# psychology majors?



## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

Holy thread revival. Oh God why can't I delete this? Someone engage manual override, set phasers to full speed Shift - Del.


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## Temari (May 22, 2005)

Hi! I'm sort of a psych major. I ended up majoring in a different area but got all the reqs for a 3-yr psych degree also. Don't ask! It's a sort of complicated explanation but originally I was planning on using psych as my second major which didn't work out.

Anyway, the combination of majors you're considering is interesting! I'm not really sure what exactly you wanted to know though...Taking psychology worked out really well for me. Most of the classes I was in were fairly large and most of them didn't require a lot of group discussions and the ones that did, I was usually able to hang around in the background and let others do the talking. I found most of the courses extremely interesting. I'd also say that studying psych made me more accepting of having SA myself and gave me more insights into how/why my brain behaves the way it does! (although it still doesn't make sense a lot of the time)

I wouldn't say that I myself have severe SA. I guess it depends on how you mean. It affects my life severely but I am able to socialize when I absolutely have to - usually without making an *** out of myself, thankfully. But really, as far as the undergrad psych degree goes, I don't think that the interaction aspect of it is much different or greater than if you were taking any other general arts major. Probably even less so than areas like history or english but then, a lot of it depends on the university and its focus as well as on the professors you get.

Now, if you're thinking about doing a masters, that gets a bit trickier. Everything I'll say next is how it works at the university I went to but I think it might vary somewhat from university to university/ college to college. In order to get into a masters program you have to get an Honours degree (which usually takes 4 yrs - an extra year beyond the 3yr degree, I mean). Doing an honours means taking several seminar classes as well as developing and undertaking your own research project. I think at my university the project was done in a group of a few people. Then, you would use 1st year students as the subjects of your project and you would actually have to gather first-hand information from them. Have you taken intro psych already? Then you might know what I'm talking about. I had to participate in 6 of these things for my intro class (although there was the option of doing article reviews instead). Basically, it meant being the research subjects for the honours students so they could get the data they needed for their projects. So anyway, that project could be a bit daunting.

When you get to masters (and I'm no expert on this part) I think that there would probably be a few seminar courses that probably wouldn't last for the whole year. The class thing seems to be more flexible and less rigid than in undergrad degrees. The majority of it would, obviously, be coming up with your own research topic, developing how you would do the research and then actually going out and doing it. Then you'd have to write up the report in the proper APA style and maybe present it (possibly defend it but your college might offer other alternatives). But like I said, I know a lot less about the masters part and I'm sure it depends on the university or college you are attending as to what you would need to do.

I hope I didn't scare you off with all of that. I just sort of wrote up all I know (or think I know) about it and about what would be involved. It's probably not a good idea to think about it all at once because it's a lot of work! :hide

If you do go for your masters in psych though, I think most people who get it _would_ end up working as psychologists. I don't know all that much about what else is available for psych masters grads besides that and teaching. Possibly you could find work doing research at a university or some psychology organization. :stu I'm not really sure...

Well, whatever you end up doing, I wish you a lot of luck! It's not easy having SA and going to school - especially when you know you don't _have_ to do it. If you have any specific questions, please ask me. I don't know if I'd be able to help you but I could at least try.


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## concept (Mar 10, 2005)

I'm transferring into Psychology/Sociology this September.

Thanks for the great insight, Temari. Some very helpful stuff there.


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## ghostgurl (Sep 20, 2004)

I'm majoring in sociology right now. I might do a double major in psychology, but I'm not sure because I have to take statistics for it. I hate math.


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## Temari (May 22, 2005)

Hi, I'm glad my post could help a couple of you. I wrote all of that and then it seemed to me when I reread it that I hadn't really written anything (of interest) at all.

Drella's Rock Follies, as far as the class discussions (which I did mention somewhat in my long post) there really wasn't much. I think there was only a couple of classes where there were class or group discussions on a regular basis. Most of the courses I took didn't require much at all.

