Need advice on university

[Sanity Panda]

I need help deciding whether to switch paths from Geology to Psychology.

Considering my strenghts lied in mathematics and science in comparison to essay writing, geology seemed like a good choice to pick. However I don't seem to be motivated to self-study the topic currently.

Psychology on the other hand, it's like my natural curiosity. I'm interested in personality theories, social behaviour, learning methods and other people. I spend time reading about this stuff i.e. This forum sub-section

There's a possability that I might get into geology as the course develops, but I'd be risking the chance of transfering courses at all. Has anyone been in a similar situation or can offer any insight?

[Jim11]

If you know you have this strong interest and you're unsure about geology I would say switch to psych.

A couple questions:
How long have you been interested in psych? before you switch majors you want to be sure that it has a strong potential to be a long-term interest. I believe this is a very important question. If your interest in psych has been for more than just a few months then it indicates to me, based on personal experience, that you're more likely to continue on with it. The last thing you want to do is come back to the boards in 6 months and say "well, i've been reading a lot of philosophy and it seems more interesting.... what do you guys think about switching from psych to philosophy?"

Do you see yourself wanting to work in the psych field?

It may seem like a good idea to pick a major that incorporates things you seem to be good at, but I really believe it's a bad idea to give much weight to that. Being good in a field you don't like will leave you wanting much much more.

[evacorges]

What makes your heart sing?

I chose the wrong path in university, and knew I had from the second year. I stuck with it though, because I didn't have a clue what it might be that I would like to do. How does this end? with a job I became very very miserable in. And quitting the entire business 12 years later. All because I was too afraid to quit something that I was good enough at, but that I did not enjoy.
Don't make my mistake. Figure out what suits you. Take the time now.
Good luck.

[raphnix]

I do like Psychology too. I advice you to switch soon since those our signs of diminishing motivation to learn with your current course. Psychology too would be a practical choice cause there are more demands nowadays for a psychology service (even psychiatrists too) especially in Eastern Europe and North America.

In fact, I am currently working to invest for my study for psychology. The topic interests me since I am more to observe peculiarities with human behaviors.

[Mags]

Hi Sanity Panda

I used to lecture in Psychology. Many students would come to the course hoping that it would be a 'soft' option, which would get them away from 'hard' maths and science. Unfortunately, what many students don't realise is just how much stats and maths play a part in psychology, especially in areas such as psychological assessment (e.g. personality and intelligence assessment, career guidance etc). As a psychologist, you need to be able to interpret statistics, and if you go into test development or research, you have to be very on the ball regarding statistical techniques. Because many students, and hence many practicising psychologists, tend to shy away from these subjects, people with such skills are often in high demand.

[Thur]

Just make sure you don't put your hopes too high on psych. You like it, because it's your hobby and you can 'do' it whenever you feel like it. When you start studying and working in the field, you 'must' practise it. And that feels a whole lot different.

[Sanity Panda]

That's certainly true about having psychology as a reading hobby.

I spoke to my tutor today and decided that I won't be transfering, instead I'll try to do the 1st year and see how things go. He also mentioned that it's sort of difficult to get into psychology since it's usually oversubscribed.

I don't mind mathematics in psychology, although I am more interested in the verbal section. The worst part is probably the biology.

[raphnix]

Originally Posted by Sanity Panda

I don't mind mathematics in psychology, although I am more interested in the verbal section. The worst part is probably the biology.

Yeah. I don't like biology too but I am trying to overcome that now since I want to learn more about the brains. When I was in high school, I was really off to memorizing species and parts of organism. I sucked in memorizing but now I want to help myself with it by using some effective tips on memorizing a lot of information.

[Didi]

There are a lot of very interesting careers that you can get into in geology, and not a whole lot of people doing them. I'd see if you can track down some people in the field to see what they are doing, maybe see if the end result appeals to you.

I had a similar dilemma during my engineering degree. The first 2.5 years was all background theory: calculus, basic structural analysis, physics, etc. I was pretty depressed about it, since I couldn't see the result that I had pictured, something in water resources. When 3rd year came along and I started to get into my water courses, it was like night and day. I really started to love school and become excited about the future. Now that I am out and working in the field I know that I wouldn't have been happy in any other degree.

Think long and hard, and if no conclusive direction comes to you, stick with the geology. Burning bridges sucks.