Work experience in Psychology

mustard_igloo

Hey everyone!

I'm a current second year student studying for my BA in Psychology. I'm working really hard this year, as last year I was sick (battling depression) so I missed the second semester of my first year of college. I deferred my exams and managed to pass them (by some miracle!).

Because of this I wanted to get some work experience, as I'm really worried when I go to apply for my MA I'll be refused because my results were so bad in first year. (Barely passed them all) I really don't want this to go against me. I'm interested in criminology, also advertisement & educational, but criminology is top of my list! Can anybody recommend where to start looking for work experience? Or would I be better off just going back into first year and resitting the exams?

Sorry about that long post but time is ticking and I'm starting to get worried.

innad

I really wouldn't worry about your first year results too much. You passed, and although I don't know where you're studying, as far as I know most degree results are only based on the final one or two years of study. So you should still be able to graduate with a 1:1 or 2:1 if you work hard from now on.

Someone else might have some suggestions for work experience, but really at this stage I would just focus on studying and getting good results.

mustard_igloo

Thanks!

Yeah my college counts your second and third year for your degree. My problem is that I'll be looking to go for a master's straight after, and because my results won't be readily available by the time I have to apply, I'll have to give all my transcripts including first year. We also don't do Christmas exams in my college, so I'm afraid that giving two sets of exam results, one set which are really bad, is going to go against me.

innad

Do you know which masters you would like to apply for, and what the entry requirements are? You could always discuss your concerns with the course director or course administrator, or have an informal chat with them at their open evening. I'm not trying to put you off getting work experience, but if you're looking to improve your results it might be better to focus on that, at least during term time. You could always look into relevant work experience during your summer break.

I also wouldn't discount taking a year out before you start your masters, that way you'll have all your results when you apply, and you could spend the year getting experience

SmallTeapot

I'd second what Innad said - don't over-think your first year results. (If you were to apply mindfulness logic to your situation :P - focus on the here and now, don't dwell on the past or you may have difficulty moving forward. Basically in a nutshell, if you spend so much time worrying about your previous results, you may hinder your success in your future exams).

Tbh, the course directors will only look to see that you have the overall degree result that satisfies the entry requirements - a 2.1 (upper second class hons) or above is usually typical in Irish Universities. For the next two years make your degree results your priority. In terms of work experience, you can always take a year out, pick up relevant experience during the summer holidays, or volunteer with different organisations such as child-line or aware, etc.