Psychology majors?

[newbie]

Hey there,

I still have months to go till I enter college, but I was wondering...am I really digging myself a huge hole by wanting to become a psych major? My parents warn me that majoring in psych will be a long journey where I will make virtually nothing till I get my Ph.D (which I intend to get). Actually, my parents are threatening to not let me major in psych...which is not a good thing, b/c I don't enjoy anything except Psych and Soc (which they also disapprove of).

I already stated on my college applications that I plan to major in psych, but my parents already want me to change once I enter college...they're intent on me becoming an Accounting/Business/Econ/Comp Sci major... (hand me a barf bag, please)

Just wanted to get advice from the seasoned psych majors out there! BTW I plan to focus on developmental or social psych...well, that's what I'm thinking now, anyhow.

[amycat412]

Not a psych major but--

You MUST study what drives you, not your parents. I understand they will be paying for college--but you will do better, make better grades in the major that you are passionate about. Studying something because its what your parents want--well, I cannot stress how wrong that is.

College is about discovering who you are and what you want. Its about becoming an adult. About making your own choices. You may start out psych and find yourself gravitating towards business as you learn and grow--but your parents need to give you the opportunity to find out what it is YOU love to do, it is YOUR life-- Lots of money in a job you hate is not worth it-- BELIEVE ME, I've been there. Less money in a job you love--well, loving how you spend your days is so important to your quality of life.

On a side note, my brother is planning to transfer to SC as a psych major in the fall!

[shopgirl]

Hi Newbie!!!

I just graduated in Decemeber with a BA in Psychology. I don't regret it at all. Like you, I've wanted to major in Psychology since at least my senior year in high school, possibly since the eighth grade. It is true that there is no money in it until you receive your PhD, but if that's where your heart is then that is what you should study. Also, there are several options you can take advantage of, such as double majoring in Psychology and Business, or simply majoring in Psychology then receiving your Master's in Industrial Organizational Psychology. This area of psychology can/will bring you the bucks. It's bringing together Psychology and Business. You could major in Business, minor in Psychology. There are ways to follow your heart and secure your future.

Good Luck!!!

ps...I know the struggle of wanting to follow your heart and please your parents. Hang in there...

[AlphaChiS2K]

Hey newbie!
I'm a third year Psych major. I started out an International Relations major but realized it wasn't what made me happy...psychology was. I switched and am so much happier.

It's true that it's a long road. But so is pre-med, and I'm sure your parents would have no problem if that was your intended major! People somethimes think psychology is a fluff subject, but it's not. My focus is neuropsychology, which requires a lot of bio and chem classes on brain function and behavior. It's not just Freud anymore!

Some schools (like mine) offer a five-year program tht lets you graduate with a Masters as well as a B.A. This can be really beneficial if you double-major, say Sociology and Psych. And when your grades are high and your GPA is stellar, grad schools will be banging on your door! And grad school, while difficult, can be done whie you are gainfully employed, working on research projects within the community, in an internship, or a paid position. Some companies will even pay for you to go to grad school while you work for them, especially the government. Keep this in mind.

You don't have to go all the way to a Ph.D to be succesful, either. There are 3 levels- Ph.D, Psy.D, and MSW. Social workers and public service employees most often have an MSW. It doesn't require as much schooling and lets you get directly involved with the public. A Psy.D. may be worth looking into ifyou are most interested in research or higher-level social work. If clinical psychology- seeing patients in a private practice, etc- is your thing, a Ph.D. is in order. There are many options, and you don't need to limit yourself now.

My parents weren't thrilled about my changing majors. My father wanted me to go with something more secure, as yours does. If you can't make them feel more comfotable by simply talking to them, seek out a guidance counselor, or local therapy practioner. Ask them how they got started, what they studied in school, tc. Write to the psychology department heads of the schools you applied to (emails and snilmail addresses should be on their websites) and explain that you are having a hard time convincing your parents. They should get back to you with ways to talk to them, and some may even offer to contact them. Basically, show them you are adult enough and serious enough to make this decision. Do the research, present it calmly and efficiently, and hopefully they will understand!

