Reflecting on my first year of university
I have completed my first year of university, how wild! I did not expect to have made it through in one piece haha. The fact that I did this academic year during a global pandemic is an achievement in itself. Even though I did manage to meet some new people in person, most classes were online. I have yet to make a friend *sad pouty face* but I am sure in September I'll be able to make some. I was lucky to have an old friend to hang out with frequently, she made my first year more bearable, a true gem. Also, I really like my academic advisor group. Everyone, including our AA is really nice and easy to talk with. On a personal note, this year really showed me that I am in fact capable of doing this degree. Before starting I was nervous about how I would cope since I had not studied psychology before. I think one of my biggest insecurities is my intelligence. Most of my life I always felt behind everyone else academically and constantly felt stupid. Therefore the fact that I have gotten to this point is really incredible. When you set your mind to something, things work out. You really need to set goals and put your intentions out there! If I can make it, you can too :)
Workload/Difficulty: I did not find the content to be too complicated, say apart from psychological research methods and biological psychology. This year was really an introduction into psychology, with key concepts covered. The course content was interesting and it will be helpful as a starting point to do some personal research into those topics during my summer break. I would also say that the workload was manageable. I certainly did not manage my time efficiently, so that is my second year resolution.
Honestly, time management is really essential. If you are hoping to start university in 2021 and onwards, then I suggest keeping up with work whilst also balancing leisure time. I would not leave coursework until the last minute (take it from me, a serial last minute worker). Planning and researching content is the best thing to tackle first so that you give yourself enough time to gather all the relevant information. Then, over a week you can start writing the introduction in your own time so you don't give yourself overwhelming stress. Usually you get given 3-4 weeks to complete an assignment (sometimes 2, eek!) which is enough time.
You may be thinking, "well what if I have a few assignments to do at the same time", don't panic. It is manageable, otherwise it would not be a requirement. Like I said, give yourself enough time and make a plan. I actually found writing the introduction the hardest part. It is all about finding the relevant literature and knowing how to incorporate it into your work. You may already know this, but plagiarism is a big deal. I was quite worried before starting my course that I would accidentally plagiarise work but I should not have worried. The best way to avoid it is to read a text and then try to remember what it was saying before trying to write it up - in your own words.
Revision for the final exams was a struggle. Since I have aphantasia (and suspected Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory, abbreviated to SDAM), my memory is not as good as a lot of people's. Again, I cannot say how much that accounts for my "bad" memory, but it takes extra effort for me to remember things. I really need to learn techniques on how to revise effectively. Therefore, if anyone out there reading this has any good tips, please comment after this post as I'd really appreciate it!
Things I enjoyed about my course: I enjoyed the course content, it was really fascinating and so engaging! Psychology is such a broad subject that it is hard to choose what I preferred to learn about most. I will say that I particularly took delight in the IQ, Intelligence and Personality lectures, as those topic interest me a lot. There was not one lecturer that I did not like. I will say though that certain lecturers are more enjoyable to listen to than others. I did appreciate one specific lecturer who added a little bit of humour to their lectures.
Things I did not enjoy about the experience so far: The only negative is the fact we studied during a global pandemic. Nobody was able to experience joining societies and socialising. Many people were able to make new friends from student housing but I did not opt for that due to personal reasons. The fact that we had hardly any contact with people face to face impacted our studies since we could not engage in proper conversation and to ask important questions.
What I am looking forward to next year: I am excited to be learning the subject more in depth. We also get to pick one optional module out of a choice of three. It is difficult to pick because everything seems interesting, but I am hoping to get allocated to the Attachment & Human Development module in particular. This is for future career reasons. In year 3 we are also able to choose three optional modules in semester 1, and one optional module for semester 2. However, let's not think about year 3 yet haha... I do not want to rush this degree.
Managing part time employment alongside my studies: As some of you may know, I work part time in retail. It is a requirement for me to work, there was no choice in the matter. Also, extra money is always good. I work(ed) an 8 hour contract which is doable. I would have preferred a 4 hour contract instead but beggars can't be choosers. It's alright though, some people work more hours. I was very fortunate in obtaining my employment. I really enjoy working where I do. That is saying something for retail! Anyway, if you would like to work alongside your studies I would say it is worth it. Just don't stress yourself if it becomes too much. Perhaps, if you have the option, you could do some pet sitting or child minding if you want to have less stress.
So there you have it folks. I hope some of the advice I popped into this blog post was helpful. I'm more than happy to help new students with advice if you want any. Thank you for reading, have yourself a lovely day.
~ Charlotte
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