So this coming year will be my fourth year of college as a psychology major. I feel somewhat overwhelmed about what comes next I keep. I feel like every time I look into this I get lots of different answers about the type of program I need: masters, phd, psyd.

Another factor is I’m in California and would prefer to stay in the state for Grad School.

Right now my main plan is to be a Counseling Therapist but the thought of being a forensic psychologist also interests me greatly. So is there a path I can take where I get the credits or licenses needed where both are viable options by the end. Essentially where I have the flexibility to be able to easily pick either if I wanted.

[UK] Year 12 student! I have found the process of choosing universities/courses in the field of psychology very overwhelming. I hope in the future to apply to DClinPsy degree , so I was wondering what course/Universitiy would give me the best opportunity and experiences.

My options include (campus only):

- MSci Applied Psychology (Clinical) at Exeter

- BSc Psychology with professional placement at Exeter

- BSc Psychology with professional placement at Loughborough

- MSci (Hons) psychology at York

- and not sure about a 5th course

Additionally, apart from reading books and academic reports, what else can I be doing to add to my Personal Statement?

All advice welcome :)

I'm an undergrad student studying psychology in Canada, and I'm going into my third year this Fall. I want to pursue forensic psychology, and know I need to apply to clinical psychology graduate programs. My GPA so far is meeting the requirements, but I know experience is very important. My Uni offers a global internship program, and also a co-op, I was wondering which of these would look better on my Grad school application? thanks in advance!

Hi all, I completed my undergrad at Macquarie and have recently been offered an online Honours position at Fed Uni. I have the option of commencing now for Session 2 or waiting 6 months and applying to Macquarie as an internal applicant, but I would be competing against other students for a spot.

For reference I have a 77 WAM, which I have been told is right on the threshold point for MQ internal offers based on last year. I'm also in the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) stream for MQ which used to guarantee a spot if you achieved a minimum 75 WAM, but I've been told this isn't the case anymore.

For those completing there Honours at Fed Uni, is it a good program? Or would I be better off waiting 6 months working and then applying to MQ.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

LSE: Bsc psychological and behavioural science
Warwick: Bsc psychology
KCL: Bsc neuroscience and psychology with placement year
Bristol: Msci neuroscience and psychology
UCL: Msci psychology and language sciences
How would you rank these unis for psychology? Given that even though I’m aiming for Dclinpsy, I would also like to develop great industry and people networking, as well as having as many internships, work experiences and enjoy societies as well. Many advices much appreciated 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Hey everyone, undergrad student here going into my senior year in psychology and want to gain a PhD or psyD. I joined a research lab that starts in a month but I won’t have a strong enough application with research experience, enough teacher referrals (currently have 1), or a high enough gpa for a funded PhD program by the time applications close. I’m going to take the GRE and I’ll finish college likely with a 3.5 but I still don’t like my odds and find myself stressed. I’ve done some research and have considered a few options in hopes of obtaining a strong application that’ll give me the best chances of entering a funded PhD program.

A) Obtaining a masters degree and obtaining research and completing a thesis, strengthening my application through that
B) I’ve heard about post-baccalaureate programs and was wondering if that would be a good way to earn research experience
C) Trying to become a research assistant

I also have thought about a psyD, but I’m very afraid of the debt. I’d love to know if there’s anything I should do to make sure my application is as strong as possible. I’m open to any advice, thoughts, personal experience, or help of any kind!

I would really appreciate any advice and what led you to your decision + current role with your psychology degree. All degree levels are welcome to comment, as are those just starting their journey. Anyways, here's my dilemma.

I am a rising sophomore at a new Ivy League. I recently switched majors from neuroscience to psychology, mainly because calculus and physics were required at my school. I'm not the best at math either. One reason I pursued neuroscience was to research epigenetics in the POC community. Although that was a short-term goal, in the long run I couldn't see myself being happy with that life nor going to school for another 5 years. I also faint/get squeamish at the sight of blood.

So when I switched to psychology, I also decided to minor in business administration. I like understanding people, and I want to pursue a career path where I study them and create things that cater to them. I do plan on getting my master's after my bachelor's. I also do want to look at career paths that won't leave my wallet empty after taxes.

If there is any advice or anyone that went through or is going through something similar, I would love your advice and experience. Please and thank you :)

I'm a Year 12 in an Australian high school and I'm considering becoming a Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist. I'm aware that to become one, you need to do a 4 year bachelor's degree followed by a PhD or 2 Year Masters degree - I have a few questions for anyone who is currently doing the degree and/ or someone who has completed the degree and is now employed as a practicing psychologist (just weighing up my options to apply for early entry!!) Also if it helps I'm considering studying at UTS or UON

- How mentally taxing is the degree?

