Psychology
Psychology is the fourth most popular A level subject in the UK with over 55,000 entrants in 2011. Its popularity is increasing at The Perse. In the first year of Pre-U there were 11 students. As word got around numbers were up to 19 the following year and there are currently 32 students in the Upper Sixth. September 2012 will see the start of the sixth year of Pre-U.
Psychology is about everything we do, think and feel. Although you will never have studied it before and although you may be extremely able in ten or more subjects at GCSE level, most students find that what is sometimes a fourth subject choice soon becomes their third, their second and for many students it becomes their first choice.
If you have ever asked yourself questions about some of the basics of life (such as why we sleep) or wondered why people behave in the strange ways that they often do; if you want to know why people kill others or you want to become an animal behaviourist, then psychology is for you. You may wish to learn a lot more about your own behaviour. Sometimes there are more questions than answers but this is what makes the subject so fascinating.
Psychology is defined by the Government as a science and although it is not the same as Biology, Physics or Chemistry, it is scientific in its methodology, for example, the study of structures of the brain using an MRI scanner is very scientific. That said, some of the areas of study are not scientific at all and this is where Psychology is often considered to be the ideal ‘middle-ground’ subject, being perfect for the extreme arts/humanities or ‘hard’ science subject combinations.
