Inside the Life of a Psychology Student – Kathleen (#3)

These series of articles are going to be based upon interviews with psychology students, we’ll be asking these students about their courses, what they like and dislike, how to succeed, and career information. For anyone currently considering, or actually studying, psychology these will be very helpful! Let us know what you would asking for future interviews in the comments!

Let me introduce our next interviewee. She is called Kathleen Critchley, and she is due to start her third year of studying a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She is enrolled in the specializations program, which essentially means that instead of having a major and a minor, she specializes in Psychology.

As always, we started by asking Kathleen about her University and the course she is studying.

Us: How is the program, and the cost? 

KC: The program is pretty great! I do wish there was a broader variety of psych classes to take that are more relevant to becoming a therapist, but I feel that the classes that are there are of the highest caliber. The cost is higher than other schools in the area, but still pretty consistent with most universities, I think. I pay anywhere from $530-$650CAD per class, and then about an additional $750 per semester on mandatory fees (this includes a few things I could opt-out of if I chose, such as a transit pass and a student health plan) and anywhere from $250-$1000 on textbooks per term.

Us: How’s the education?

KC: Mostly, awesome! I’ve always enjoyed the textbooks that are required for the courses, but I find that my enjoyment of a course often rests largely on the instructor. I’ve had a few very, very excellent instructors, and a few that I couldn’t learn from very well, which I think is average. In comparing notes and grades to friends who are studying psychology at other schools near me (such as Grant MacEwan University, Concordia, etc.) I’ve found that my school tends to grade harder, but I like the challenge. Most classes at my school have two midterms and a final exam, and the psychology courses in the arts faculty often also have projects or essays to supplement my grade. I find that the psychology classes in the science faculty are generally entirely exam-based.

Us: Is there something you’d like to study outside of your program?

KC: Yes, there are a few things! In relation to psychology, I would love to study more emotional disorders and treatments. Most of my classes either focus around the structure of the brain and the complications that can arise with them, or the chemicals in the brain, or our observable behavior. This is understandable, because all of these things can be studied scientifically while emotions cannot (or at least not easily). However, relating to my future goal of being a counselor, studying emotions and thought patterns would be pretty cool. Outside of psychology, I’d love to study more Women’s and gender studies, sociology, as well as nutrition, but I don’t have space in my degree for any more options courses. Those are purely personal interest. 🙂

As well as this, we asked Kathleen to tell us about her career aims, and stuff related to that.

Us: What are your goals in terms of career? 

KC: After I complete my Bachelors degree, I plan to go on to grad school and obtain a Masters degree in counselling psychology. From there, I hope to start a career as a family and youth therapist. I’d like to specialize in LGBTQA+ youth, but that will likely take further education. In Alberta, you only need a Masters degree to work as a therapist, but I’ve discovered that most other parts of the world require a PhD as well, so once I’ve spent some time establishing a career and maybe settling down, I plan to go back and get my PhD to broaden my options a bit!

Us: What, outside of your degree, have you done to further your interest or career in psychology? 

KC: Well, writing and editing for Psych2Go has been a big step! I’ve been trying to find ways to volunteer within the field of psychology, but it really is difficult, because most counsellors/therapists don’t really need a volunteer in their office other than to file paperwork. Psych2Go gives me the opportunity to do research outside of my classes, and also to teach people about things that are meaningful to me! I also learn so much through editing with Psych2Go, because I get to read so many different articles that cover information that I may not have known before! Aside from working with Psych2Go, I also plan to do a student internship through my school next year. In the internship, I will be placed somewhere as an employee, and the placing will be as close as possible to my career goals, so I’m hoping to end up somewhere that will enhance my experience as a psychology student!

Us: Have you had much career advice or training in your programme? 

KC: Many times in a psych class at my school, the instructor will let the class know that “this particular bit of information will be useful if you ever find yourself treating a client with this problem” and that is often helpful. The general learning of how people learn and behave and why they do what they do is the training that I need, and I’m definitely getting it! As far as career advice goes, that is a bit more limited at my school, simply because it doesn’t offer a stream that leads to my career. However, if you are interested in going into psychological research or behaviour modification, there are oodles of people you can talk to there.

And finally, we asked her for any advice she had for you guys!

Us: What’s one thing a student should know about studying psychology?

KC: You’re going to love it! 🙂 I guess the one thing I wish I was told before studying psychology was that it would be pretty challenging. A lot of people seem to be under the impression that psychology is an “easy” major, and that the students in psychology party more than they study. The truth is that some psych courses will be easier, but they’ll still contain valuable information. However, I have only had one “easy” class so far, and it wasn’t even a psych class. It is a lot more challenging than people tend to think. So, if you’ve chosen psychology because you think you’ll have time to hang out with friends every night, you’re probably in for a wake-up call.

Us: What’s one thing a student should know about studying at university?

KC: Primarily that it is a huge leap from high school. A lot of things will change, but most of them are good changes. I personally prefer university to high school. Try to keep an open mind; you’re going to meet some fascinating people, and your horizons are going to broaden immensely. Another thing that I wish someone had told me is that everyone bombs their first year, especially if you try to knock out all of the core prerequisites in that year. Chances are, those prerequisites are things that aren’t related to your field of study (I.e., why do I need to take astronomy to be a counselor?) so you won’t enjoy them as much, and the stress of the new learning structure and new location and new people will not lend themselves to getting fantastic grades in those classes. I recommend taking a few of the core classes, but also taking some classes purely out of interest to balance that out. And if you do fail the first midterm, or even the final, don’t sweat it. It’s a huge adjustment. I was in honours in high school, and my GPA after my first year was absolutely abysmal. You’ll find your stride.

Us: Anything else?

KC: When on escalators on campus, stand on the right, walk on the left. Use www.ratemyprofessors.com for EVERY class, and choose the instructor that seems to cater the most to your learning style. The right instructor makes a HUGE difference. Invest in an external hard-drive. E-textbooks are nearly always cheaper than physical textbooks. Only buy a new physical book if you can’t get it in an e-book or as a used textbook. Take a mental health day at least once every six weeks, where you don’t go to class (try to time this for a weekend) or work, and you leave your homework in your bag.  Go to your professors office hours and try to get to know them; you’ll probably need them as a reference later on. And try to enjoy your university experience 🙂 Go to a couple of parties, join a club, get involved! You’ll look back much more fondly on your time there.

Tune in next week for some more information from psychology students!