Group of smiling students looking at a laptop

Student members

Explore the many benefits of student membership, including the opportunity to transfer to graduate membership and continue your career development as a member of the BPS.

Why should I become a student member?

Student membership is open to everyone studying on a BPS-accredited undergraduate degree, conversion course or WPW course. As a student member, you'll get: 

  • Access to dozens of events each year, including career events where you can learn from professionals 
  • Subscription to our online magazine, The Psychologist plus access to the student-run Psych-Talk
  • Access to our online community to connect and share ideas with other psychology students
  • Automatic enrolment to your local branch - meet other psychologists and expand your network
  • The chance to become a student ambassador and help support your fellow students
  • Great savings and discounts on a huge range of textbooks, events and more 

Start your application now

Membership runs on a 12-month cycle and you'll be asked to renew every 12 months from the date you first joined (if you pay by Direct Debit, your membership will automatically renew every 12 months). 

More about student membership

The Student Committee

The Student Committee represents student members of the society in matters pertaining to education, discipline and policy.

We promote communication between student members through the annual student conference and through international links with psychology students and associations world-wide via the European Federation of Psychology Student's Association (EFPSA).

We also organise a range of events throughout the year, such as seminars and networking opportunities, and are responsible for the publication of the PsychTalk magazine.

Meet the committee

Angel Au

Chair

I am Angel Au, a second-year MSci psychology student at University College London and your Chair-Elect.

Apart from working and volunteering at mental health charities, I enjoy singing, songwriting, writing, illustrating and playing video games.

Alexandra Fomenko

Chair-Elect

Jack Lowe

Mental Health Lead

Andrea Klar

Communications Officer

Wa Njume Iya Akoni Mo-kpemi

Diversity and Inclusion Lead

Jacob Frost-Ward

EFPSA Representative

Pamela Cristina Guarnizo Santorum

Events Organisation Officer

Jessica Jackson

Psych-Talk Editor

Suzannah Neal

Assistant Psych-Talk Editor

Chris Grimwood

Student Ambassador Liaison Link

My name is Chris Grimwood and I sit on the Student Committee as the Lead Student Ambassador.

This role is the link between all our regional Ambassadors and the committee.

I ensure that the committee are aware of the good work being done by our ambassadors!

Interesting facts - I currently serve in the Royal Air Force, and last year I reached the final audition for the Open University's University Challenge team!

Student members

News

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Student members

Events

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What is Psych-Talk?

Psych-Talk is a quarterly publication for psychology students showcasing student-written material on a variety of topics spanning from general interest essays to placement reviews.

Group of students working at a table

Find out more about Psych-Talk

The aim of the publication is to provide a platform for open discussion of topics relevant to students interested in psychology wh

Can I write for Psych-Talk?

Psych-Talk is made up of articles written by undergraduate student members.

The Psych-Talk page gives information on word counts, deadlines, etc, but we've also provided the following hints and tips to think about if you're considering submitting something for publication.

Steps for writing for Psych-Talk:
  1. Pick a topic you're interested in - we love getting articles about general topics, but the best ones seem to have a passionate flair to them
  2. go through our past publications - if you're unsure about what to write, going through what we've chosen to publish before might help you get a better understanding of what to submit
  3. Start simple, then funnel - Alice Thomson, the winner of The Psychologist's Student Competition suggested using a technique where she wrote down every idea related to the topic in it's simplest form, then grouping them together into common themes that would form paragraphs. This helps organise your article better
  4. Communicate with other BPS student members - the BPS student community includes several discussion threads started by members on topics that can help inspire you into writing for us
  5. Don't be afraid of being controversial - we are open to articles that specifically look at controversial topics as a publication that hopes to provide a platform to varying perspectives
  6. However, be as objective as you can - this is still a scientific publication representative of the BPS student community. A high level of objectivity when writing is a prerequisite for most of our articles

Could you be a Volunteer Student Ambassador?

If you are studying on one of our accredited undergraduate or conversion courses, are passionate about psychology, supporting your fellow students and want to learn new skills, we would love for you to join us.

Students laughing

Do you want to represent the BPS at your university?

We would love you to join us to support your fellow psychology student member.