As for interviews or any other SA traumatic experiences...well, there weren't any. I _did_ have to do one presentation with another girl for the stats lab but that was it in all the courses I took which was quite a few. And who would they really get you to interview, right? :stu Someone from a psychiatric hospital? :b I'm sure no one with psych problems would want to be interviewed by some undergrad student. I know I wouldn't!! :no So anyway, I don't think that would be much of a problem. Too bad you don't go to the same university as me, because then I could tell you all the courses to take and which professor to take it with in order to minimize the participation situations!  But then, maybe that wouldn't really be helpful either.

ghostgurl: The stats weren't too bad. I'm not very good at math myself but I found the stats not too difficult. A lot of it was learning formulas and then having to use them at the right time. I did quite well in it myself because I worked pretty hard and did the assignments every week. The girl I studied with did a bit worse than me though even though she did about the same amount of work. Maybe my brain can just handle stats more than math. Statistics is almost like a different thing altogether with just numbers and the use of formulas in common with math. But obviously I couldn't tell you whether the stats would be easy enough or not since everybody's different.

Psychology really is fascinating stuff isn't it? Well, I guess to us anyway.


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## Chilling__Echo (Mar 11, 2005)

i'm a psych major but i'm only a rising sophmore so i haven't really gotten into it alot yet


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## lyssado707 (Oct 29, 2004)

I've been thinking about doing psych too, but I'm just a freshman and barely know anything about college yet. I think it would be cool to work at an organization that deals with anxiety disorders as I'm becoming more and more interested in them after discovering my own SA. All this stuff about research projects and interviewing people seems so scary though. I could barely handle my english class last semester.....


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## greywolf_256 (Aug 16, 2004)

I graduated with a BA in psych last year. There was a good amount of groupwork involved. For the Learning class, we had to get into groups of 4 and design an experiment, do research, collect data, analyze it, put it all into a report and present our findings to the class. One of my biggest fears was being thought of as a freeloader, not pulling my own weight. But, I always did the work they assigned me, attended all the group meetings, and the others never had any problems with me, other than the fact that I didn't say much. I was usually stuck with the writing, and preparing the introduction and methods section of the paper.

When it came time to present the findings to the class, I always spoke to the professor beforehand, and told the group well in advance of presentation about my anxiety. They were always understanding. All the professors (except for one), that required presentations, said that as long as I went up there with my group, they wouldn't dock points. 

There was one time though, where I was so nervous, that I just skipped presentation day for my social psych class and stayed home. I felt ashamed the next day when I showed up for class, but no one said anything, and the group didn't seem bothered by it. 

I have heard stories though of professors humilating someone b/c they spoke too softly or didn't prepare their materials properly, but I never encountered any such thing. All the professors I had were understanding.

If you're thinking about grad school, be sure to get to know your professors. Some graduate programs require letters of recommenation. Also, you can use them as professional references when looking for a job. I made big mistake by not dropping by their office and talking with them, mainly b/c of anxiety. 

I'm six months into a job search and I still haven't found anything. I really don't know what I want to do. I'm considering going back to school, or applying to Americorps to teach children to read (1 on 1). I've been told I'd make a good teacher, b/c I have patience, but standing in front of a classroom full of kids is scary.


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## Jennie* (Jul 2, 2005)

...


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## Jennie* (Jul 2, 2005)

I'm a psych major (as well as English/writing) but i've just completed my freshman year so i'm not really into it yet. I remember this group presentation I had to do for my social psych class though...oddly enough I wasn't the person who spoke too softy or looked "shy" I just stopped in the middle and anxiety took over. It was humilitating and I just finished it in tears. My professor was the understanding type and he didn't take points away. I actually was so scared because this girl who did her presentation before me was shy and soft spoken and didn't have her stuff togther, he nearly picked her apart! I actually liked in that class and my intro psych class that we broke into smaller groups and I felt more into by participating this way instead of being anxious if the professor was randoming calling on people and such.

I can deal with people one on one or in small groups its the larger classes that freak me out and actually having to say something in those larger classes that me anxious. I'd love to do research though or work in a school, I hope my anxiety doesn't drag me down


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## Absolute (Jul 19, 2005)

so many SA-ers into the scientific study of the mind
hmm... interesting.....


