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What is studying psychology like in college?

I have always been interested in psychology and mental illnesses and I think would enjoy majoring in it. I like learning and would especially want to expand my knowledge on this topic and possibly pursue it.
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Jessica’s Answer

Though I didn't major in psychology, I did take a lot of psychology courses as electives in college as I was considering if I wanted to change my major to focus on that. I will say that psychology does tend to be harder than people expect, but if you dedicate your time to learning the material, you can definitely pursue it. There's a lot more science involved than people think. Often, people think psychology is lots of touchy-feely emotional stuff, but it really is rooted in deep, complex science. I specifically recall my first day in my Introduction to Psychology course in college. The professor started with, "Welcome to Introduction to Psychology. Just to let you know, the average grade in this course is a C+. If you are at all worried about your GPA and don't plan to pursue psychology as your major, you still have time to drop this course for another." I took this class as a junior in high school and ended the semester with a B+, but know plenty of my peers that struggled. There are a lot of complex terms to remember, but once you grasp the basics, you can start getting into the more interesting parts of psychology like behavioral studies, different types of therapy, and personality. Just know that studying psychology is a commitment. You can't really be a licensed therapist without a Master's degree and need a Doctorate to be a psychiatrist. Most Bachelor's degrees in Psychology will only allow you to be a social worker which, unfortunately, doesn't pay well. So, before you study psychology, have an idea in mind of what you want to do with that degree so that you know how much time you'll need to dedicate to it. If you are passionate about the subject, that's half the battle.
Thank you comment icon Jessica, Thanks for your candid response! I believe these types of answers are helpful to our students! Kim Kim Igleheart
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Ashley’s Answer

Hi there!

It's great that you're interested in psychology -- I was a psychology major and truly enjoyed my time in college studying psychology! Studying psychology in college is going to vary somewhat depending on what college or university you attend -- I would highly recommend looking at what the psychology major requirements and classes offered are at your school or at the schools you are considering attending. Despite common belief, psychology covers many more topics than just mental illness (don't worry -- there are many classes that I'm sure will be available to you on mental illness as well!). Here are some examples of classes and topics that might be covered:

- Research methods (how psychological research is conducted)
- Abnormal psychology (mental illness and interventions)
- Social psychology (how people and groups interact and influence one another)
- Cognitive psychology (thoughts, cognitions, memory, etc.)
- Neuroscience (the natural science side of psychology and the brain)
- Developmental psychology (how people develop across the lifespan)
- Health psychology (how psychology can impact health outcomes)
- And many more topics!

While an undergraduate degree may require you to take classes in any or all of the above areas, a graduate degree (such as a masters in mental health counseling) will allow you to focus in on the area you are most interested in (for example, mental health).

Hope this helps!
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Jennifer’s Answer

Hi Anouk,
While I did not study psychology specifically, I did take many psychology related courses and they were all very eye opening and fun! There is so much to learn about humans and it's fascinating to see how we function and behave. However, something to keep in mind though is that you might not be learning about mental illnesses (abnormal psychology) throughout college, and might really only take one class on it. There are so many other areas of psychology that you will be learning about in addition to mental illnesses, so if that sounds interesting to you, you should go for it!
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Anthony’s Answer

Good Morning Anouk,

How are you? Studying Psychology is amazing! As a Psychology major, I learned so much about human behavior. The courses I took included:

Intro to Psych
Human Development
Abnormal Psychology
Psychotherapies
Tests and Measurements
Experimental Psychology
Social Psychology
Black Psychology
Research Methods
and much more

What did you want to specialize in?
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Elisa’s Answer

I enjoyed majoring in psychology because there is an opportunity to explore different topics and hone in on what you find interesting, this could be anything from abnormal psychology to the psychology of children. As others have mentioned, it is quite a bit more "sciencey" and dry than anticipated, especially in the fundamental courses while you're laying the foundation for the more interesting classes.

Courses I took for my degree include:

Intro to Psych (I recommend taking AP Psychology at your high school if offered! I tested out of this which saved time and my college GPA)
Research Methods (very dry and technical, but necessary!)
Statistics
Biology 101
Abnormal Psychology
Social Psychology
Forensic Psychology
Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Adult Development and Aging
Psychological Effects of the Internet

Outside of course work, it is also pretty standard that you volunteer in a research lab for credit. Depending on your university, there are typically a variety to choose from. I volunteered in a social psychology lab that focused on Prejudice Reduction and Group Interactions. My tasks in the lab included welcoming study participants or participating in studies as a confederate (part of the research team posing as a participant). We also read studies from the other researchers in the field and discussed their methods and results. Although I decided that a career in research is not what I wanted to pursue, I recommend working in a lab to build connections with Psychology faculty and learn more about what life as a Psych grad student would be like.

I will warn that if you want to pursue a career directly related to the field of psychology (researcher, clinical psychologist, etc) you will almost always need to pursue at least a Master's degree (2+ additional years after your Bachelor's degree). However, the great thing I've found is that as human psychology and behavior is integral to every industry, a degree in Psychology prepares you well for a variety of entry level jobs in business and actually gives you a unique skill set over the people with a regular business degree.

If you aren't sure that you want to go on to pursue a doctorate degree in Psychology, I highly recommend pursuing a double major to diversify your opportunities in the job market. I personally pursued a double major in Psychology and Spanish alongside a Business minor and I now work in the tech industry. Other common Psych double majors include Biology, Political Science and Communications.
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Lyndsay’s Answer

There are so many fascinating classes in the psychology at university. I am a psychology major but I went to school to be an elementary school teacher. I went to school a decade ago and they were introducing gender studies, dementia studies, all kinds of really interesting classes about how humans behave.
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