We spoke to Nayana, a third-year BSc (Hons) Psychology with work placement student, about her journey from Dubai to the UK.

She shared her passion for mental health, and how her work placement has helped shape her career plans, while reflecting on student life, personal growth, and what studying in the UK is like.

Why I chose Bath

I was born and raised in Dubai, but my family is Indian. As much as I love Dubai, the options for highly ranked universities are limited, so it made more sense to study abroad. The UK was always my first choice; I’d visited before with my family, and I have some relatives here, so it felt familiar and comfortable.

Bath stood out because of its strong reputation, especially for psychology. I liked that the city was smaller and felt safer and less overwhelming than somewhere like London. Plus, the idea of living on campus in my first year really appealed to me. In London, most students have to commute from day one, which seemed like extra stress I didn’t need.

The weather was a bit of a shock. I came from 37°C in Dubai to 14°C on the day I landed, so I knew winter might be challenging for me! But over time, I’ve come to appreciate the seasons; there’s something really beautiful about seeing the lake frozen or walking through Victoria Park in spring.

Studying psychology

I’ve known since I was about 14 that I wanted to go into the mental health field.

Around that time, I experienced a bit of a mental health crisis myself, and I started reading more about it. That’s what sparked my interest in psychology and got me thinking about wanting to better understand what I was going through and help others, too.

Our work is quite focused on independent learning. The lectures usually cover the fundamentals, while the coursework allows you to go beyond that and read widely and apply the theory.

I’ve found university has been quite different from school. Here, you’re not checked in on as much and it’s really up to you to stay on top of things. The first month was an adjustment, but I got the hang of it and now I manage my time much better.

One of the units I found most interesting was on psychopathology, during which we learned about the diagnostic criteria for mental disorders. It was challenging, but really useful for understanding how practitioners assess and diagnose mental health conditions.

I also studied a unit on family and social policies in the UK, which ties into my placement work. I’ve chosen units on child development and plan to take one on sexual violence next year — something I’ve become more interested in since starting my placement.

Putting learning into practice

I chose the four-year variant of the BSc (Hons) Psychology course because of the work placement. I wanted to gain practical experience as I know that will be helpful when applying for a master’s degree.

I’m doing my placement at Voices, a domestic abuse recovery charity that offers therapy, group sessions and one-to-one support.

It’s been an incredible experience so far. In my role, I help facilitate group sessions and support clients. A lot of the clients have mental health conditions linked to trauma, so understanding diagnostic criteria has been really valuable. It's also really rewarding to be able to apply what I’ve learned in my course to real situations.

Outside of what I was expecting in the role, I organised a Christmas fair. This meant I had to reach out to local shops for donations, which definitely took me out of my comfort zone. However, I’ve grown a lot, and gained confidence and communication skills because of it.

At first, the 9-5 routine was so different and eight hours in one place felt exhausting. But I’ve come to really appreciate the structure. With studying, there’s always more you could be doing. Placement work finishes at 5pm, and then I can switch off until the next day, which I’ve found really refreshing.

Bath has great support systems. Even though I haven’t personally used them, I’ve always known they’re available. Peer Assisted Learning has also been helpful, especially before assignments. It’s run by students from previous years who show you examples of their work and give advice, which I’ve found really useful.

Campus life and looking ahead

I like studying in the library, especially the bookable rooms for group projects. I also use the psychology building (10 West) sometimes, as it has small seating areas that are good for solo study.

When it comes to food, I really like 4 West Café and Lime Tree Café. Hondo Sushi is one of my favourite places in town and there are a few go-to Indian restaurants I like when I’m feeling homesick, particularly Sepoy Club and Bandook.

I also joined the Indian Society in first year, which was a great way to meet others with a similar background. I’m not a dancer, but did try the dance society which was fun and definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Doing a placement has made me more certain about my career path. I want to become a therapist, hopefully in the UK, and now I have a clearer understanding of what that involves.