Top student one of just eight to receive national award

FIRST class student Caitlin Jenkins is one of just eight people nationally to receive a top award.

The psychology graduate, who gained the highest mark in her class, has been awarded a Citation for Excellence by the British Psychological Society (BPS) for her final year project.

University of Bolton Professor Jerome Carson nominated Caitlin, who left Oxford University to study in Bolton.

Caitlin, aged 36, who lives in Greenmount, Bury, said: "I was delighted to hear that I’d won the Qualitative Methods in Practice (QMiP) award. To see my work cited for excellence by the British Psychological Society is profoundly rewarding.

"My dissertation was a real labour of love grounded in my own experiences as a mental health service user. I enjoyed researching and writing it so much and it’s wonderful to know that others have enjoyed reading it. I’m passionate about qualitative methods too, so this award given by the QMiP section feels particularly special."

Her project, which investigates service user experiences of psychiatric diagnosis, received a mark of 92 — the highest ever given to an undergraduate in the history of the psychology department.

Professor Carson said: "We’ve just been astonished by Caitlin. Her research work for her dissertation was just amazing.

"One of the markers said that the standard of writing was at doctoral level and the external examiners told me that they had never come across a student of Caitlin’s calibre before.

"I am confident that some of the work that Caitlin has produced as part of the course will be published in academic journals. I feel blessed to have worked with her."

Caitlin, said: "I’d like to train as a clinical psychologist, which means trying to secure a highly competitive place on a doctoral course, and I hope that the QMiP and my other awards will help me achieve this ambitious end.

"While I won’t be able to continue my studies at Bolton, I’ll be keeping in contact with the lecturers and peers who have made my university experience so stimulating, rewarding and enjoyable."

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