Major: Psychology
If psychology interests you, you have something in common with the ancient Greek philosophers. They asked questions about the life of the mind: What is the relationship between mind and body? How can we tell if the world is really the way we think it is?
Today's psychologists study all sorts of fascinating questions, such as the following: Why is learning a language as an infant easier than as a teenager? What are the roots of violence? What is the best way to help someone with an eating disorder like anorexia?
Psychology majors study the way humans and animals act, feel, think, and learn.
“People think psychology is … head shrinking, [but] psychology today is also about learning what, biologically, causes people to behave in a certain way.”
Dan, senior, psychology and biology, University of Virginia
Are You Ready To...?
- Hang out in labs, getting to know research methods, profs, and other students
- Possibly present your research at conferences and submit it to professional journals
- Join a psychology club or the national psychology honor society, Psi Chi
It Helps to Be...
Good at science, math, critical reading, and writing. This is a great major if you want to understand and help people of all kinds.
College Checklist
- Is the psychology major so popular that it's hard to get into?
- What are the research labs like?
- What kinds of research do professors do?
- Will you have contact with full-time professors even when you're starting out?
- Does the department offer courses that will allow you to get your feet wet in specialties like counseling and industrial/organizational psychology?
- What kinds of internships will you be able to choose from?
Did You Know?
- To work as a professional in psychology, you'll most likely need a graduate degree.
Course Spotlight
There's a good chance you'll have to finish an intro psych class with a C or better before you can apply to become a psych major. These classes are usually large lectures covering almost every subject in the field that is taught to undergrads. Your grade in the class will be based mostly on exams with multiple-choice and short-essay questions. You might also write a paper or work with a group on a small-scale experiment. And don't be surprised if you play the part of human guinea pig in a research study.
Explore this major in more depth on MyRoad™