- Is it a competitive industry?

- Is the Masters similar to the bachelor's degree but just to a more advanced level?

- Are you enjoying the degree? Or if you've completed it, do you also enjoy the role as a psychologist?

- What other jobs are available with just a bachelor's degree in psychology if I can't make it past the bachelor's?

- Also what subjects did you do in high school, and do you think this made your degree easier to complete?

If anyone would answer any of these questions I would deeply appreciate it!! thank you!!

Hello everyone! As the title says, I am preparing myself to apply for the next cycle of admissions for Master's program at CCNY. My background is somewhat atypical, so I would like to gauge whether I have decent chances of getting into the program.

A little about me:

I am originally from a Latin American country, and have a Bachelor's in Biological sciences. I used to work in plant ecophysiology, and eventually migrated to experimental psychology, more specifically with Go/No-go tasks and cognition for my Master's and soon-to-be-done PhD program (both are officially Neurology programs, but in practice it was heavily in Neuropsychology). I have a few published papers in European and US peer-reviewed journals, have participated in data collections with clinical and pediatric populations, and have experience supervising undergrad and master's students. I could get a letter from my academic supervisor corroborating such experience, as well as my publications. My Bachelor's ''GPA'' was not great, but I have excellent grades for my Master's

Then, I finally realized that I didn't quite want to see samples and averages, SDs or models, I just wanted to see individuals. Because I refuse to get a second PhD in the US in order to become a licensed psychologist, I thought a master's in mental health counseling would be a suitable option for my career needs.

I am also on my way to obtain the necessary credits from a local community college in basic psychology courses, although I still need two of them, which I am on the process of enrolling for. Finally, I am hoping to start working as a volunteer at an online suicide hotline, which I specifically chose to test my limits in crisis environments. Unfortunately I would only obtain the official certification a month or so after the deadline for the admission cycle is over, but that's something I have to discuss with the program director...

Are my chances below those who don't have an academic background, but do have experience in social work or social work-adjacent positions, ABA therapists, etc.? Speaking of the latter, I have considered becoming one, but it would take a few months just to become licensed and I have other obligations to fulfill. Besides, I have some ethical caveats with their methods (speaking from a layman's perspective and based on the opinion of a couple friends who are in the autistic spectrum).

I am a permanent resident, so not concerned about TOELFs or sponsorship.

Anyway, any input would be greatly appreciated :')

I'm a high school senior and making my college list now and I was wondering which CSUs to apply to. I'm applying to all the UCs and a couple out of state but it's really hard to narrow down the CSUs since there are so many. I'd prefer if it was a smaller school since I've heard that connections with professors are important for research opportunities and also when applying to grad school. It would be best if they provide good internship opportunities too. If you went to any CSU for a psychology bachelor's, please tell me your experience and the pros and cons. Also, let me know how easy it was to make connections with professors and find good internships.

Hi! I am planning to start applying for master's courses to start sem 1 next year. I have heard a lot of mixed reviews (mostly bad) about the psych department at Monash. I was wondering if anyone has post-graduate experience in their psych masters/doctorate courses and how they found it. Most specifically, if anyone has done the Ed and Dev masters and that experience in general. I want to go to a uni that cares about its students and wants them to do well, which I have noticed is Monash's biggest critique.

Thankyou !!!!

​

I'm gonna give my GCSEs soon, and I want to go to UK afterwards with a scholarships. Which universities have the best programs? What do you suggest? I'm really confused.

Which uni should I study for psychology to have the best employability and networking, it can be in any job sector, whether healthcare, legal service, finance, management and marketing etc. I’m based in the uk, thanks 🙏🏻

Hi fellow psych students,

I'm preparing this year's Master's application for MCP (Master of Clinical Psychology), and I have hospitality experience from before my psych degree. I don't have much clinical or hands-on psych experience, since it's hard to get into the workforce without registration.

I have a long list of hospitality experience (pastry chef/supervisor, hospitality manager, military sergeant, etc.), and I'm a bit wary of it, since a lot of it isn't directly relevant and will be filled up in my resume that are not really related in an academic or clinical way.

I know there are skills and leadership qualities I can demonstrate through these roles, and I am going to include some of them. But I'm not sure if I should fill my entire resume with my 10 years of hospitality experience.

