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MSc Addictions student wins bursary

A student studying at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) has won a bursary to help fund her MSc in Addiction Studies with a powerful and creative application. 

Elle Wadsworth won a £1000 bursary from Postgraduatesearch.com with an image-based application where the different sections of her application were written within images showing scenes relevant to addiction studies. For instance, one section was written on the back of women passed out in bed holding a bottle of spirits and a glass, while another was written on the paper used for a cocaine roll. The judges felt Elle’s application used images creatively to communicate her message in a clever and original way.

After completing a first class honours degree in Chemistry at Bristol University, Elle became interested in the chemical effects of drugs on the body and brain and so decided to pursue this interest through an Addiction Studies MSc at King’s College with the aim of following a career in drug policy. She said: “A Chemistry degree is extremely versatile, and my interest in addictions began through studying the chemical effects of drugs on cognition and physiology in combination with an emphasis on the basics of composition, effects and production.”

Masters courses can be expensive, especially as the tuition fees structure available at undergraduate level isn’t in place at postgraduate level and this is one reason why the bursary will be so helpful to Elle, who is also doing part-time work alongside the Masters.

“The bursary will be extremely helpful and relieve the financial stress of studying and living in London,” she said. “I will use the money to buy a laptop and books required for the course, that I wouldn’t have been able to purchase otherwise.”

The Postgraduate Search Bursary was set up last year and consists of 10 bursaries each awarded in different subject categories and each worth £1000. They are funded by postgraduatesearch.com, a website for students offering up-to-date information on postgraduate courses in the UK, as well as application and careers advice. It also has a video channel of interviews with students, academic staff and award winners. The interview with Elle can be viewed here.

Yanxia Han, Head of Users at Postgraduatesearch.com, said: “The series of images submitted by Elle created an inventive and powerful application. The images were very high quality, they communicated her message effectively, and - most importantly - they made for another highly original and creative application that stood out the minute we first saw it.”

Elle’s is enjoying her Masters and doesn’t regret choosing to study at the IoPPN Additions Department. She said: “King’s College London is ranked in the top 20 universities in the world and the Addictions department is the most productive in Europe, focusing on harm reduction and 'treatment over punishment', enhancing existing services through research and thus benefiting society through implementation.

“This course will provide a sound foundation on all aspects of addiction from which I can develop my future career, and I can’t wait to get started.”  

For further information contact Tom Bragg, Press Officer at IoPPN, King’s College London, on +44(0)2078485377 or email tom.bragg@kcl.ac.uk