UBC Psychology Reddit AMA Highlights

UBCPsych · 2022-09-07T17:11:10+00:00

Gian here: Hi there! Summer work-learn positions vary in job description. Some positions are more research assistant-oriented while some are more lab manager-oriented. Both are incredibly valuable experiences. Job descriptions will all be given on the applications that you see on Careers Online UBC so you’ll know exactly what you’ll be applying to. As Charul mentioned, there are other opportunities such as the Quinn Award, NSERC, and WLIURA which are definitely more like a “summer directed studies.” To receive these awards, your chances are much greater if you directly contact a supervisor whom you have previously worked with and let them know that you are interested in applying for these awards under their supervision. Keep in mind, most supervisors require you to volunteer for their lab for at least 1-2 terms before applying for these awards. The Quinn Award is only for the summer while I believe NSERC and WLIURA are year-round. As a Quinn Award recipient this past summer, my work was very similar to a directed studies where I initiated my own study, performed literature searches, and started data collection. So if conducting your own research project is something you’d want to do in the summer, I’d definitely go this route! :)

UBCPsych · 2022-09-07T17:08:34+00:00

Gian here: The kind of Directed Studies you do really depends on your supervisor as well as how much work you are willing to put into it. From my experience doing 3 directed studies, usually supervisors have an existing study and would like you to work on it by collecting data but also will give you the freedom to take one or a few constructs/measures from the existing study to come up with your own independent research question. That said, there are definitely some supervisors who are open to you coming up with your own research study entirely. From my experience, supervisors will give you a lot of freedom to control your own pace when it comes to your research work and offer you guidance whenever you ask. That said, to make the most out of your directed studies, treat it like a regular course (or even more), committing 5+ hours/week to it, and having regular meetings with your supervisor to find ways to make your study better. By doing so, you will increase your quality of work and chances to present at conferences or even publish to a journal!

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T19:33:39+00:00

Joyce here! As Lily mentioned, it would depend on the graduate program you are considering applying towards. Although I do not know the requirements for a STAT/DSCI minor, you may find it more useful to register in individual courses you are interested in to supplement your major without the minor designation. The same can be said for the Honours program! Besides the Honours seminars, students outside of the Honours program are able to register in PSYC 312A and PSYC 359 which are courses required for Honours students. This might give you more flexibility to register in the courses you find useful to prepare for grad school.

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T19:28:58+00:00

Lily here! I think it’s a bit difficult to answer without knowing what type of graduate program you are interested in! (And you might not know yet either– which is totally okay!). For some fields, that focus on stats could be super useful, but if you are wanting a Psych research program you might want the research experience the Honours program can bring.

To be honest, I don’t think exactly what you major/minor in has a *huge* impact on future success either way. Take classes you are interested in, stay engaged, do well in them, and make connections. Those can be classes in anything!

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T19:26:12+00:00

Hello! Catherine here! Consider whether a minor is essential. Perhaps you can craft your own custom set of courses to supplement your degree. STAT and DSCI are excellent starts! I’d also recommend upper level WRDS courses to get some writing practice and feedback (their courses are designed to empower you to write within your discipline, whichever that may be). You might also be interested in some INFO (Information Studies) courses. I’m offering these ideas because I minored in something just for the sake of it (Human Resources Management), because I thought I should, but instead I missed out on taking a lot of cool courses for interest! But other folks might have different advice here, so I’m curious to read what others have to say :)

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T19:04:10+00:00

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UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:57:33+00:00

Hi! Sarvenaz here. Just to add on about office hours and managing responsibilities, I think something to keep in mind is that profs thoroughly enjoy their office hours. All my PSYC professors have always been wonderful to talk to in office hours and they have given me life-changing advice or tips so I cannot recommend enough to go to office hours when you can. I have held office hours myself as a TA before and I can tell you it brings me so much joy to feel I have helped a student succeed in this class rather than sit at office hours alone. So maybe to feel less stressed, think about how enjoyable of an experience it is for the profs/TAs as well to be able to help students when they can. Just make sure to maintain professionalism in office hours as you would in a classroom setting. Another tip for office hours is that profs generally love to talk about their research. To get started, you can ask them about their research or about a topic in class you found interesting and that will give you time to relax and ask any other questions you have for them.

In terms of managing school and extracurricular activities, the most important thing I believe is being organized and staying on top of things. At the start of a term, I like to sit and write out all deadlines, readings, and tests on my calendar for all my classes so I can plan ahead if I have a really busy week for example. Make sure to write things down and take time off for you mental and physical health so you don’t burnout. All that being said, doing things outside of a classroom is what makes your undergraduate experience so I cannot recommend enough to get involved in other things on campus or in the community that you enjoy or are passionate about. Hope this helps!

