DECISION MAKING

Did you go to JC/Poly, and did the subjects you take influence your choice of course?

I went to JC and to a certain extent it did influence my choice. I took BCME and really liked Biology, so I wanted to do a science-related course. I also enjoyed GP (General Paper), Project Work and statistics so a social science course was definitely my top choice.

How did you know you wanted to go to FASS? What other courses/universities were you considering? (Like NUS soci, SMU soci etc)

I had decided on doing clinical psychology since secondary school, so I explored multiple ways to get there. A Psychology degree was the most obvious route so I applied to all major unis in SG, namely NTU, NUS, SIM and SMU.

How did you decide on sociology over other courses, especially those that were similar (like psych)? Why did you decide to switch to psychology?

Sociology was actually my last choice out of the 5 choices we get during admissions. Since it was most similar to GP and I could go into social work, I decided to accept NTU’s offer. I thought it was possible to still pursue clinical psychology in a sociology course since it’s still a social science. But upon hearing I could apply to switch majors to psychology, which is a much more direct/easier path to a masters, I decided it would be a waste not to try. I was also getting sick of sociology and psychology courses that seemed much more interesting to me.

I actually failed on my first time applying to switch majors, and was a bit hesitant to try again since it could be a waste of time but since I really wanted to do psychology, I decided to try again. And I got in! Also, even if you switch your course, your credits aren’t wasted. I eventually used the credits from my Year 1 in Sociology for a Minor in Sociology!

How did you decide on your school (over other schools that offered your course) eventually?

Out of all the universities I applied to (NTU, NUS, SIM and SMU), I was accepted into NTU and SIM. Both my parents are NTU alumni so I’ve heard many of their university stories and have a good impression of it. I also loved the school vibe. I went to the open house and it seemed really chill and homely. Also, there is a direct degree and no general curriculum for a year before specialisation unlike other schools.

TEACHING CURRICULUM

What’s your course structure like for both soci and psych? How are they similar/ different?

Sociology and psychology are similar in terms of the number of AUs (Academic Units) and category requirements.

In terms of grading, Sociology has a mix of individual papers and group papers -each mod usually has one of each paper so many of us got quite burnt out. There are also presentations during tutorials where we present on the reading for that week. This is counted as class participation and it’s 10% of our grade so you sort of get free marks in a way!

Psychology also has a good mix, but it’s more science-based so you have quizzes with SAQs and MCQs, which Sociology hardly has.

In general, all NTU students have to take General Education Requirement (GER) core modules like digital literacy, big data, ethics and business management with more varied class forms. (Some of them were all online, even pre-Covid) For social sciences, we have a different academic load for different semesters but it’s usually 6-7 modules, with each taking up 3 AUs and consisting of a 2-hour lecture and 1-hour tutorial.

How is a day in the life of a student in your course & school like (describe the activities/people that you meet or have throughout a day, and how long a day you spend in school/studying/awake)?

The NTU timetable is super flexible so you can build your own timetable by choosing your preferred lessons and time slots. People usually try to squeeze lessons on as few days as possible without long breaks in between. I know NUS has a currency system to book their modules, but for NTU it’s mostly based on luck and how fast you get into the system. If you plan well and choose less popular modules, you should be fine. There’s also this thing called Add Drop where we can swap modules with other people. For social science, we have a consolidated google sheet where we can put swap requests to swap modules with strangers.

Even though we choose the same modules, we usually have different time slots so it’s hard to go for modules with friends but we do go to lectures and do projects together. There are people who try to get the same time slots as friends but it’s more troublesome. Personally, I tend to choose classes that start from 9.30am to 10am so I don’t have to wake up too early, and I also try to pick the earliest tutorial slot. This allows me to have time in the evening to go for club meetings and meet a lot of club friends.

What is the format of your assessments/exams like (practical / MCQ / essay; online/offline; mostly individual or group assignments)?

We have midterms and finals, as well as assignments, papers and essays. Because of the current Covid situation, we have online lectures and weekly quizzes to make sure we’re watching the lectures.

There are also group assignments where we can choose our group mates but sometimes the lecturer randomly groups us. So far, my experience with group projects is good since many people in social sciences are passionate about social issues, making it easy to find common ground and work together.

How heavy would you say the workload for your course (both soci and psych) is compared to an average student in your university?

It depends, but people say social science courses have the least AUs. It’s common for people to have only 3-4 workdays a week.

For sociology, there’s no textbook, so we have weekly readings of 40 pages. It’s long and tedious, but if you enjoy it, it’ll be fun. It’s like GP, if you don’t go through the readings, you won’t have any content knowledge. The slides are pretty useless because sociology is very opinionated. You can memorise points but you still need to have your own thinking.

Psychology has a textbook and we go through one chapter per week. It’s more fun to read because there are stories and not just research. It’s also more science-y and factual compared to Sociology.

Are there specialisations within your degree? If yes, when do you have to choose your specialisation, and what specialisation have you chosen?

There are modules on specific types of Psychology like clinical and research but there’s no specialisation. The module choices are very varied and there’s no specific group of modules you take for a specialisation.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE / PREFERENCES

What were your most and least favourite/interesting classes/part of your course?

For Psychology, the lectures are interesting and not dry , especially because I really like that there are a lot of experiments. It’s really cool how we get to participate in experiments conducted by graduates and sometimes get paid, so we essentially get paid to study. (Yay!) What I like the least is doing research, but for group projects I don’t mind doing the writing or editing.

For Sociology, I think it’s interesting to watch videos and documentaries in class, but I don’t like how in examinations they give you a topic and you write from there.

What are some thing(s) you didn’t know/expect about the course before starting, and what are some things that surpassed your expectations?

