Should You Study Psychology?

It can be a major mistake.

Psychology is a fascinating discipline and the popularity of the major speaks for itself. Indeed, the American Psychological Association states that it’s the fourth most popular major. This makes sense, people are interested in people! Everyone is a bit of a psychologist, as we all try to figure ourselves and other people out.

But should you really choose this as a major in university?

I studied psychology myself, and while it has set me up for the career of my dreams, I have seen firsthand how it fails students. If you’re considering majoring in this field, I recommend taking time to consider if it’s the right choice for you and your goals.

Here, I outline common misunderstandings about the degree, what it takes to make it valuable, and the one major I think many psychology students should be pursuing instead.

Common Misunderstandings

Throughout my studies, I have met many students who were unhappy while studying psychology. The consistent theme was that their experience was not aligning with their expectations.

These are the three common misunderstandings about the degree that I have come across when talking with psychology students.

1. You just have to show up to class

Many students simply complete their coursework and go home. Psychology is a great degree for people who are independent and curious. You will need to seek out opportunities to get involved in activities that will give you the experience and skills needed for your career.

There is a common conception that just having a psychology degree will be the ticket to going to grad school to become a clinician. However, this is not the case, and a lot of extra time and effort will be required to be competitive.

2. You will be learning how to help people

“When will we use this to help people?!”

For a lot of folks, a psychology degree is a stepping stone to enter the clinical or counselling psychology fields which require graduate level training. For many, there was a belief that a psychology undergraduate will focus more on these subjects.

However, psychology is a broad field spanning many sub-disciplines. You will need to take courses in developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, and other fields that do not directly relate to mental health or clinical work.

3. You don’t need research experience

Not many people initially find research interesting. This is fair! It involves statistics, research methods, and reading lots of journal articles. Unfortunately, this leads students believing that they don’t need it.

Students who do not work on getting research experience early in their degrees end up scrambling at the end as they realize its importance in applying to graduate school.

Once you’ve taken your intro to statistics and basic research methods courses, reach out to professors, graduate students, and labs and get involved! You can never have too much research experience.

Conducting original academic research can be excillerating and it’s a shame that many statistics and research methods courses discourage students!

What does it take to make a psychology degree worth it?

Sadly, I’ve seen many people with a general interest in the subject area of psychology pursue this degree with a disinterest in research and not put effort in outside of the classroom (or in it, for that matter).

These students are left unprepared by the degree when they graduate as they do not have the experience, skills, or grades required for the job market or for a competitive application to graduate school.

In order to make a psychology degree worth it, you will need time to invest in the degree beyond the lecture hall. This absolutely involves privilege, as many people cannot financially afford to sacrifice their time to volunteer when they need to work.

The post-secondary setting provides the perfect environment to get experience that you can’t otherwise get. For example, in order to be a competitive applicant to a graduate program, you will need to have lots of research experience with conference presentations and hopefully publications.

You can also volunteer with student associations and clubs to gain leadership experience. Being a student is also a great time to volunteer and work in helping roles in hospitals, hospices, or other agency or community settings.

These extra-curricular experiences will provide you with the tangible skills and robust curriculum vitae you’ll need to land a job or be admitted to your top choice graduate program.

What should many psychology students be studying instead?

In my conversations with psychology students while I was an undergrad, I found that many shared sentiments of “I hate research!” and “I just want to help people!”

This is valid and it pains me to think about how unsatisfied these students were with their educations.

I think many students who study psychology would find studying social work to be a much better fit. Social work students learn about many interesting and important theories in psychology with the purpose of applying them in real life to help real people.

I have tutored social work students so I have had some further exposure to the curriculum. You will get to learn about the interesting psychology stuff in a way that is practical!

Social work students also get hands-on experience during their degrees through multiple practicum placements which helps prepare them for jobs after they graduate.

You can also pursue graduate studies by obtaining a Masters of Social Work (MSW) after your undergrad.

If doing therapy is one of the draws towards studying psychology, considering this alternative route by obtaining an MSW could be for you. People with MSWs can practice therapy, and the knowledge and experience these practitioners have from their education is an incredible asset in their work.

Furthermore, a Bachelors of Social Work degree can also meet the admission requirements for counselling programs. You may need to take a few extra courses, but if you keep the next steps of your education in mind and plan accordingly you should be just fine!

Final Thoughts

Universities should be doing better to prepare students for life after they graduate. However, students also need to be aware of what is required for the next steps in their careers, what they want out of a degree, and what their degree of choice actually offers them.

Students considering psychology should also seriously look into social work and compare the two in relation to their career goals and desires for an undergraduate degree. I took both psychology and social work courses in my first year to help me understand what direction I wanted to pursue.

Now, having tutored students through upper level social work courses, if I had to do it all over again, I think I would choose social work as my undergraduate. That being said, I loved working on my psychology degree and am immensely proud of it.

“Cs get degrees,” but not jobs or admissions to graduate school. To make your psychology degree worth it, you will need to form a long-term vision of your career and work hard. I believe that a psychology degree can be absolutely worth it if it truly aligns with your interests (beyond just the subject matter) and your career goals.

I am passionate about helping psychology students succeed in their educations and pursue careers in the mental health field. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!