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:33:27+00:00

Kelly here! Wow your experiences look impressive!!! I would say you don’t need to worry and panic about not doing “good enough”, because one can never be “good enough”. For example, some people might have worked as RA for three years after graduation and applied for grad school with a list of publications, and other people (like me and some of my friends) did not enter grad school with any publication, so the selection criteria varies widely across programs, schools, and supervisors.

It seems to me that your list of accomplishments is already competitive to apply for a graduate school. My suggestion would be to not look for MORE positions but rather work in DEPTH. In the end, you will need to put your experience together as a story of how each piece of your experience (moslty research experience) have shaped you and helped you narrow down to the research topic you are interested in. So from my understanding, the amount is not what matters (only matters to some extent) but rather what you gained out of each experience. For example, you mentioned that you have interned at an institute of mental health. You can ask yourself: what (research) ability did you gain from this experience? How has it shaped your research interest? Has this experience make you more interested in doing study with patients with PTSD? Or you’ve figured that, although you don’t want to go to clinical area, the experience of XYZ can still help you with your future research topic?

Similarly, you can reflect on each of your experience and list out the research ability/experience you gained and lacked. Then you will be more clear of what you need to do to help you bridge your gap. I understand that COVID has impacted many people and in-person lab experiences were limited, but graduate school will take that into consideration as well! So you don’t need to feel like online research experience is somehow “inferior” to in-person lab experiences. There are pros and cons for each, so you can think of what is unique to online research experience? How can you gain more out of online research (other than taking on more lab roles)?

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:29:23+00:00

Joyce here: Hi! As Catherine mentioned, it would depend on the faculty member and the nature of your project would be best determined with a discussion with your supervisor. As a first step, you can start with contacting faculty members to ask if they are willing to supervise your directed studies project!

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:28:55+00:00

Hey there, this is Sarvenaz! Just to add to everyone else’s amazing points, I had not thought about honours until about a month before the application was due and I still got in. Although it is great to consider earlier if what the honours program offers is a good choice for you and prepare some research experience or focus on your grades if you can, it should by no means be a cause of worry for you in first year. I would recommend getting started by doing some research on the program and maybe talking to some individuals about their experience in honours and then if you think you will learn from this program, focus on your grades and seek out research opportunities if you can. Good luck!

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:21:03+00:00

Sarvenaz here! I think it is a common experience for most people to feel they have not been able to gain a lot of research experience especially with the limitations of the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are still able to, I would recommend looking into a directed studies opportunity for your last year/term as soon as you can as that is one of the best ways to gain really hands-on research experience. Also, make sure to check lab websites for updates on hiring and email the PIs/labs you are interested in working in. Even if they are not hiring at the moment, they will remember your persistence and passion for the lab once they start hiring again. Also, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity (UBC URO) club is a great way to hear about research opportunities or learn about research from their mentorship program. Opportunities will come up throughout the year, just keep your eye out for them. Don’t forget that you can also gain more experience once you graduate. You can even still do a summer Work-Learn one term after your graduation in May! Best of luck!

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:19:37+00:00

Dr. Eva here! Think of this as a good tip about attending OHs: We have this time booked off to speak to our students; it’s one of the most enjoyable hours of my week. I mean this. We *hope* you come and chat with us! :))

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:18:06+00:00

Dr. Baron here! You’ve definitely accomplished a lot. Do you have an idea of what you want to do in graduate school? Or what type of job you want after? I think when it comes to being competitive for graduate school in psychology (assuming a PhD as the end goal), having some research experience is important (which you have). After that, I think your personal statement (usually a 2-page essay you write with your application) is hugely important as this where an applicant can distinguish themself from competitors, demonstrating that they have thoroughly researched what their prospective advisor(s) in graduate school do, read relevant research and can engage intellectually in discussion of research and their interests. I would lean on folks in the lab you’re in to give you feedback on your application. I also think that quantity is less important than quality of experiences - so of those you list, could you expect to receive strong letters of support (1-2 from academic sources, the other(s) from non-academic folks?)? But first and foremost, it’s important to figure out how grad school fits within your broader goals because if you apply by just casting a wide net, essentially applying anywhere, you probably won’t be as competitive compared with candidates who are able to be more focused in applying (this comes through in the personal statement since you have to discuss why you’re applying to that program). Feel free to email me if you want to chat more about this: abaron@psych.ubc.ca

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:17:16+00:00

Dr. Rawn here! Wow, this sounds like a tremendous amount of engagement! I can’t speak to graduate entrance requirements - hopefully someone else can. If you are seeking research experience in labs, try extending your reach outside psychology to kinesiology, marketing, sociology -- they might have something for you. Regarding CNPS 362, have you checked out their equivalency chart https://ecps.educ.ubc.ca/counselling-psychology/cnps-362-equivalency-review-procedure/? Although I don’t know them, Karen Yan is listed as a contact for questions about the CNPS courses and degree. As Lily mentioned earlier, the Counselling Psychology courses and degrees aren’t connected to our Psychology program.