Good luck... and if you have any quetions, feel free to PM me

[newbie]

Originally posted by AlphaChiS2K

It's true that it's a long road. But so is pre-med, and I'm sure your parents would have no problem if that was your intended major! People somethimes think psychology is a fluff subject, but it's not. My focus is neuropsychology, which requires a lot of bio and chem classes on brain function and behavior. It's not just Freud anymore!

AlphaChiS2k, thank you so much for your post - it really helped to reassure me! I'm so afraid that my parents will force me to change majors...since they will be paying all four years of my college education (if I go to a University of California, it will probably be five years), I'm afraid that I might not have any say? My sister was a "very good" daughter and ended up with both Accounting and Business degrees! They ask me how come I can't be more like her. But what they don't understand, no matter how many times I tell them, is that I love psychology and think I would be very good at it. Actually, I was talking with my counselor one day at school, and she volunteered to call my parents to tell them how much I would excel as a psychologist, that I have a talent for it, etc. etc. They still haven't quite warmed up to it, though. But sometimes, my parents do say, "So little psychologist, what do you think of this?" But I do wonder if that's just a joke...they are not being serious about it since I am not yet a full psych major.

You made such a brilliant point about the pre-med thing...gosh, my parents would fall to the ground with delirious happiness if I were to say, "Mom, Dad, I've decided that I wanna become a doctor!" Not happening, though . Like you pointed out, they still do not believe that becoming a psychologist is such a respected position. I have to remind them that psychology is fast becoming a science, not just a social science. (In fact, that part bugs me - I cannot stand biology, to be honest. In my AP Psych class, I struggle with the chapters on the brain. Though I manage to get good grades on those chapters still, I'm afraid that I won't be able to succeed in college as a psych major if I loathe biology.)

If I were to focus on developmental or social psych, would I have to study a lot of things on the brain? Probably, huh? Also, I'm afraid that the colleges that I'm interested in do not have the five-year plans . But, the fact that some companies will pay you to attend grad school is very cool; my sister was also paid by her company to get her MBA. She hasn't yet, though.

I think that I would probably go for a Ph.D., but I'm not sure because I think I would like to do research, but I would also like to hold a private office where patients could visit me. But I don't think people would go to a social/developmental psychologist for therapy!!

Sorry for such a long post, AlphaChiS2k, and thanks again!

[newbie]

Originally posted by shopgirl
Hi Newbie!!!

I just graduated in Decemeber with a BA in Psychology. I don't regret it at all. Like you, I've wanted to major in Psychology since at least my senior year in high school, possibly since the eighth grade. It is true that there is no money in it until you receive your PhD, but if that's where your heart is then that is what you should study. Also, there are several options you can take advantage of, such as double majoring in Psychology and Business, or simply majoring in Psychology then receiving your Master's in Industrial Organizational Psychology. This area of psychology can/will bring you the bucks. It's bringing together Psychology and Business. You could major in Business, minor in Psychology. There are ways to follow your heart and secure your future.

Good Luck!!!

ps...I know the struggle of wanting to follow your heart and please your parents. Hang in there...

Thanks Christina!! You're such a sweetie. I didn't know that you majored in Psych! I've been wanting to major in Psych ever since I was a sophomore in HS, and I really can't see myself as any other major (except maybe Soc). My cousin majored in Industrial Psych, but I think that's boring (no offense to the Industrial Psych majors out there ). I have a real interest especially in developmental (b/c I think it's interesting to study how the mind develops over the years) psych and social psych (b/c it's sorta like sociology, to me, at least!). My parents come from a very traditional background, where it's "be rich, or else." They love the financial analysts, the investment bankers, the engineers, the doctors, etc. etc. My dad also loves foreign relations/policy and loves the idea of me being an ambassador or diplomat. Unfortunatley, I just don't see myself taking any of those routes!!

