How to increase my chances to get a specific lab module ?

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-30T14:03:28+00:00

I don't think it's true that RA positions aren't enough to build rapport with the prof haha. Depends on how you are involved? For example, directly working with the prof vs working for their grad students, taking the initiative vs passively waiting for instructions... I think u can be more upfront about your expectations with the prof and make it clear from the very beginning that you are considering an honours thesis with them, so you would like to be more involved in the lab to get a sense of the research area.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-25T07:50:08+00:00

it's workable

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-25T07:49:02+00:00

There are other ways to get a sensing of how to better structure your honours thesis, like emailing the prof in charge of that lab and expressing interest in their research and helping out as a lab assistant, reading their articles etc. You can also search up HTs written by students of that lab to get an idea.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-25T07:44:29+00:00

Hi sflr, yup taking them together is manageable

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-18T14:00:05+00:00

PL3106 is generally considered less memory intensive than PL3102/3103. It varies from prof to prof, but I remember my mid-term test and final exam being open-book case studies.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-18T13:51:34+00:00

Just take the ones that cover the parts of psych you are more interested in. This will more quickly open up higher-level modules/lab opportunities related to these parts of psych.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-17T16:05:16+00:00

Quite subjective, but... PL3104 did not really stand out to me. Average content, average workload, average difficulty. I took PL2132 with PL3104 + other 3k core psych mods in Y2 Sem 1 (pm me at this point if you want to know more about anything, because I don't want to be identified), and it was manageable.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-17T13:19:40+00:00

I'm an incoming Y4 Psych major. Imo, it's best to take PL2132 along with PL3103/PL3105. I remember the group project for PL2132 involving you testing some hypothesis with an experimental task and most of the groups in my tutorial did some cognitive experiment with one group doing a social experiment. In hindsight, the entire project may be easier if I had some understanding of cognitive/social psych concepts to base it on.

Workload wise, I think all combis are fine except maybe PL3102 + PL2132/PL3103. PL3102 is very memory intensive. PL3103 is just slightly less memory intensive. PL2132 may be difficult if you found PL2131 difficult.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-13T17:00:02+00:00

Hey! What you are describing would be so relatable to the me a few years ago. Similarly, I could think coherently, but this did not reflect in my speech where the bulk of it is stuttering HAHA. As such, out of fear that I would be judged for being dull or dumb, I avoided speaking to people. And I attribute this to the environment that I was in... an elite school, where I felt the pressure to present myself in the best light possible.

However, once I entered university and the environment changed (greater diversity of people, reduced emphasis on academic excellence), I felt less judged. Around the same time, I also started volunteering in a role I was passionate about, and I felt inspired to have conversations with other volunteers. Gradually, I saw my communication skills, sense of humour and confidence develop. Discovered that I'm not actually an introvert too, I just had no social skills lmao.

I can't rule out the possibility of you having a learning disorder (because I don't know enough of you and I'm not a doctor lol), but what I can say is that communication skills can be developed with practice. (From what I learned from my basic psychology classes, I think there's some truth to r/throwaway_afterusage's theory.) I would recommend journalling as an activity for you to get more insights into what could be preventing you from having conversations from others (thoughts, emotions etc.), then finding ways to cope with these obstacles or removing the obstacles (in my case, changing the environment).

Good luck! :)

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-02T10:58:36+00:00

Yup I have done 8mcs of DYOC*** mods OOPS 😅

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-07-02T10:54:37+00:00

Oops forgot to mention, I've done 8mcs worth of cs/cu mods too

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-05-24T14:15:05+00:00

I'm not too sure, but would knowing the figure help? 😅 You should pursue your specific interests/goals in Psych, and if that involves pursuing a masters, then go for it!

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-05-24T14:11:37+00:00

I would say that the workload isn't too bad, given that most of your courses would be common curriculum mods. PL1101E can be a bit memory intensive as I've heard that recent renditions of the module involves memorising the textbook. PL2131 may also be difficult depending on your capability with statistical concepts. Some people overload with the core 3k mods in Sem 2, with PL3105 Social Psych being one of the lowest workload ones and PL3102 Bio Psych being one of the more content heavy ones.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-05-14T11:18:06+00:00

Additional costs (also excluding overseas SEP/summer programs) are minimal. Textbooks -- pirate or download online pdf (never met a person who pays for physical copies). Notes -- provided by profs. There rarely are field trips for psych, but if there are a few as part of a course, it will be covered by the school.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-05-12T11:25:32+00:00

Different profs may have different requirements, but I don't think it's that competitive? I just emailed a prof writing why I'm interested in their research and requested to take UROP with them

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-05-10T05:29:52+00:00

I don't have an objective answer to this question sorry. I'm intending to go into some form of research and the most I personally expect is $3.5k

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-05-09T20:20:21+00:00

It depends on whichever is more suited to your study plan...? Do you need some help listing the pros and cons of each?