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## infinite_time (Jul 18, 2005)

I'm a psychology major as well  I was at community college for three years, now I'm transfering to a University. I wasn't full time at my previous college, so I didn't do a full two years work of work. I think it's about a year's worth I did, so I got some of my requirements out of the way, and I took four psychology courses. I took Intro, Developmental (aka Lifespan Development), Abnormal, and Adolescent psychology. I love it  I'm mainly interested in Abnormal psychology. I loved that class. I knew most of the disorders before the class, so it wasn't a hard class for me. Luckily for me it counts as one of my junior level classes I believe, so that's good. (funny thing is that it was my easiest psych class)


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## infinite_time (Jul 18, 2005)

quietstorm said:


> I'm a psych major. This school year I'll be getting more into the field. I know that later on once the basic classes are met, my school has us do practicuums. I think I want to study sociolgy too, Drella, since it ties in so well with psych. I took a social work class last semester and we did have to make a couple speeches.


Did you do the speeches? :hide


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## brock (Jan 4, 2004)

I have a degree in computers and thinking about getting a degree in psychology to improve my soft skills. I'm not sure if this is the right move but a lot of electives are out of the way so it wouldn't be too much work.

Do you all feel like you're getting much out of your psych classes? Does it help your communication skills and understanding of people?


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## infinite_time (Jul 18, 2005)

I don't know that psychology improves my communication skills. I've never felt that I had issues communicating with people, other than my social anxiety holding me back at times from being as out going as I really am. I'm generally good speaking with people one on one. As for the psychology classes, yes I do feel that I get something out of them. Unlike other classes, I feel that I can take a lot from a psychology class and apply it to everday life. A lot of the class I've taken so far have been really fascinating to me. I say it's a degree to seek if you have a passion for it.


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## Jam (Aug 27, 2005)

I'm actively seeking a psych major (and hopefully grad school eventually), and from my experiences so far, the number of SA-related challenges can be mild to moderate. At my university, honors students must create and present an honors thesis. Third-year level classes include labs in which one must work on an original research project.

I'm sure there's more, but it isn't coming to mind at the moment. The other posts sum it up nicely.


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## WhyMe888 (Aug 22, 2005)

....


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Psychology is something Im looking into


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## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

Yeah, me too. I never knew what i wanted to do with life, but lately ive been thinking that psychology might be the way to go for me. It really interests me, but im afraid of alot of course work in the program, from group discussions to presentations. Plus if i transfer over, id have to be in it for the long run, which means id want to get a masters, im not sure if my SA will allow me to make that type of commitment, and if i could survive the program.


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## Belshazzar (Apr 12, 2010)

I guess it depends what you want to concentrate in. Somewhat ironically, my interest leaned far more toward cognitive subjects (especially perception and memory) and I ended up working in a memory lab. This course requires a grounding in biology and statistics. If you don't like stats, I'd definitely recommend staying far away from research-oriented psych.

There wasn't much in the way of public speaking. Most classes were lectures, a few seminars. The only presentation we had to give was a final project that involved presenting and defending an original research experiment.


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## SilentLoner (Jan 30, 2006)

Who revived a 5 year old thread?!


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Belshazzar said:


> If you don't like stats, I'd definitely recommend staying far away from research-oriented psych.


 Even Neuroscience like Biopsychology uses a lot of statistics?>


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## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

Belshazzar said:


> I guess it depends what you want to concentrate in. Somewhat ironically, my interest leaned far more toward cognitive subjects (especially perception and memory) and I ended up working in a memory lab. This course requires a grounding in biology and statistics. If you don't like stats, I'd definitely recommend staying far away from research-oriented psych.
> 
> There wasn't much in the way of public speaking. Most classes were lectures, a few seminars. The only presentation we had to give was a final project that involved presenting and defending an original research experiment.


Stats is no problem for me, im currently majoring in math. Its everything else that scares me.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

SilentLoner said:


> Who revived a 5 year old thread?!


Seems to be the trend lately.


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## decodude (Feb 28, 2004)

I am close to finishing my masters in psych I still need to do internship but the classes are done. I still have no idea how I will actually work with clients yet. Classes were tough, but I was always good in structured environments. ​


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