Amy, I'll email you at your yahoo address!

[DeltAlum]

A couple of points from a parent.

Our son who is a senior in high school (National Merit Semi-Finalist and VP of his student body) wants to major in Musical Theatre and Psychology. Neither of those are straight shots to financial success unless you're one of the very few who make it big. You've discussed the PhD thing, and there are 58,000 out of work actors in New York City.

I would feel much better if he majored in Business or Engineering or something. He was perfect in math on both the ACT and SAT. He has a 33 ACT Composite and a 1530 SAT. He has a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 4.25 weighted GPA. He can pretty much get accepted anywhere for pretty much anything.

However, he will major in whatever he wants to. We won't force him. Let him follow his dream -- at least to begin with. Maybe he will be one of the fortunate few. Who knows?

However.

In talking to admissions officers at his "short list" schools, all said the same thing which was a little bit of a shock to me -- at least from a numbers standpoint. Depending on the school, anywhere from 40 to 60% of students will change their major before they graduate. Many go to a different school within the same college (within the university), and quite a few change universities.

In fact, our oldest daughter did just that -- changed majors and universities between her sophomore and junior years. She still managed to graduate in four years Magna Cum Laude -- but most don't and that can become a financial problem for some parents.

Maybe sanity prevails at age 20 or something. Stay tuned.

[ZTAngel]

Do whatever makes you happy. I think that it is more important to enjoy your major than to study something that is of no interest to you. The reason you go to college is so that you can study something that sparks your interest and if it's psychology than go for it!
Many of my sisters graduated with a psych major. Yes, it is a long road. They still have a few years of school left before they receive their PhD. But, if you are really interested in that field, than it will be worth all the work that you will have to do.
Don't go into a major you don't enjoy. Plenty of people I know majored in subjects such as Finance or Electrical Engineering just because they were gauranteed a job upon graduating. They were miserable and did not do well in their classes.
Major in something you will enjoy and that you can do well in. Many employers don't care so much as to what you majored but how well you did in your classes. It's better to be a Psychology major with all A's than a Finance major with all C's.

[DeltAlum]

Angel,

It may be even more basic than that. As a hiring manager I have never been particularly interested in GPA's. For entry level jobs, I was always much more interested in how a person presents him/herself and whether I perceived that there was a real interest and, perhaps most important, a strong work ethic.

When it came to more advanced jobs, experience is much more important than major or GPA.

I would also be very interested in how many graduates actually go to work initially in the field they studied anyway. I'll bet it would be surprizing.

[justamom]

First, let me qualify this by saying if you are HAPPY in your job, success will usually follow. Looking back on things though I wish I had given more thought to the future and ALL that implies...

GO FOR THE BUCKS! If you are going to spend X number of years
seeking an education, you may want to consider how "bright" that future really is. It's wonderful to work and find "fulfillment"
in what you do, but when the kids come and the financial responsibilities kick in you may not feel very "fulfilled" when your paycheck doesn't reflect the amount of education you have received and others are able to have less economic stress in their lives. I am fortunate in that Hubby is in a great professon and I can work with him, but if I had been divorced or widowed, I would be struggling to make ends meet and give my children the education they need to achieve their own success. As a woman Newbie, you need to be prepared for the possibility of being on your own and perhaps raising children. This is something I have drummed into my daughter's head since she was tiny. Just a thought to share.

[newbie]

Thanks everyone for the replies, I'm sorry that I didn't reply earlier! Unfortunately, a part in my monitor burned and I had to replace it. Luckily, my computer is okay. *Warning*: super long post ahead - where I reply to everyone that I didn't post to earlier!

