About to start biology at uni but kind of want to switch to psychology??

Okay so,
I’ve always been good at biology and I studied it for alevels, it’e also helpful cause I really love animals they’re amazing. But, I’ve also always watched people and read books about body language as a kid to better understand people and I know psychology would help with my pursuit of understanding and I also enjoy helping children (specifically SEND) so I’m stuck between either degree because I think I would want to do them both and I’m also scared of regretting choosing one over the other.
I HAVE always thought biology was cool and i HAVE always thought delving into people’s brains and why they do things was cool as well. It’s just so hard to decide, I’ve always loved the brain but I don’t want to narrow out a career with animals if i suddenly decide working with people is too much mental strain. Any advice from people who were/are in the same situation?

Reply 1

Arden University

Official Rep

19

Original post by flowww04

Okay so,
I’ve always been good at biology and I studied it for alevels, it’e also helpful cause I really love animals they’re amazing. But, I’ve also always watched people and read books about body language as a kid to better understand people and I know psychology would help with my pursuit of understanding and I also enjoy helping children (specifically SEND) so I’m stuck between either degree because I think I would want to do them both and I’m also scared of regretting choosing one over the other.
I HAVE always thought biology was cool and i HAVE always thought delving into people’s brains and why they do things was cool as well. It’s just so hard to decide, I’ve always loved the brain but I don’t want to narrow out a career with animals if i suddenly decide working with people is too much mental strain. Any advice from people who were/are in the same situation?

@flowww04
Hi! I have an MSc in Psychology and I am also a qualified SENDco so I might be able to help.

If you were interested in exploring SEND they are typically divided into two different areas, those diagnosed by a healthcare professional - ADHD and Autism, and those by an educational psychologist - dyslexia, dysgraphia etc, so either subject would give you some insight into SEND, although it would be a bit of a tangent from the core units you would be studying.

Have you thought about perhaps doing a degree in biology, doing teacher training and then you would have the opportunity to specialise in SEND later, it is easier now than ever to become a qualified SENDco - I'm a bit old school and did the full Level 7 qual about 5 years back

Marc
Arden University Student Ambassador

Reply 2

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

16

Original post by flowww04

Okay so,
I’ve always been good at biology and I studied it for alevels, it’e also helpful cause I really love animals they’re amazing. But, I’ve also always watched people and read books about body language as a kid to better understand people and I know psychology would help with my pursuit of understanding and I also enjoy helping children (specifically SEND) so I’m stuck between either degree because I think I would want to do them both and I’m also scared of regretting choosing one over the other.
I HAVE always thought biology was cool and i HAVE always thought delving into people’s brains and why they do things was cool as well. It’s just so hard to decide, I’ve always loved the brain but I don’t want to narrow out a career with animals if i suddenly decide working with people is too much mental strain. Any advice from people who were/are in the same situation?

Hi @flowww04,

This is a tricky decision for sure. I took biology and psychology at A-levels and enjoyed them both but ended up going down the path of a zoology degree.

To help me decide I thought about potential careers I would be interested in. Not that I then just chose one career but I had a think generally about jobs I would enjoy. I then looked at the universities offering these courses, specifically at their campuses, accommodation, location to home, amenities, places to go out etc. to narrow down universities. After this I looked in detail at the course modules I would be taught and basically highlighted each one I found interesting. This showed a clear win for animals. I then started to compare university's zoology courses and found Southampton's BSc Zoology to have one of the most flexible. In second and third year there are a long list of optional modules to pick from and 2 of your 8 modules can even be from outside zoology. I ended up taking some from biology and environmental science but you could take some from psychology too.

I hope this helps narrow down your options. Remember either way you would be coming out with a degree and if that was in biology it is a wide ranging science degree that could take you down many career paths.

About to start biology at uni but kind of want to switch to psychology??

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