Online volunteering and professional training recommendations

We have noticed increased interest in gaining experience and undertaking volunteering roles online. See our list of recommended organisations as follows. 

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact the Membership team

Online volunteering organisations

The BPS also advertises job vacancies for psychology graduates, including roles, such as 'Assistant Psychologist' and 'Research Assistant'.

View a full list of opportunities available Jobs in Psychology.  

You may also like to visit one of the following organisations:

Another option for gaining more experience could be to train as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner.

The purpose of this area is to direct users to resources and guidelines that are available online. Inclusion should not be taken to imply endorsement.

Student mental health

Students experiencing racism

  • Racism and mental health - Young Minds - information on how to get help if you've experienced racism
  • Black Minds Matter UK - connecting Black individuals and families with free mental health services by professional Black therapists.
  • Stop Hate UK - support for victims and witnesses of hate crimes and discrimination
  • Covid-19 Anti-Racism Group - information and resources to address the increase in racism and hate crime towards British East Asians and international students arising from the Covid-19 pandemic

Students with disabilities

Careers and professional development

How to ace job interviews

The Division of Occupational Psychology has put together some top tips for job interviews to help you stand out from the crowd.

You’re studying hard, but how do you make sure you secure your dream job?

Coming across well in a job interview is an important step towards your landing your perfect job, and there are lots of psychological tips to make sure you come out on top.

Careers in psychology 2020

On 21 November 2020, the society held an all-day online event aimed at helping our student members to explore their career options and learn about where psychology can take them.

As well as exclusive keynote speakers and panel discussions the event also featured several Q&A sessions with representatives from various BPS member groups.

Part 1

  • Welcome and introduction - Hazel McLaughlin, BPS President
  • My route into Clinical Psychology and Beyond - Dr Gemima Fitzgerald
  • The psychology of performance excellence - Dr Mustafa Sarkar CPsychol

Part 2

  • Panel discussion - including practitioner psychologists, BPS student member and representative of the student committee and BPS staff from membership and education & training
  • Cognition and neuroscience: a day in the life - Dr Chris Street

Part 3

  • Being a Forensic Psychologist: from the street to the laboratory - Professor Coral Dando
  • Speaker panel - a Q&A session with our expert keynote speakers

Is Clinical Psychology for me?

This free event for psychology students and recent graduates was designed to encourage students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to consider clinical psychology as a career

The recording provides information about clinical psychology training programmes and sharing the experiences of BAME colleagues during training and as qualified clinical psychologists.

Inspiring careers in Counselling Psychology 2020

On 18 November 2020, the Division of Counselling Psychology Scotland held an online event aimed at those interested in, or thinking of, a career in Counselling Psychology.

Participants heard from a number of professionals who work within a variety of settings such as the NHS, private settings and the third sector.

Speakers included:

  • Dr Suzanne Roos, Consultant Psychologist & Professional Lead for Psychological Therapies, NHS Orkney
  • Dr Siân Clifford CPsychol., Chartered Counselling Psychologist
  • Dr Fani Papayianni, Counselling Psychologist
  • Ben Amponsah, BSc, PGDipl, GMBPsS, MBACP (Accred)

So you want to work with children? online careers event

On 10 September 2020, the East of England branch held an online careers event on what it takes to work with children in psychological settings.

The event featured four speakers with psychology backgrounds who now work with children, each of whom presented a 'Day in the life of' segment describing what a typical day looks like in their role, and this was followed by a panel discussion.

Professional development advice

The society has produced a series of five short videos to highlight the importance of continued professional development (CPD) throughout your career,

These videos providing advice on a variety of topics and answer some key questions, such as:

  • The value of professional development
  • Why is CPD important?
  • What are the benefits of engaging in CPD?
  • Advice to peers to encourage CPD engagement
  • How do you approach CPD?

External careers resources

PsychWeb

PsychWeb is a UK network supporting aspiring Clinical Psychologists from underrepresented backgrounds to progress onto DClinPsy.

Find out more about PsychWeb

The Black Mind Initiative

The Black Mind Initiative is a non-profit organisation which aims to educate, encourage, equip and engage with young Black individuals to increase representation within the mental health field.

Find out more about The Black Mind Initiative