Justamom, thank you for posting . It is nice to hear from another parent's perspective (just like DeltAlum). I think my parents worry about the same thing - their child's well-being. Yeah, I guess I should think more realistically...I've always imagined my future with a loving husband and two wonderful children...I should take into account the possibility that my future might not always be so rosy and perfect. Things, after all, do happen! Luckily, I do have time to decide what I should do, major-wise!

Valkyrie - hi!! That is so cool that you majored in psych - I didn't know! It's funny, just last night at dinner the 'rents again started on the major discussion.

They were like, "Psychology, eh?" And then they both laughed evilly. My parents were like, "That's real nice that you like psych. But, what are you gonna do to put food on the table? How're you gonna live off of that? It doesn't matter if you like the major or not, look what happened to Sarah (my parents' friend's daughter), Tim (my cousin), and these other ppl who majored in psychology! Where are they now? Sarah is working in public health now...nothing to do with psychology! What about Tim? Ha! He's working at some internet company. Nobody who majored in psychology ended up in the field! How ridiculous is that? Those who majored in their field will get an edge. How will you get an advantage being a psych major if you end up finding a job in another industry?"

So apparently they don't have faith in their daughter to make it to grad school . I told them firmly that I am willing, and wanting, actually, to go through those years of schooling to get a Ph.D., but they just roll their eyes. I understand that they are just worried about me, but it's getting really frustrating because they keep on pushing the medical fields to me, along with the accounting/business/foreign policy/computer science stuff. My dad was like, "Doesn't matter that you don't like science or math. Who cares? You're gonna get a great living if you major in those great fields. Those four years of your life majoring in accounting/business/foreign policy/comp sci will be so little compared to how rich you'll be in the end!"

Then I tried to explain my love for psych and how I just cannot succeed in a field which I absolutely hate. Heck, I'm suffering/laboring through my math and science classes right now! And that's high school, for goodness sakes. I told them that I will definitely get horrible grades if I major in something that I despise. They should understand that now, because my lowest grades in all of high school have always been math and science - the classes that I don't like. They just ignore that completely, and go on and on about how I will be so poor (at least for the first few years after graduation) if I take my own route.

Oh, stats. I have never taken a stats class before. A math teacher that I liked asked me to go to her AP Stats class, but I was like, "no way, no thanks!" Though I did well in her class, I didn't want to be stuck in an AP class where I generally suck in the subject.

As for the jobs that you worked, my parents tell me how difficult my job would be to work with "problem children." I understand that it will be very frustrating and difficult at times, but I am a mentor right now, and at first the children I mentor were very difficult. They basically took "the wrong path" so to speak, greatly involved in their gang and such, and of course all the drugs they took. I am glad that my mentoring helped to "reform" them; they are no longer in a gang, they no longer cut school, they have good grades...the list goes on. But I do know that a job would be difficult. My AP Psych teacher's first job was working at a center where the children all had mental disorders. He said it was really difficult to work there; he was so tempted to quit his job. But he said it was rewarding in the end!

Oh my gosh, Valkyrie, I'm so sorry I've been going on and on!! I've probably given you a headache! Sorry! And, thanks!

ZTAngel, thanks for your post . I do intend to major in psychology, and hopefully the thing with my parents will work out in the end! If not, yikes, it'll be a long road ahead...

DeltAlum, wow, your son is SMART. You must be so proud of him! Where is he looking to attend for college? DeltAlum, I just wanted to say that you're being a great dad, and your wife is being a great mom. I'm sure your son is SO grateful that his parents are supporting his decision to major in Musical Theatre and Psych. Yeah, I know so many people have changed majors. I might be one of them; things might change in a few years, but for now I hope I can enter (and stay) a Psych major.

Sorry everyone for how lengthy this post is! I hope I didn't tire your eyes with all this writing! BTW, I have to study really hard until after finals are done, so unfortunately I won't go on GC until after Jan. 15th!

[amycat412]

"Those who majored in their field will get an edge. How will you get an advantage being a psych major if you end up finding a job in another industry?"

