Ella Cusack

Your degree subject matters because you are likely to be spending a minimum of 3 years on this subject and in some cases maybe more, therefore it is very important that you enjoy it!

You are expected to dedicate a lot of time to independent study outside of lectures, so if it’s not something you enjoy or see a purpose in, you’ll find it really difficult to motivate yourself.

Whilst I am not currently pursuing the subject from my undergraduate degree as a career, it has definitely been relevant. My degree taught me lots of really important skills, such as teamwork for group projects and presentation skills, which are both skills I am likely to rely on in marketing.

Also, it introduced me to a lot of different career options I had never considered. Although I knew some were not the right choices for me, I found an interest in a small element of my course, which has led me into the job I am in.

All my course mates now work in completely different areas- some stayed in Psychology and others have gone down completely different routes.

Post 16 Education: AS level Biology; A Level Psychology, Geography and Sport Studies

Higher Education: BSc Psychology; MSc Marketing

Why did you choose Psychology?

I really enjoyed Psychology at A-level and that was the main reason for choosing that subject at the time. I didn’t know exactly what career I wanted to have and what I wanted to do when I graduated so I chose my favourite subject.

In studying this, it opened up a new area of interest in business psychology, which was an area I had never considered before.

This led to me choosing a completely different degree for my Masters. Even though Psychology is not the career I have decided to pursue, I enjoyed the 3 years of my degree.

Ella’s experience as a student

One of the main reasons I chose Loughborough University was because of my love of all things sport. Being the best University for Sport in the world was a major selling point to me and the moment I visited the campus, I knew it would become my home away from home.

Being part of the Athletic Union Hockey Club has been a huge part of my Loughborough University experience, but whether it is sport, music, arts or any other interest you have, I would highly recommend getting involved with clubs and societies. It is such a great opportunity to meet new people with similar interests to you and try out new things you have never considered.

Ella’s Career

I'm currently working as a Marketing Intern for Loughborough University. My role includes working on student recruitment and developing marketing materials for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Had I been told at school this was the job I would have, I would not have believed you! I am really enjoying my job and learning a lot, and this has confirmed to me that this is the career path I would like to pursue.

I didn’t do a placement year as part of my degree; at that stage I was still unsure of what I wanted to do when I graduated. So when I discovered my interest in marketing, I made sure to try and get some work experience during the final year of my degree. This was useful 1) to bulk out my CV but 2) to confirm that I really wanted to work in this area, which it most definitely did.