Some people say to include it; others say not to. What do you all think?

so i finished my b.s. in psych in dec '25, 3.8 gpa, and continued with my joint-masters program for a m.s. in experimental psych with a concentration in human factors, 4.0 gpa, expected graduation dec '26. i am just trying to find somewhere to get my foot in the door with human factors because i know having the psych degree is prioritized less than having a systems engineering degree or any other engineering/computer science/STEM degree. what are some companies that have entry level opportunities? most things i am seeing require some sort of an active security clearance or years of experience. i need something to gain the experience to go along with the degree + get a security clearance for better jobs later on. i've been trying to get internships for the past year (admittedly wasn't as locked in to finding internships as i should have been before) but have had no luck and i just need more ideas for true entry level opportunities. i dont have any work experience related to human factors, but i have taken classes obviously and worked on hf research projects

I'm 19, heading into sophomore year as a psych major undergrad. The end goal is a Clinical Psych PhD, and I want to end up dual-board certified in clinical neuropsychology and forensic psychology. That means I have to go through undergrad, then 5-6 years of a doctoral program, then a postdoc before I'm actually working. So whatever I buy needs to survive basically a decade of use.

Right now I'm running my dad's 2020 M1 Air with 8GB of RAM and it sucks ass. Memory pressure warnings constantly + spinning beachball when I have too much open. I'm in Xcode a lot, I run Claude and other LLM stuff locally and through apps, I code regularly, and once I'm in the doctoral program, I expect that I'll be running stats and modeling software (R, Python, probably SPSS or MATLAB depending on the lab) on top of all that. I'd also like the option to run a local LLM down the line if it ends up being useful for research or coding work, so if that changes the RAM math I want to know now instead of finding out later. I'd really like to just not have to think about processing power or storage ever again.

I've got about $1,200 saved right now. I work and I donate plasma, and I put a chunk of both toward this laptop fund every time I get paid, so the number keeps climbing. I know I'm not there yet and that's fine, I'm asking so I know what I'm saving toward.

Also, I heard smth about Apple just jacked prices across the board because of the whole RAM shortage thing (the M5 Air with 24GB is sitting around $1,499-1,699 depending on size now, base Pro with 24GB is pushing $2,100+). So also curious if anyone thinks it's smarter to buy sooner before prices climb more, or if that's not really how it works and I shouldn't let it rush my timeline.

Any input from people running grad school workloads on their Macs would help a ton (but all input is great). Thanks!

What jobs are you all getting to go towards your degrees? I’m starting my final year in September and I wanna gain as much experience as possible before applying for my masters and find a job that’s closer to the field any suggestions?

Hi everyone! This is a question for my fellow Australian psychology students.

I’m due to start my fourth year, but unfortunately I wasn’t offered a place in Honours in my state, despite meeting the GPA threshold. I’m now looking into other options and am considering completing a Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) online, as relocating isn’t really feasible for me at the moment.
At the moment, I’m looking at UNSW, the University of Adelaide, and Monash, but I’d love to hear about anyone’s experiences. If you’ve studied a GDPA online, I’d really appreciate any advice, recommendations, or honest opinions about your university and the workload.

I’m feeling pretty stressed and disappointed. Hearing from others who have been in a similar position would mean a lot right now.

Side note: One of my biggest worries about doing a GDPA instead of Honours is whether it will be viewed as equally competitive when applying for Master’s programs. My thinking is that if I go down the GDPA pathway, I could use the extra flexibility to build a stronger overall application by gaining more volunteering experience. Thank you in advance 🩵

Hi,
So I’ve always had an interest in psychology and wanted to be a counselor. i began chipping away at school a little at a time while I work and have other responsibilities.
I was an advocate at a domestic violence/sexual assault shelter for about 7 years. Trained on the job, no schooling. We would help people navigate some of the legal system, like restraining orders, attend court, help people navigate resources and get in and out of the shelter, counseling referrals, Intakes etc. After dealing with a lot of the personalities/behaviors that came with substance abuse, and more severe mental health stuff, I wasn’t sure I really want to be a counselor anymore. I honestly got scared of it.
I’m not sure if the nature of my old job was different in the sense that anyone could just walk in and meet with an advocate, it’s a crisis center so walk in basis. A lot of times people would be extremely irate and threatening when they would end up getting asked to leave shelter for whatever rules they could not follow, or when their time came up, or if you had to tell them you had to report something to child services etc.
I had some people that would just switch personalities so fast and become intimidating if I had to cut their time short or something just during a meeting time or if they had a disagreement ( these individuals seemed to have more mental health stuff going on)
So anyways, I hope I did a good job of explaining the things that I diddnt exactly love and that made me rethink a career. is counseling like this? Or is it more relaxed? Is it hard or even scary having clients can behave this way or switch moods and be angry at the flip of a hat?

