Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior, including feeling and thoughts, as well as unconscious and conscious phenomena. It is a discipline which includes many subfields of study such as sports, health, clinical, social behavior and human development.
Some say, education is key and knowledge is power. Earning a degree in psychology feels exciting. Depending on the degree attained, it can be really rewarding as working in a variety of settings will be easy.
Again, you can specialize in a particular field of study. Therefore, it is essential to know the kind of degree you want to pursue. You can also visit https://www.matchcollege.com/schools/psychology for further guidance. Before applying for a psychology program, below are tips for seeking a great one.
1. Area of concentration
In deciding your area of the specification, you need to figure out whether you want to take an experimental path or a clinical path. If you choose the experimental path, you will concentrate more on research and generally, you won’t be seeing clients. Clinical path, your concentration involves practice. Basically. These are the psychologists who can be licensed to see clients. A good example of clinical concentration is counseling.
2. Research
Before applying for the program, you need to take a thorough research about the program. Here, research experience matters. If you don’t have a research experience then your chances in a research-based program are diminished. The experience can be more general or be very specific, depending on the area of research. Research experience can be earned through volunteering, working in a professor’s lab for money, finding a job in research after graduation, or doing your own research as a master’s student.
3. Take advantage of all the networking you can
Seek advice from professors and graduate students who are already pursuing the degree program you seek. Ask professors to tell you which is the best program and the challenges of each program. Professors have good experience in these programs and the information they can provide can be reliable hence this will help you find a great psychology program.
4. Support and time
You need to find what a department offers in terms of support and time to complete the program. Departments offer different monetary support such as tuition remission, also, some departments tend to have longer studying period than others. However, the period may be shorter if you already have a master’s degree that is if you seeking a doctorate program. Therefore, it is wise to choose a program that has a moderate studying period, and which offers support in terms of tuition, living spend and health insurance.
5. Training model
There are three training models, they are research scientists, practitioner-scholars, and scientist-practitioner. Most graduate programs follow one of these models. A model may fit you better than the other depending on your interest, as well as your future plans. Therefore, it is necessary you find the mode that fits you better.
In the end, use all factors that are important to you and decide the best program that fits you.