Getting A Psychology Degree (When You Dont Want To Be A Counselor):

Getting a Psychology Degree (When you don’t want to be a counselor):

Every time I tell people that I am pursuing a degree in psychology, their response is immediately “Oh, so you want to be a counselor?”

No- I don’t. I love the work that counselors do for society, but I can never see myself being one. The thought of working in hour settings in a small office does not provide me the same joy that it provides other scholars in my program.

The problem is that I’m not positive what career path I am going to take. I thought I wanted to get a Masters in Sports Psychology and work as an athletic consultant for a college or professional team. Sports Psychology is a field I am heavily interested in, and I found a few Masters programs that spiked my interest.

But then I took my first Psych Statistics course and was baffled by how quickly I fell in love. In high school I hated math, but for some reason I absorbed the class content quickly and ENJOYED analyzing psychological experiments in conjunction with the scientific method. I was even offered a paid research position because of my newfound passion for statistics and psychology. The professor also told me that I should look into going straight into a PhD program. She feels I would be a very good fit for academia.

Suddenly, I don’t know what I want to do anymore. As much as I want to pursue my degree in Sports Psychology, I was only pleased with one of the doctoral programs I researched. There are better PhD programs for general Psychology or Mental Health tracks, but I still am passionate about Sports Psychology. Furthermore, my passion for utilizing the experimental method is having me question if I want to do research in Psychology instead.

What do you all think?

stationery asks!

ask me anything! (i tried to relate the asks to the stationery somehow? idk tbh?)

muji pens: what are your favorite stationery?

pilot juice pens: what is your favorite drink?

mildliners: what is your favorite color(s)?

tombow dual brush pens: do you like to draw?

moleskine: what are your dreams, goals, and/or ambitions?

hi-polymer eraser: what is something you regret?

sharpie highlighters: what is your brightest moment?

post-it sticky notes: what is something you’d like to remember?

papermate flaire pens: how would you describe your handwriting? 

bic mechanical pencils: do you consider yourself to be a gentle person?

papermate inkjoy pens: do you have feelings for anyone?

sharpie fineliners: what kind of pens do you prefer? 

bic correction tape: what is your biggest mistake/embarrassment?

staedtler triplus fineliners AND stabilo fineliners: what/who makes you a better person?

or make up your own! send me an ask with your favorite stationery and a question attached to it!

College can be a lot sometimes. Over the past two years I’ve learned some helpful little tricks that help to keep me sane and on top of things, and it’s time I passed them on to all of you! Ahead in part one: scheduling classes, going to them, and homework. Be on the lookout for part two soon!

i. scheduling classes 

Take a full load, but keep it balanced.

Don’t schedule all of the tough classes for one semester. 

Also try to schedule it so that you will have a variety of homework (ie a mix of writing, tests, and worksheet focused classes)

Always speak to your advisor before scheduling classes.

Keep in mind that you will need time for homework and online classes when making your schedule.

Whether it means choosing not to have classes on certain days, putting a two hour break in between classes, or having all your classes in the afternoon so you can study in the mornings.

Keep in mind your personality when picking times.

8AMs are rough. Unless you are the world’s biggest morning person, avoid them if you can. 

Be sure to have a plan for eating meals!

Some schools will let you bring your lunch into class, but I prefer to have a break during lunch so I can relax while I eat. 

Look at a map of campus when scheduling and try to schedule classes in the same building back-to-back, or at least near each other. 

ii. classes

Never go to class without a bottle of water and a pen.

If it’s a workday and you’re given the option to leave class and work elsewhere, actually use that time to work.

Sit wherever you’re comfortable. A lot of posts say to sit up front, but I personally prefer to sit further back so that I can fidget without worrying about distracting others. Figure out what works for you.

After about the third class, seats might as well be assigned. Don’t move and throw everyone else off unless you really have to.

Always be respectful and kind to your teachers and classmates.