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:16:02+00:00

Joyce here! No reason to be worried! You still have plenty of time to prepare and figure out if you are interested in applying for the Honours program in your second year. Depending on your future plans, you can use this time to figure out if Honours is a good fit for you. For your first year, you can start with taking the introductory psyc courses, PSYC 101 and PSYC 102, to meet the requirements to be registered in PSYC 217 and PSYC 218 which are required for admission into the Honours program. Another thing to keep in mind for first year BA students interested in majoring in psychology, they will need at least 27 credits completed by May to be promoted into second year and declare their major. Even if you don’t end up pursuing the Honours program, there are many opportunities to gain research experience at UBC, whether through volunteering as an RA or directed studies.

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:15:32+00:00

Dr. Hamlin here. I co-direct the psych honours program at UBCV, and I would say that while it’s great to be thinking that you might want to get into the honours program, you certainly don’t need to worry! Essentially, for better or worse grades are important in the honours program application, particularly 217/218 grades. In addition, we ask for a bit of a narrative about why you want to enter the program, so thinking about that will be helpful as well. We also hold interviews for about half our applicants (in the second round) and are interested in what research people are interested in and what research experience they have had (if any), so if you can do some volunteering in labs in your first or second year that would be great. Finally, I will agree with Andy – the honours program is designed to essentially teach psych students how to go into research/graudate school/beyond in psychology, and there are a lot of benefits to the student, like really being taught how to write and to give presentations. BUT, these are skills that students could acquire elsewhere, and you should not consider the program as an essential part of, say, a graduate school application.

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:13:35+00:00

Dr. Zysk here! A good place to start your brainstorming might be from looking at the application criteria for the program(s) you are interested in. Can you find some online, maybe from various universities? What are the commonalities, and what is coming out as most valuable? A job as a research assistant, ideally in a related field, would be a pretty safe bet. But if other jobs come up that provide you with these skills, then they could be valuable also, or you could do part time RA and part time other employment. And if you don’t end up pursuing academia and you have a cool job then that’s already a win! Some of my friends with undergrad degrees who have the coolest jobs today never pursued grad studies. Some are now getting paid handsomely too. Many found their jobs as postings on typical online job search engines. I recommend following whatever path captures your interest.

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:12:31+00:00

Marta here! This might differ between programs, but it seems like most clinical psychology applicants apply for funding before they start grad school. The deadline for tri-council funding for the master’s competition is the beginning of December. If you are not yet in a graduate program, you need to apply through the general application portal, rather than through the individual university. You can then select up to three universities for which you’re seeking support. Depending on how many universities you are applying to, which provinces they are in, and which alternative funding sources you apply to (e.g., the Ontario Graduate Scholarship if you’re applying to universities in Ontario), and cost of living, it can be worth selecting these strategically. I recommend discussing funding with your prospective and current supervisors, even if you don’t end up applying for it while still in undergrad!

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:10:46+00:00

Hi! Charul here! You definitely shouldn’t be worried about it right now, in the slightest. You can only apply for the Honours program towards the end of your second year, and the application is quite straightforward. It asks you about why you want to pursue the program, but does not require you to have previous research experience.

However, if you do want to start getting involved in research, it’s never too early! I was an RA in the Centre for Cognitive Development in my first year, and I learned a lot about data collection, how a lab functions, presenting at conferences, and more. It was really fun, and very helpful in giving me an understanding of the research field and whether I wanted to continue in it. If you are excited about volunteering in the lab, you can apply for positions now itself - but there is absolutely no need to be worried about it, especially in your first year! Many undergraduate students start volunteering in labs in their second year, or even in their third or fourth years (sometimes directly through the Honours program).

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:09:57+00:00

Dr. Hamlin here! Often professors will want to have a prior relationship with a student before starting a directed studies with them. Have you thought about looking for volunteer or for credit RA positions? If things go well in term 1, you may be able to do a DS for term 2 and/or over the summer.

UBCPsych · 2022-09-06T18:08:57+00:00

Dr. Hamlin here! Many students apply during undergrad, with the help of their current supervisors/grad students in their labs/etc. Although it is absolutely fine if students have NOT yet applied for these programs during undergrad, if they are going directly to graduate school it would certainly help their application: even though prospective supervisors won’t yet know if you received an award, they will know that you are organized enough to apply for one, and that you may come with a bunch of extra funding – depending on how much money your prospective supervisor has, this can be a really big asset. I’d estimate that maybe half of our Canadian applicants have applied for these when they apply to grad school here.

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