After going through Sociology, I didn’t expect Psychology to be so sciencey and theory based. Compared to Sociology, there are more module choices which are a little too many. For example, each category has 31 choices but you can only choose 6. It’s hard to decide because everything is so interesting.

Something else I didn’t expect is how passionate and experienced all the professors are. You can really feel how much they love the subject. There’s also a consolidated google drive for Psychology students that contain notes and pdf textbooks for free so there’s no need to buy!

For Sociology, it was quite like what I expected. It’s very similar to GP but I didn’t expect so many readings and so much reliance on our own research. Topics wise, it’s very GP – we have topics like migration, gender, race and culture.

Are there any common misconceptions/stereotypes about your course that you would like to debunk?

Many people think that if you take a Psychology degree, you’ll become a psychologist. That’s not true. Most people don’t. Psychology students also don’t learn how to read minds or how to do therapy. It’s more of learning different aspects of the mind like personality, cognition and development.

Were there times when you regretted your decision? / Is there anything that you didn’t particularly enjoy about your course?

Honestly no… I’ve never regretted switching to Psychology. The statistics part is kind of annoying, but it’s necessary for research. Anyway, if I had to do some sort of Math, I would rather do statistics than differentiation.

Are there many people who switch out of your course? Is the student retention rate for your course high?

For Psychology, the student retention rate is pretty high. A lot of ppl want to switch in actually. There’s also a good mix of males and females. I know quite a few people who are in engineering and want to switch into social sciences which is possible, but much harder. You need to have very good grades and do well in Psychology modules.

For Sociology, the student retention rate is not that high. I know of people who go in wanting to do something else. I also know 3-4 people who switched to Psychology. But there are also people who have Sociology for their first choice. For Sociology you either really like it or really hate it – there’s no in between.

What sort of student do you think would excel in / be suited for your course? Or what should one like (e.g. working with numbers, presentations) in order to enjoy your course?

For Psychology, you really have to enjoy it. You should enjoy science and theories but be able to think independently. Psychology is not just memorisation but also application. Eg. given a description of someone’s behaviours, you have to use theories and terminology to analyse their personality traits.

Statistics and research methodology is a big part so you have to be comfortable with numbers and can’t run away from math T-T Do look through the module list on the school website, you should have at least 6 that you want to take. If not, you’ll have to force yourself through and it won’t be fun. Psychology is filled with many passionate people, so you have to be able to match that energy in class.

CAREER PROSPECTS

What are the career prospects like for your course?

There are all kinds of jobs: clinical psychologists, therapists, Human Resource (HR) jobs and social workers – anywhere you have to deal with people.

What are your plans after university?

I plan to pursue my master’s in clinical psychology and get a license. I’m not sure yet, but maybe I’ll set up my own practice or work in IMH.

Would you say you went into your course already making the decision to pursue a career related to your course?

Yes, since secondary school I had already decided what I wanted to do with my life to some extent. I saw my friends struggle a lot with their personal issues in secondary school and I decided I wanted to study clinical psychology so I can help people.

Did you have any internships/work experience related to your career (elaborate if yes) and did your school give you sufficient training & resources? Otherwise, where else did you find them?

Personally, I haven’t done any but the school sends a lot of emails for webinars and internships related to Psychology. Since a lot of professors are trained psychologists, I’ve talked to them and heard of their experience.

STUDENT LIFE

Did you stay in campus accommodation? Do many of your friends stay on campus?

I stayed in the dorms during my first year before Covid. I made friends in my hall and had meals together with them. Students in my course typically have a 3-4 day work week, so not many people stay since it’s only for 3-4 days. Hall is not compulsory but Year 1 and 2 students were guaranteed a place pre-Covid.

How is the school culture like and how would you describe the people? What should students entering your school take note of?

People are generally very friendly and welcoming in social sciences. Everyone is passionate about the world, social issues and current affairs, so it’s pretty easy to talk to people. There aren’t many ‘snakes’ as more competitive courses since it’s quite a different culture for social science.

Also, try to make more friends! I have a lot of friends in Sociology but not in Psychology since I only went for Sociology’s orientation.

What extracurricular activities do you take part in?

I’m in the Cultural Activities Club (CAC) Management Committee as Vice President and also choir, but this year there’s a lower involvement because we can’t have physical practice. For CAC, there are a few communities under each committee plus management committee meetings so I have 7 meetings every 10 days. It’s one of my best decisions in university – it’s super friendly and warm in the committees and you don’t have to be a performing artist to join.

What other opportunities have you made use of in university e.g. overseas exchange (can also include external commitments)? Which do you cherish most?

Our overseas exchange is usually in Years 2-3 but there’s Covid. 🙁 One thing I cherish the most is my experience in CAC! Everyone is super warm, super loving even though it’s a super huge club. CAC is a constituent club including performing arts clubs, support committees eg. business comm, media and events eg.arts for charity and art festivals. It’s very varied, but what pulls us together is our passion for arts and activities. There’s a lot of emphasis on student welfare and our orientation is known for the good food as well as its welfare packs.

Any parting words or advice for juniors? :,)

Year 1 is the best year to try things so join all the clubs and committees you want to join since the academic load is the least. Year 2 is more busy, you can join 1 or 2 you want to join but Year 1 is the time to try more things out. I would recommend people to stay in hall for the experience, for at least 1 year. Even if you stay close to school, stay up and meet with friends for supper, dance practice or whatever hall activities – the night life is something worth experiencing! Join as many orientation camps as you can because its the only chance for you to meet up with your course mates and seniors. Especially the seniors, because they can give you advise on which modules you should take and they have knowledge about the profs, so it’s good to get contacts early on!