Meet our students: Mariam Omar - Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours), 4th year

What drew you to studying psychology? 

I first studied psychology in high school, and I chose it because it sounded better than the alternative subjects I could have undertaken. I did not know much about it back then, however, after a couple months it became my favourite subject. I found it fascinating to see human behaviour and mental processes reflected in scientific theory, and how that can then translate into real world application. From then on, I knew psychology is what I wanted to study in the future and it’s still as fascinating to me now, even more so, as it was when I was in high school!

Why did you choose UQ to study psychology?

Doing a Bachelors of Psychological Science at UQ was my first preference largely because of the integrated Honours year – instead of having to apply for Honour’s admission at the end of third year, I was guaranteed entry to Honour’s. This was appealing because it gave me the opportunity to explore courses that interested me or courses that I just wanted to try, instead of choosing courses that I believed would give me a higher GPA.

What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve learnt while studying psychology at UQ?

The thing that surprised the most about studying psychology, is the breadth of the degree. Going into the degree I thought my only career outcomes were as a counselling or clinical psychologist, and I think many people entering the degree go in with this expectation. However, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t the case. Psychology is an umbrella term for many disciplines, including neuropsychology, counselling, organisational psychology, health psychology and many more! Even careers that may seem unrelated to psychology, such as marketing, advertising, and human resources, are still viable outcomes from a degree in psychology, as the study of human behaviour applies to just about anything. In that sense, it was surprising to learn just how versatile and diverse a degree in psychology really is.

What has been the most challenging aspect of studying psychology?

One of the most challenging aspects of studying psychology was accepting that the end of my undergraduate degree did not mean instantly becoming a psychologist. If you want to pursue registration as a psychologist of any type you will need to complete further postgraduate study. I had to accept that there’s a long road of study ahead, and that there’s a lot of delayed gratification involved. A key thing I’d say it’s useful for new students to know that your undergraduate years are just the foundational stages of becoming a psychologist, where you build your understanding of psychology as a scientific discipline. This was challenging for me because you really have to stay self-motivated throughout your degree – take things one step at a time and stay connected to your end goal.

What are the most valuable skills you’ve learnt while studying psychology?

The most valuable skill I’ve learnt throughout my whole degree has definitely been critical thinking. Going into a psychology degree, I did not expect the amount of scientific rigour involved. While it was shocking at first to learn I had to read journal articles, understand them and then appraise them, I slowly got better at understanding the jargon filled papers and actually being able to appraise them! It may feel impossible at first, by the end of the degree I was able to do this pretty easily. A lot of the courses I took throughout my degree really put an emphasis on critical thinking, and that really shaped me into the student I am today.

Tell us about your experience working in the psychology lab?

My lab experience was very different to my other peers in my Honours year, in that it was a multidisciplinary study (as it involved clinical and cognitive components), it was also very intensive and required many hours in the lab. While this was challenging, it was the most valuable experience in my degree. I learned in a lot in terms of not only how to conduct a tightly controlled experiment, but also how to handle obstacles and last-minute changes. This was a great opportunity as I got a lot of hands-on experience which I was lacking in previous years and not only did I enhance my research skills but I also fell in love with the research.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to study psychology? 

The best advice I can give to prospective psychology students is to develop a good self-care regimen. Make sure you make space for hobbies, friends and activities throughout the semester, this will keep you sane throughout your years of study as it will give you a study-life balance. When I felt too stressed or overwhelmed, I picked up a book or hung out with my friends and it really alleviated a lot of the stress I was feeling.