Make at least one friend in every class. You don’t have to be bffs, but chat with the person you sit beside before every class so that you have someone to study or share notes with if you need to.

If you need to fidget to pay attention, consider bringing a small container of Play-Doh with you to lectures (you may want to let your teacher know what’s up, they’ll almost definitly be cool with it).

iii. homework

Unlike high school, you really can’t skip homework. Instead of getting lots of small worksheets, your grade will be decided by a few bigger projects or papers. Try to stay on top of things!

Break larger projects up into smaller deadlines.

If a class has a lot of worksheets as homework, start a study group so that you can all work on them together. 

Try to start homework as soon as you get it.

Don’t be afraid to ask from help from teachers, tutors, or classmates.

As soon as you get a syllabus, enter all of the due dates into your planner. If you wanna go the extra mile (hint: you do), go ahead and add in dates to start working on projects, too. 

Work ahead so that you have the flexibility to hang out with your friends at the last minute, instead of being stuck in the library working on a project that’s due first thing in the morning. 

Never plagiarize. It’s the fastest way to get kicked out of a class, or even a whole program. If you’re not sure if it needs a citation, it needs a citation. 

The number one rule is simple: do all your work, and do it the best you can. As long as you follow that, you’ll be golden. 

Happy studying, and be on the lookout for part two coming soon!

- Clean your backpack and organize your books, notebooks, laptop and study materials you will be needing for the week

- Clean your pencil pouch in case you have random things that have ended up there

- Meal prep- if this is something you don’t do at all, maybe see how it works for you for a week. If you are not a meal prepper, try setting aside the food you’ll have for breakfast the next day

- Clean your bedroom and study space- this will help clear your mind. Having a clutter-free space will relax you aswell

- Update your bujo/agenda with the upcoming events of the week- also, remember to re-write any tasks that you haven’t done from the previous week

- Make a to-do-list for Monday- categorize according to priorities. Also, try starting your list with a task you know you will easily accomplish, such as “eat breakfast”, so that you are motivated to keep on crossing tasks

- Work out- maybe go for a walk to breath some fresh air and fuel your brain with oxygen, or do whatever helps you move a little bit more than what you usually do during the weekdays

- Have a set beauty routine- paint your nails if that’s what you like, apply a hair or face mask, exfoliate your skin, have a bubble bath, or do whatever you know that will relax you and set you in a good mood

- Review your goals, short, medium, and long term- if you have not written any, this is a good time. It’s always a good thing to check your accomplishments and remind yourself of your future plans. This will help motivate you and will give you an extra boost of energy for the start of the week to keep yourself focused on working on your dreams

- Check the weather for the next day and prepare the clothes, makeup, perfume, etc, that you’ll be wearing for the week- having some extra time in the morning is always nice, as you don’t end up wasting 30 minutes of your time deciding what to wear (as it has happened to me plenty of times)

- Have a tray dedicated to store all the necessary things you can’t forget before leaving your house- gather all of them, such as your keys, your wallet, a water bottle or anything you know you will be needing and place them on the tray

- Water your plants- if you don’t have a set schedule for watering your plats, Sundays are the perfect days for that

- Empty your binders, notebooks or bag from lose pieces of paper and place them where they should be- this way you’ll make sure you’re not misplacing any important information that you might need in the future

- Check your fridge and pantry, make a grocery list and go shopping- by doing this, you’ll be certain that you won’t be running out of the foods you mostly eat in the middle of the week. If your grocery shop is located at a walking distance, you can take advantage of this and use that opportunity to breath fresh air

- Finally, have some time for yourself!- watch a movie, catch up on your favourite show, watch some youtube videos, read a book, write on your journal, play your favourite instrument, have some tea, or do whatever makes you happy. Taking care of yourself will never not be a productive thing to do.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

                                                                                             -TheLawStudy

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a designated legend

Legend page from my bullet journal.

something to remember! [font credit]