July 10, 2013, by khyx2lyn

My Three Years Here… (Part 3)

To study psychology is a dream comes true for me. Human behaviour have always been interesting; humans are one of the most complicating species in the world.This is because each and every one of us is unique in our own way.

One of the biggest obstacles when choosing psychology as my undergrad degree was others’ point of views on the matter. When people get to know that you want to study psychology, the first thing that came to their minds is that psychologists treat people with mental illness, and followed by there are no job prospects for psychologists in Malaysia. Whatever it is, do NOT choose a course based on others’ opinions; instead, choose the course that you’re really passionate about or that you’re interested in studying.

Three years here in UNMC have definitely left me with some memorable experiences, such as attending conferences (a good moment to learn more about research that had been carried out), field trip to the National Zoo to observe and learn more about animals especially apes, helping out with organising ‘PsychNight’, attending the School of Psychology Annual Christmas Party, participating in Nottingham Charity Run 2013, presenting the final year project (a good time to learn and improve presentation skills), gaining work experiences during each summer break, and etc.

Aside from these memories, there is something I definitely will miss about this university and course. Firstly, a big thanks to the group of awesome (and approachable) lecturers. With all the guidance they’ve provided during the last three years. A special thanks to my supervisor, Dr Lizzy for guiding me throughout my final year project; to my tutor, Dr Neil Mennie for his guidance during the tutorials sessions. Also, my course mates and friends whom I’ve known for the last 3 years, I will definitely miss them. They’ve played a big role during assignments, and they are also my sports buddies.

3 years in this university learning about psychology have given me the chance to learn both theories and practical part of the subject. During my first year, I had learnt biological psychology and neuroscience, cognitive and developmental psychology, statistics, and practical methods in general. I also had the chance to take up optional modules and had chosen Introduction to Applied Psychology and Introduction to Counselling. From which I’ve learnt about the theories and types of therapies used during counselling. The combination of what I had learnt during my first and the second year prepped me for the challenging final year (especially from stats and practical methods). For my third year, the final year project (aka FYP) is a compulsory module and it is an individual research project with some help from a supervisor. This project is more towards the practical side, whereby every stage that I had gone through in getting the project done is similar to a researcher in the field, which is good opportunity to learn. Moreover, I had chosen to study Autism, Cognitive Neuroscience of Ageing, Programming for Psychologists, and Psychodynamic Psychology & Child Observation. These modules are a combination of theories and practical. For example, for Psychodynamic Psychology & Child Observation, aside from attending lectures, I had to observe a child at a Montessori too. In a nutshell, the 3 years of learning here is much more awesome and greater than I’ve expected it to be when I first enrolled.

It’s mixed feelings when thinking about graduation. After a few years of a hectic lifestyle that involved assignments, it finally came to an end. I just hope that those hours of hard work are worth it. On the other hand, it’s time to consider about furthering my studies and/or working. So, I’ve decided to work for a few years to gain some working experience. After that, I’m planning to return to studies again (either Masters or PhD). And last but not least, my advice to those who are studying psychology here in UNMC is to get an internship during the summer breaks to gain some work experience. I would suggest different types of internships for each summer break in order to gain more experiences before graduating will definitely help.

Tan Xue Er
(Year 3 Student in BSc (Hons) Psychology, UNMC)

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