Even though we absolutely love what we study, being a Psychology major is a lot more complicated than most people think. No matter where you go to school, there are some things we can all agree on. Here are 7 things all Psych majors hate.
1. “Psychology isn’t a real science”
This is one of the most aggravating phrases on earth for us and we are incredibly tired of hearing it. Even just an undergraduate degree in Psychology requires a knowledge of biology, chemistry, anatomy, statistics, and so much more. There is nothing about our major that is unscientific.
2. Signing up for classes
Every Psych major has faced the struggle of getting up at the very minute class registration starts to submit their schedule and just hope with every ounce of your being you get a spot in all of your classes. Having backup plans for all of your classes is a must and trying to get into the same class for 3 semesters in a row is typical.
3. Competition for internships and T.A. positions
When there are hundreds of people in all of your classes and your major is one of the largest at your school, there are tons of people applying for not so many positions. A “C’s get degrees” kind of mentality isn’t an option when you have that much competition in your major.
4. “Psychology is an easy major”
We have to figure out how to study things as vague as happiness and as complex as the specific mechanisms in the brain responsible for phenomenons like Deja Vu. If quantifying something as complex as human emotion is simple to you, then sure, Psychology is easy.
5. A Masters or PhD is almost necessary to get a job in the field.
Because of the sheer number of Psychology majors as well as the amount of complex information we need to know to actually be valuable in today’s psychological research and diagnostics, an undergraduate degree doesn’t do us a lot of good. This means our education becomes extremely expensive, intense, and seemingly never-ending.
6. Textbook Costs
Since the field is constantly changing and discovering more and more about human emotion and the complexities of the human brain, buying used textbooks or older editions of a book are rarely an option. Every semester you have a brief heart attack when searching for one of your books and seeing the price tag.
7. “So you want to be a therapist?”
No, no, and no. Even though Clinical Psychology is a great field to be in, there are so many other options for psychology majors than becoming a psychologist. The number of concentrations we can choose is almost endless and it’s actually really difficult deciding which one you like the best.
Regardless, Psychology is an amazing field of study and deserves far more credit than it gets. No matter how badly everything on this list bothers us, we do actually love our major and couldn’t imagine studying anything else.
