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After failing her psychology A-level, Jade’s determination and resilience propelled her to succeed, eventually earning her a spot on a highly competitive clinical psychology doctorate programme.

For psychology graduate, Jade Blackburn, securing a place on a highly competitive clinical psychology doctorate programme — a crucial step toward becoming a registered clinical psychologist — once felt out of reach.

Jade failed the first year of her A-levels, receiving a U in her psychology exam. But, despite this setback, she chose to persevere and retake the year to get the grades she needed to study psychology at Sheffield Hallam.

"I wanted to study at Sheffield Hallam because it allowed me to stay close to home – I could commute on the train and I was able to keep my part-time job, which helped as well as the Student Success Scholarship I received from the university for living and study costs.

"But, it was the fact that Hallam's BSc (Hons) Psychology course is British Psychological Society (BSP) accredited that really attracted me to the course. I knew this accreditation was important for me because without it, my options could be limited — some employers require it, and it’s essential if you want to become a chartered psychologist.

“Plus, The Psychology of Animals module was a huge draw for me; I’d never seen it offered at another university before, and I love animals!”

But it was the forensic psychology module that opened up the door to Jade getting practical work experience. She was offered a role at a charity supporting people in mental health crisis during her third year and after graduation. The experience she gained from this role helped land her a job as a support worker in a prison.

"I really enjoyed working in prisons because each day is different. I have the opportunity to work with people who are facing obstacles in their life. People facing poverty, discrimination, or lack of access to opportunities and education. These are people who are often overlooked. Everyone deserves a chance. It's work I find interesting and rewarding.

This experience led to a role as an assistant psychologist supporting people with their mental health in prison. Although her interests were working with people in the criminal justice system, Jade soon realised her true interest lay in clinical psychology, which focuses more on the individual, rather than their offending behaviour.

"I’d always thought clinical psychology might be too difficult. Academia doesn’t come naturally to me, so I thought a career as a clinical psychologist was out of my reach.

“A clinical psychologist who supervised me in the prison helped me to overcome my doubts and really encouraged me to look into the clinical psychology doctorate programmes. I knew these courses were incredibly tough to get on to, with most people having to apply multiple times before they get accepted. I was also really lucky to have had a very supportive tutor at Hallam who was amazing and helped me with my references.

"The whole application process was really rigorous, involving rounds of tests and interviews. When I got accepted, I couldn’t believe it was real. Only once it was confirmed I actually started to believe it and could celebrate.

“I’m really enjoying all aspects of training so far. It’s demanding but the placements are great, and I’m learning so much.”

Jade’s journey is proof that setbacks don’t define success, and she is now passionate about encouraging others from more diverse backgrounds to pursue a career in clinical psychology.

"I know that looking at my career path, some might say I’ve been lucky to have had the opportunities that led me here. But I've also worked hard too. I'm not a natural academic, and I'm from a working-class area, but despite that I put in the effort and kept going. I hope others from similar backgrounds see that failure is part of the journey, but it shouldn’t be a reason to give up. If you really want it and are committed, you will get there."