Psych BA not what I was expecting

[priorities2]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I chose to major in psychology because I found it interesting and saw myself possibly following a career path within the field. I've found that all the undergrad classes that sounded SO interesting -- cultural psych, adolescent psych, child psych -- were not what I was expecting. They don't focus much at all on the actual human experience, individual issues, case studies, or best practices. They focus almost entirely on "research shows x correlates with y." I find them to be incredibly easy and I'm not getting nearly as much out of them as I had hoped. My family studies intro class, while also very easy academically, challenged me a lot to improve my own relationships and apply this psychological research to life.

Does this experience with psychology only reflect my university, or do most intro psych classes tend to be this broad stroking and impersonal? Should I keep going with psych and wait until I get to a place where I actually am learning the kind of applied stuff I want, or should I switch majors? I don't really know what my passion is yet, but I'd like something lucrative, career-oriented, and allows me to be creative. I'm open to suggestions. Thank you!

 

[Kiara15]

When I was in undergrad, my classes were pretty much the same. At one time, I remember seriously questioning my question to major in psychology. However, I found that once I actually got into graduate school, you really get to learn about and do the interesting stuff. The people and teachers in graduate school genuinely want to be there, and act accordingly. If you know within your heart that psychology is what you enjoy, stick with your major and wait to study the things you actually want to study when you go to graduate school. If not, there's always Sociology or other majors. Do what YOU want to do.

One more thing: It depends where you are in your major as well. The intro classes are always pretty boring because they are meant to serve as a stepping stone to other, more difficult classes. If you're in the first or early second semester, I'd say stick it out. Good luck!

 

[deleted462159]

Well, it's good that you realized that now. Many people question their decision to major in psych post-graduation. That's not to say psych is a bad major, but perhaps it is not the best fit for you. Also if you want something lucrative (out of undergrad) and creative, you might want to look into something computer sciences or engineering-related. Of course, that's very different from psych research or counseling. But from what you wrote, it doesn't sound like psych is your cup of tea. Try taking classes in different fields and see what you like. Hope you figure it out.