“I Want To Be A Psychologist”: 10 Keys To Successfully Completing A Psychology Degree
A few weeks ago we wrote a text to help future psychology students to reflect on 10 basic points about your vocation, some specific doubts about the career, etc.:
However, having enrolled in the degree does not make you a good Psychology student. That is why we have prepared this small guide to help you successfully complete your studies.
“I want to be a psychologist”, a guide to get the most out of your studies in Psychology
The Psychology, due to its versatility and the amount of contributions it can make to different disciplines and areas of life, it is one of the most popular university courses in many countries around the world. However, the life of students can be hard if they do not have references to follow in these tidal waves of information that are usually the psychology faculties
If this is your case, this mini-guide will be useful to you. “I want to be a psychologist” with 10 keys to make your time at university profitable
1. Start studying when it’s time to start studying
In college You don’t have a boss who watches you every day to see if you study, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Furthermore, psychology is a grateful university degree, in the sense that whoever invests time in study and training is rewarded. Now, to know how to make good use of that time, you have to practice.
Knowing how to use time well is one of those skills that every student must polish. If you don’t, you will see the hours, days and weeks go by while you things to do It increases and your stress levels do the same. If you think that you are not very good at putting yourself into studying, it may be useful for you to read the next point.
2. Learn to manage your study time
Okay, you’ve already made studying a regular practice in your daily life, but… Are you optimizing the time you dedicate to it?
Maybe you could learn the same thing in half the time, or maybe studying at a certain time is causing you problems. For example, it is known that focusing on a computer screen right before going to sleep is not good for your sleep, and can cause insomnia problems due to the light you have been exposed to.
Also, keep in mind that you will hardly be able to concentrate on studying for more than 40 minutes at a time, so it is worth noting yourself trying to read very long texts in one go. It is also known that getting up from your chair will help you stretch your legs and make you feel better. Studying is good, but take your breaks!
3. Be careful with the Internet!
The Internet is a very important tool for finding other study tools and resources, but it is also an inexhaustible source of distractions. Consider studying writing on paper to avoid falling into temptation, and go to the computer to ask specific questions.
On the other hand, and as you must have already noticed, the network of networks is overflowing with unreliable information, when they are not gross lies or fabrications. Therefore, when you consult online sources to complete your psychological theses, keep in mind which references are truthful and which are not.
In an ideal world there would be no need to emphasize this, but no one learns just by reading slides These are a visual support to follow the classes and contain some fundamental concepts, but through them it is impossible to know how these ideas are related to each other, nor in what way the logic underlying the psychological processes are articulated.
5. Notes are not everything
No, the notes taken during classes they are not enough either Most of the subjects are also made up of readings that are not explained in class, due to the limited time in which teaching is taught. Consider very seriously reading all the readings that are asked of you at least once (read them and understand them, of course). Besides, These readings will help you understand the things that have been said in class, reinforcing the concepts that you are learning in your mind
6. Read about psychology for pleasure!
The field of study of psychology is a veritable ocean of information. Thousands of books and articles are published every year about new research in psychology and neuroscience, and If you don’t feel like spending many hours reading really thick texts, there are excellent popular books (or even websites: do you know one called Psychology and Mind ?) that are waiting for you. You can start by trying this small list of titles:
And if you want to continue going deeper and you have a profile created on Facebook, don’t miss:
7. Find people with the same interest in psychology as you
There are many people who love psychology, and if you go to university you will be in contact with quite a few. Take advantage of it! An environment of friends with the same interests as you can make you learn things even if you don’t intend to.
You can also follow blogs about psychology visit study groups, etc. Whatever you see necessary to be in constant contact with the pack!
As for blogs and websites dedicated to psychology and neuroscience, we recently created a list that may be useful to you:
8. Have a good search engine for scientific papers on hand
Surely, just because you are enrolled in the university you have access to a search engine. papers scientists that allows you to consult entire articles without having to pay. Find out what these search engines are and make use of them! They will be very useful when searching for information and doing well-documented work.
9. Do mental exams
Just because you have memorized a text does not mean that you have understood Quantitative is not the same as qualitative. When you have studied a lesson, entertain yourself by asking yourself possible test questions. This will help you detect doubts that you didn’t know you had and optimize your review time.
10. Drink from other disciplines
Psychology is a very complex discipline, and it straddles many sciences and areas of study. Immerse yourself in them to have a richer vision of what you study You can start by reading basics about biology, medicine, philosophy or anthropology… although don’t get bogged down either!
Bonus: Enjoy learning
It is ironic that this can be understood as an order, but It is worth remembering that you are studying psychology because you want to, because you are interested
Don’t let poor time management make you hate the race. If there are subjects or branches of psychology that do not interest you as much, dedicate less time to them than to those that you do enjoy. You learn better when you learn without stress and without rushing, savoring the knowledge, and growing intellectually and personally while you acquire new learning.