Wrong Wrong Wrong.

Seriously. I don't know anyone who is doing what they studied. (well, I am, but I didn't for a long long time)

When you get out of school, all entry level jobs are an even playing field. And when you get out of undergrad, that is what you get-- an entry level job for probably about 22-25K per year. Psych or business, it will be the same.

And let's say you get a BS in Psych- and don't want to go to grad school. Psych is actually a GOOD major to go into other fields with. You learn about human behavior and are better prepared to deal with workplace politics.

Computer Sci-- yeah, there I would think you'd have a major advantage being in that job having also majored in that subject-- if that was what you wanted to do-- but its not.

And I agree with what Delt Alum said about sanity (I called it fear of starvation and homelessness when I swtiched away from being an art major) hitting at 20. If If If Psych is not your calling, you will know it before your junior year, in plenty of time to declare a new major.

I also sucked at math and science in high school--and hated hated hated it in college...

Hang in there and keep plugging away at your parents!
Amy

[AlphaChiGirl]

Okay...I got a LITTLE of this...I was able to shrug it off and do what I want to do. I always get little talks (maybe once every six months or so) about how I should take more engineering or computer science classes, more economics, and how I should go to grad school RIGHT AFTER undergrad--contrary to what people IN MY fields I've talked to say is best for my majors. Even though sometimes it doesn't seem like it, there are more important things than that almighty dollar bill--like, your happiness and sanity. I'd rather be middle-class and happy with what I do than extremely wealthy and stressed to the point of premature heartattacks and strokes (this has happened to a lot of friends' fathers who took that high road--not all, but a lot).

I just take comfort in the fact that I actually know people who have just or are about to graduate--and I can hear the REAL STORY from them. I have a lot of friends who are business/econ majors, had great internships, the whole package---but couldn't get a job in the financial industry this year if their lives depended on it. Same with computer science people--a lot of my friends had their lucrative job offers REVOKED after the dot-bomb. So, I will just remain an urban planning/architecture major--since all of my friends in THOSE fields have jobs!

Best of luck, Carrie! Let me know how your college trek goes!

[carnation]

Hey guys, I have to agree with justamom on this one. We've been there! Done that! I could name you so many people who were going to set the world on fire with their careers who one day saw the light--usually as soon as the kids started coming and an anthropology degree was not putting food on the table.

Unusual majors (anthropology) and certain hard core people-related majors like criminal justice may sound great, especially when you hear about others who made a difference in many lives.However, when you hit 30 or so, you are not going to be thinking about the warm fuzzies you might get from reforming a criminal or digging up ruins. You will be thinking about how you can get money to pay for your child's braces or how you feel too old to be digging in the sun or how dangerous working in a jail is. My Pi Phi roommate had grand plans about her future in social work until she was sitting at her desk one day and a client walked in and shot her officemate. She works with computers now.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't follow your dream or what you're good at. Just talk to a lot of career counselors and professors and combine all their advice with your hopes! For instance, our oldest wanted to be a Spanish major and we agreed but insisted that she add either a second major or a strong minor like business, health administration, or recreation. Something that would bring in the bucks if she ever ended up in a location where Spanish wasn't needed or if she got sick of Spanish or if she lost her husband and was suddenly the sole support of a family. Adding a strong minor or second major is always, I repeat always, a great idea! There have been some good ideas on this thread for combining psychology with other fields.

Did anyone else notice that the older people on GC are the ones who have brought this up? We're not trying to rain on anyone's parade but when you're our age, folks, you want to stop others from making the same dumb mistakes that you or your friends made. Dream! Plan! But be practical too.

[prospectiverushee]

I don't know if anybody had brought this up...but maybe you could combine your love of psych with education. Just think about it... major in secondary education(makes your parents happy) and then take your psych courses(makes you happy) and then in the end you would be certified to teach psych on the secondary level.