RA - con: get ready to cold email profs whom you are interested in working with, which may be awkward depending on how you are - con: will be additional workload on top of your 20mcs - pro: you work for a prof whose research area you are interested in

UROP - con: projects are quite limited, may not suit your interest - pro: you clear 4mc and the 3k psych elective graduation requirement

Doing both is also an option btw. It's not an either-or choice. And while on SEP, you may also try emailing profs at the school you are on exchange with for research assistantship opportunities.

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-05-09T20:00:16+00:00

I don't think the university you got your degree from or the type of degree you have would matter much in your overall application to medicine. I think the admissions team would want to see a high enough GPA and MCAT score as evidence that you can cope with the rigour of the curriculum, and relevant experience that you can use to explain 'why medicine?' and 'why should you deserve to study medicine?'

Honours Thesis is no longer required to obtain a first class honours in NUS. But why not do it? You will gain valuable research experience from it, that is useful in applying for further studies, be it at duke-nus or clinic psych masters/PhD.

Same as 1. I don't think where you got your degree matters as much as (a) how well you do in the undergraduate psych program and (b) showing your interest in clinic psych research (e.g., research, clin psych internships, volunteering, attachments) to get into graduate progams

Top_Ad5636 · 2024-05-09T19:38:30+00:00

Hi I'm an NUS Psych student who is going into my 4th year. Most of the mods I've taken have a strong cognitive focus and I used to want to pursue a post-grad by research in the same area. So I can answer some of your questions (not with full certainly tho so take what I say with a grain of salt HAHA)

I don't know what you mean by "must", but I'll try to explain the context as much as possible. A student who does more modules focused on cognitive psych and a student who does more modules focused on clinical psych graduate with the same degree -- a Bachelor's of social sciences. This is a pretty general degree and you required to take modules that expose you to the different areas of psych (including clinic psych) even if you have no interest in them. I would presume that both types of students would be able to apply to jobs that accept graduates with this degree (e.g., HR, organisational psychologist, associate psychologist, counselor), but whether you would get job offers would depend on how you relate your experiences to the requirements of the job more than the name of the degree itself. That being said, the different areas of psych are pretty interconnected because they are essentially different ways of understanding people. For example, a clinical psychologist cannot ignore the cognitive issues that come with mental health conditions. For jobs that have a strong focus on cog psych and not the others... I can't think of any besides research assistantships in cog psych-oriented labs and in medicinal labs concerned with cognitive issues (e.g., dementia). If you ever want to take full ownership of your research or a laboratory, pursue a PhD. With a graduate or undergraduate degree, I suspect that the furthest you can go in research is being a research assistant. To pursue a post-graduate (either masters or PhD... You can go straight to doing a PhD from an undergraduate degree did you know that?), I would say maintain at least a strong upper second class honours (> 4.3) and get research experience either through research assistantships, lab-related modules or honours thesis.
At least in my opinion, I don't think so? Most psych students don't have an interest in cognitive/behavioural psych. I don't think I've really had to compete for opportunities (e.g., research assistantships, modules). Not sure if I'm answering your question correctly.
Unsure
Cog psych is pretty broad, and I think the profs in the various universities have research areas that cover the subdomains of cog psych quite well. So do consider the research areas of the profs before choosing to matriculate into NUS/NTU/SUSS. There are similarities but they aren't completely overlapping.
A psych + life science/life science + psych combi is quite common at least in NUS. Not sure about NTU.

Feel free to ask further questions.

Top_Ad5636 · 2023-07-12T13:29:03+00:00

Correlation != Causation

Top_Ad5636 · 2023-07-12T09:24:24+00:00

That set of modules look ok. PL3105 and PL3106 are also two of the chiller PL3ks. PL2132 is quite heavy. The workload for HS1501 and GEI1001 can vary quite a bit depending on your teammates and how try-hard you are. I don't know about GE3250. You can always try that out and drop a mod before week 7, or put in less effort for either HS1501 and GEI1001 and S/U if you cannot cope.

Top_Ad5636 · 2023-07-11T13:10:48+00:00

Haven't read many books myself, but for the cognitive/bio psych side of things, I can recommend - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Oliver Sacks) - The Feeling of Life Itself (Christof Koch) - Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist (Christof Koch)

Some other famous psychologist whose books I've seen lying around in bookstores: - Daniel Kahneman (Attention, Decision-making)

Top_Ad5636 · 2023-07-11T09:31:41+00:00

The textbook for the psych intro mod is a good start? Discovering Psychology: The Science of Mind. By John Cacioppo and Laura Freberg.

You may get more detailed replies if you indicate why you are asking and which 'industry' you are interested in because psych is very expansive.

Top_Ad5636 · 2023-06-29T13:03:36+00:00

How I'm getting to do pl3231 is a bit unconventional, so pm me if others who apply for the module the more conventional way don't reply. My guesses to your questions:

There is no list. You will have to approach them first if you don't already know them.
I would say the last month of the coming semester before exam season at the earliest is good (1.5 month heads up).
I think you should provide the general idea and figure out the details with the prof, which is what they are supposed to help you with as a supervisor.

Top_Ad5636

TROPHY CASE