How should I prepare for second year uni?

Hi everyone,
I am going to start my second year doing a BSc Psychology degree, and I am very excited and also quite nervous hearing about the apparent struggles in second year of university. If anyone could give any tips this would be highly appreciated, whether you do my course or not.
I am thinking about going over my fundamental modules I did in first year like Research Methods to remember the basics before starting it again, but yeah please any advice?? Thank you!!

@p1nkt34r5
Hello! I did find the second year a bit of a step up. I would recommend a book by Coolican called 'Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology' it will be particularly useful when you move into the 3rd year also
Have you considered post graduate options yet? I would say be open minded to future study, and there are less obvious options such as graduate management programs for big blue chip companies to consider in most cities
Marc
Arden University Student Ambassador

Hi there!
I’m not on Psychology (I’ve studied Sociology), and I’d say second year can feel tougher—not necessarily because the content is harder, but because your grades usually start to count towards your final degree (though this depends on the university). It’s also the year where staying motivated matters, knowing there’s still another year to go.
It already sounds like you’re preparing really well by revisiting your first-year basics. Research Methods will definitely be useful and is a skill you’ll rely on throughout uni. You definitely don’t need to do everything I’m about to mention, but here are a few tips I found helpful.
Building on what you might already be doing for assignments, it’s really helpful to move beyond describing what authors say by linking their ideas together and showing how they support or challenge your own argument. This approach helps you develop your own voice and makes your assignments feel more original and analytical.
Another tip is using a literature matrix—a simple table or spreadsheet to organise your reading. You might include columns for:
Having this mapped out makes essays far less stressful.
Critical thinking is also key. When you’re reading or writing, ask yourself:

Finally, if you want to add more variety to your writing, the University of Manchester Academic Phrasebank is a great resource: https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
Hope some of this helps—and best of luck for second year! 🙂
Megan (LJMU Rep)

I'm about to go into my second year of psychology and criminology. Honestly, for me it depends on the modules. We did a little stats in 1st year but 2nd year there seems to be a lot more and we're starting research methods in Crim so I'll be going over those so I can remind myself how to use JASP and certain terms e.t.c. Also, I looked at the reading list and made sure I either have the book physically as I learn better that way or if I cannot get the physical book, it is easily accessible online. Also, made sure I created my 2nd year section in notion and on one drive. It's more organisational stuff really and just going over anything that I know I will need at least a basic understanding in before I start again

Second year is usually about the same as first year

I constantly hear that I'm gonna cry and sob in second year lol with how hard it is but if it actually isn't that bad I think I should change my mindset going into it

Hi,
I’ve just done my second year in psychology and about to go into my third. I’m not going to sugar coat it, 2nd year is very tough but it also depends what uni you go to. My second year consisted of lots of exams, assessments and presentations, basically a massive workload. Whereas I have friends on the same course as me at a different uni who just had an assessment for each module, so not hardly any work compared to us.
I would check how you’re going to be assessed in each module. My first semester was not as bad, but second semester was a lot. If you’re being assessed similar to me, I would start your essays as soon as possible. Select days of the week most convenient to you and do as much work as possible, that way you can have break days and not completely burn yourself out. I revised for my exams with practice mcqs and got quizlet plus (not expensive and very worth it). I went through all my lectures and made flash cards on quizlet, with quizlet plus they have learn feature which is really good and they also prepare you mcqs.
I also would see your tutor regularly, utilise them as much as you can. You can ask them for support or advice, and if your going on to do a masters you’ll want to build a rapport with them as they will be writing your reference.
My main point would just be check how your assessed, as I said it’s different in every uni. As you might end up with a workload like mine.
This is the year where you’ll also start to pick your modules and dissertation for 3rd year so I’d also start thinking about what you want to do after you complete your degree. But also remember to look after yourself and have those breaks as it’s so easy to get burnt out, and then you’ll not want to even look at any work.
For research in psychology, I can’t really advise you on a way to revise it as I don’t know how they will teach you it. But for me we had seminars where they would take us through SPSS and upload powerpoints step by step on how to do everything. What I did was make notes basically explaining how to do all the research in SPSS where I understood it best and then asked a lecturer or teacher if that was the correct way to do it. As I found they explained it quite complicated when it was really quite simple, you just have to get your head around it.
Just remember that this is for your future and all the work will be so worth it in the end. The workload is the worst bit but the content isn’t the most difficult. I hope you enjoy it!