You’ll Find New People To Have Deep Conversations With. You’ll Find A New Place To Feel At Home In.

tips for future and current psych majors from a psych major

know that psychology isn’t just having someone sit on a couch and talk about their feelings. there’s research, psychiatry (the more chemistry side of psych), music therapy, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, and so. much. more.

figure out your final goal. there are literally hundreds (ok i may be exaggerating) of different fields within psychology, so work backwards

do some research and determine a couple fields of psych that you may want to get a job in after you graduate. there’s research, therapy, clinical psychology, school psychology, etc. it doesn’t have to be one final choice, it could be more than one, but it’s good to narrow it down to a few and have an idea for your top choice.

take classes related to the fields you’ve chosen to help you get a better understanding of what your future career would be like, and from there figure out which class’ material you liked the best (material. not the best teacher). this will help you narrow down to your top choices and help you feel more confident in your goals.

know that you don’t really have to choose until maybe your 3rd or even 4th year of college. and even then, you don’t really have to choose until after you graduate and are looking for a job, but having a field in mind will help you feel more prepared for life after college

know that there is a lot of memorization. parts of the brain, different emotions, diseases, ground breaking studies; you will need to memorize all of these things. flash cards will become your best friend when memorizing this stuff.

brain diagrams are everywhere. a lot of psychology crosses over into neurology, and you’ll have to learn what specific parts of the brain are responsible for different functions. it helps to draw out these diagrams and color code them for each section of the brain. they don’t have to look pretty. an oval with a vertical line going down the middle is good enough to get the general idea of a brain.

expect big class sizes. 100 and 200 level psychology courses are common electives among non-psych majors, so know that a lot of your classes in your first year or two will most likely be lecture classes, meaning you’ll have to do the majority of the learning on your own. this is when it’s very important to hold yourself accountable for your learning and to study on a regular schedule.

take part in experiments if you can. pretty much every college has student-run research experiments that you can be a subject in (and sometimes they’ll pay you to participate). be a participant in as many as you can. not only are they fun and interesting, but they’ll give you a better understanding of what to expect in higher level courses.

know that your professors are there for you. most psych professors are the nicest people you’ll ever meet. and since they’re experts in psychology, they understand the stress you are under and they are typically more than happy to answer questions or even just be an ear to listen while you vent.

if you can, get ahead in your classes. look ahead in your text books, get notes from people who have already taken the class before, or just watch psych videos like Crash Course to familiarize yourself with stuff you’ll probably need to learn at some point. and this goes for every class/major. it’s a very easy way to not feel like you’re drowning when you have a difficult class. (i’m more than happy to share some of my psych notes with anyone! message me and i can send you some of my notes if you want!)

use yourself as a reference. a big part of psychology is personality and behavior, and you yourself are a prime example of a personality. take personality quizzes and find out more about yourself the help you learn why you are the way you are. it will give you a better understanding of how the brain works and it may help you make connections in some topics. (click here for one of my new favorite personality tests app)

if you have any questions, feel free to message me and ask! i’m an educational psycholgy (major) and special education (minor) student, and i’m going to start taking graduate level classes in a year to get a masters in educational psych, so hopefully i’ll be able to answer your questions to the best of my ability. and if not, hopefully i’ll at least be able to point you in the right direction! love you guys! - sam xx

Hands in Denis Sarazhin’s art

bonus:

LITTLE WOMEN 작은 아씨들 (2022) Choi “🤡” Do-il

hand studies and exploring fun colour stuff

i cant think of the fact that humans send messages saying ’where are you? who are you?’ from earth to the giant and empty space all around us for too long because it makes me cry so hard and feel so human and lonely

comic about someone’s strange dream (and daydreams)

Some warm poetry, for cold evenings:

Molly Fisk, “Winter Sun” (We can make do with so little / just the hint of warmth, the slanted light.)

Pat Schneider, “The Patience of Ordinary Things” (It is a kind of love, is it not? / how the cup holds the tea.)

Barbara Ras, “Bite Every Sorrow” (You can speak a foreign language, sometimes / and it can mean something.)

Jack Gilbert, “Failing and Flying” (Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew.)

Lisel Mueller, “Things” (Even what was beyond us / was recast in our image; / we gave the country a heart, / the storm an eye)

Rabindranath Tagore, “On the Seashore” (The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach / On the seashore of endless worlds children meet)

John O’Donohue, “Matins” (May I live this day / Compassionate of heart / Gentle in word / Courageous in thought)

Wallace Stevens, “The House Was Quiet and The World Was Calm” (The summer night is like a perfection of thought. / The house was quiet because it had to be)

Brian Patten, “Inessential Things” (Cats remember what is essential of days)

Emily Dickinson, “Simplicity” (How happy is the little stone / that rambles in the road, alone)

Yi Lu, “Valley’s Green” (flowers like tiny saucers — little bowls — little cups / filled to the brim with their own colors)

Jacques Prévert, “How to Paint a Bird’s Portrait” (When the bird comes / if it comes / observe the most profound silence)

Archibald MacLeish, “Eleven” (Happy as though he had no name, as though
 / He had been no one: like a leaf, a stem,
 / Like a root growing…)

Denise Levertov, “A Woman Alone” (Then / self-pity dries up, a joy / untainted by guilt lifts her. / She has fears, but not about loneliness)

Richard Brautigan, “Your Catfish Friend” (I’d love you and be your catfish / friend and drive such lonely / thoughts from your mind)

Linda Gregg, “The Letter” (I’m not feeling strong yet, but I am taking
 / good care of myself)

Andrew Lang, “Ballade of True Wisdom” (And I’d leave all the hurry, the noise, and the fray, / For a house full of books, and a garden of flowers)

Ada Limón, “The Raincoat” (my whole life I’ve been under her / raincoat thinking it was somehow a marvel / that I never got wet.)

Jorge Luis Borges, “The Just” (These people, unaware, are saving the world)

Wendell Berry, “The Peace of Wild Things” (I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.)

yoou guys wont be laughing when i suddenly collapse unconscious and have to be taken to the hospital. then youll all see <- normal thought process to have while doing anything i dont want to

 they both have no sense of direction…. it was fate