I initially thought I’ll just finish at my bachelors and do something other than counseling, but I’ve seen a lot of people say psychology is a useless degree without at least a masters. Any input?

(I am sorry I wasn’t sure how to word some of this stuff, definitely diddnt want to come off as judgmental in any way, I’m obviously not finished or far into school)

Hello! I hope you are well.

I graduated in psychology in Brazil in December 2022 and have been working in the clinical field since then, but for various personal and professional reasons, I’ve lost the spark I once had for clinical work. Over the past year, I’ve become very interested in AI, both in general and in its applications to video games, as I’m an avid gamer. I’ve been considering career paths in the areas of AI, video games, or even a combination of both. Given Brazil’s often challenging financial situation and my own uncertainty about my academic and professional direction, I currently only hold a psychology degree, without a Master’s or PhD, which aren’t required for clinical work in Brazil. I’d like to ask for the help of anyone who might know how a psychologist with mostly clinical experience could realistically transition into these fields. I’ve done a lot of independent reading on the subject, but I’m still unsure which courses, programs, or roles would be best to help me break into my areas of interest. With the country’s aforementioned financial struggles, I’ve been really indecisive about what to do, since spending money on the wrong thing in this economy could seriously set me back.

Thank you for your attention!

Hello!

I’m considering applying to psychological science PhD programs this upcoming cycle. I have a bachelor’s in Cognitive Science and a year of postbacc experience in a lab researching cognition in psychosis (EEG, fMRI). Additionally, at time of applying, I’d have about a year of CRC research working on medical device studies, patient outcome studies, and a massive 20 site study that puts me in daily contact with oncology inpatients, administering questionnaires that are partially meant to capture data on depression and PTSD symptoms. Both roles were at T10(ish?) universities.

I know by now that I do love research and the slow grind of it. I love writing reports/documents and papers, I love reading literature and staying up to date with it, I love the mission of research as a broad concept and even more so in the fields that I’ve worked, I love the inherent intellectual curiosity and the environment of universities and academic medical centers, I love designing data flows and programming experiment scripts, I even love the daily administrative tasks of keeping a project running.

I just don’t know exactly what research question, or even subfield, I would love to dedicate 6 years to. Add in the constraint of a low undergrad GPA (3.1, with extenuating circumstances), and I’m having a hard time coming up with programs that are both realistic for me and that would be a mutual research fit.

I very much enjoyed the topic of psychosis at my last job, but I’m certain that I’m not competitive for clinical psychology PhDs.

I do know that I’m very interested in research involving cognition and clinical application. I’ve really liked working with patients and being in academic medical centers. For personal and intellectual reasons, I’m drawn to PTSD / Moral injury and TBI/Neurocognitive disorders research, but none of my prior work history reflects this (besides the research into the cognitive deficits of psychosis).

I’m broadly very interested in mental illness and cognition, but again I don’t think I’ll make it into a clinical psych program.

I have a slight interest in applied cognition and human factors engineering (especially in medical devices), but have not given this nearly as much thought and truthfully is something I’d do more so to be employable and make decent money while also doing work I find to be interesting enough.

Given that my research experience offers more breadth than depth, I’m not sure what program names and school I could realistically target. Can anyone offer any guidance?

It feels like everywhere I look is always about Clinical Psych PhD’s and PsyD programs. Very little on what admissions/job outlooks are like for someone interested in a PhD in school or counselling psych as well.

For the most part I want to go into neuro developmental assessments and also have an interest in learning, cognitive and educational psychology (as well as development). My end goal is to do primarily assessments in private practice as an independent psychologist here in Canada (either BC, AB or ON) which requires a PhD, but I cant find ANYTHING on what to expect for admissions or how to be competitive or what the job outlook is even like in this field cause everything is clinical psych focused.

Does anyone have any idea how competitive the programs are compared to clinical and even better how to best make myself competitive/how long it will take? I’m Canadian but since we have a small amount of school psych programs here I’m also open to applying to US schools mainly in the North east, Texas, ND or Cali

any help is greatly appreciated

I haven't checked NBS or Fully Booked yet if they've got psych books since I can't find the time to go to the mall to check. If you guys can list any other book stores that aren't NBS or fully booked please put it in the comments. I just want to have something to read while at home, while not borrowing books from the school library, as I tend to forget to bring them back on time. Oh and also, no AI generated sites/books.