psychology at uni- will I have to do 'practicals'?

Hi guys, I'm torn about whether to do psychology at uni or not, and the basis for this is that I hate practicals- i.e. experiments and research projects- however, I love the subject, as I find it fascinating and it's my strongest subject at A level. I would rather write 10 essays than conduct 1 experiment; I really am more of a theory person than a hands on one.

What I want to know:

A) is it a fundamental part of every undergraduate course to have to do 'practicals', or is there flexibility in the sense that I can choose modules that are solely theory based?

B) Do modules even exists that don't include 'practicals'?

C) If the answer to B is no, should I still consider doing it, even though I can't stand a key part of it? What are your experiences of it?

thanks!

(this is from my partner whose done psychology at uni)
According to him, practicals are a big part of it, particularly having to do research methods. you should have an opporutunies to pick modules with less practicals but you cant avoid practicals completely. He also said there's an awful lot of group work in psychology.

Hi guys, I'm torn about whether to do psychology at uni or not, and the basis for this is that I hate practicals- i.e. experiments and research projects- however, I love the subject, as I find it fascinating and it's my strongest subject at A level. I would rather write 10 essays than conduct 1 experiment; I really am more of a theory person than a hands on one.

What I want to know:

A) is it a fundamental part of every undergraduate course to have to do 'practicals', or is there flexibility in the sense that I can choose modules that are solely theory based?

B) Do modules even exists that don't include 'practicals'?

C) If the answer to B is no, should I still consider doing it, even though I can't stand a key part of it? What are your experiences of it?

thanks!

why do you hate practicals?

Hey there,

I'm a current Psychology Student, and the simple response is NO. You can't avoid them completely, however there are ways around them.

1. When you choose a university, look at the module carefully- there are some that have a lot of 'practical; modules and some slightly less.

2. Practicals are an essential part, as it's about the statistics and 'research methods' within the subject. However, it is always group work and practicals consist of very little 'practical' research, apart from collecting a little data and mainly consist of reporting them- so writing research reports up, and researching others research and writing about it.

Only one of my modules is about practicals, but all BPS approved psychology degrees (The only ones you can get a BSc in) include research methods and in final year a year long research project, like a dissertation, however includes you conducting research under a mentor at the university and writing one hell of a big report on it.

Psychology practicals aren't like science practicals and are essentially mostly theory- and by the sounds of it you would enjoy them- so give it a shot.

Good luck, and feel free to message me with any questions

Thank you! Where are you doing your degree? And does that mean that unis that aren't BPS approved don't have the final year research project?

You're welcome!

I'm at Nottingham. Uni's that aren't, they may be negotiable...but I doubt there are any uni's that aren't BPS approved. If there are, it won't be a bachelor of science, it will be of in arts- which won't get you anywhere in a psychological field!