology Department where the specificity and uniqueness of my MSc was valued. From there, I went on to work as an assistant psychologist in Headway Ireland, a service for people with an acquired brain injury, before starting my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology a year later. I hope to pursue a career as a Clinical Neuropsychologist and my MSc in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience certainly provided the foundation for working in this field.

I decided to apply to Goldsmiths because the MSc in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience provided a good balance of clinical and theoretically taught material. The link that the Psychology Department has with the Blackheath Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre gave me the opportunity to gain invaluable experience that I knew I could carry forward after my graduation.

From doing the course I obtained solid research skills, comprehensive knowledge of theories behind cognitive neuroscience, as well as the experience of neuropsychological rehabilitation while working directly with clinical psychologists.

My time at Goldsmiths was really a great springboard to lead me on to what I have achieved now. Currently I am working towards my PhD in Neuroscience at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, which I am due to finish in the latter part of 2013. I am a member of the International Graduate School of Neuroscience here in Bochum and was fortunate enough to be awarded a full 3-year scholarship to cover the costs of the PhD, plus a stipend to cover my living expenses. This was a highly competitive scholarship and I am certain that the qualifications and experience I gained at Goldsmiths were absolutely instrumental in helping me get this place. On completion of my PhD I plan to continue my research work on schizophrenia and social cognition in a post-doctoral position, either in Europe or in the US.