Psychology at Ryerson University
Soha (Alumni '20)
sohaatiq@gmail.com
@sohaatiq
What did you wish you knew before going to your university? What made you choose this institution over all others? What are advantages and disadvantages of your institution or campus? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your university.
Ryerson's welcoming environment is what initially drew me in and in fact, that was culture for the four years I attended. However, I wish I had known how long hours of commuting could negatively impact your physical and mental health.
What did you wish you knew before choosing your specific program? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your program? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your program of study.
I wish I had known the importance of CO-OP opportunities before choosing my program. Although various areas of my life have thrived from being a Psychology major, the lack of CO-OP (relevant experience) has definitely made it more difficult finding a job post-grad.
What was your favourite university experience?
Finding my lifelong friends. While you are in University you begin to develop your adult personality and in doing so cut ties with some people in your life. Meeting my friends as my adult self allowed us to create a strong bond that depended on our adult value systems.
What was your least favourite university experience?
The moments where my academic life and personal life would intertwine. Going into an exam after having arguments with your family, friends, etc, having to write a 15 page essay right after you have been given life-altering news. Finding the balance to cope with your personal life while continuing to be productive in your academic life requires an immense amount of strength.
What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?
The amount of readings is definitely the hardest part of the Psychology program. Exams, assignments and practically any sort of assessment is based off of the numerous readings that students are instructed to complete. Ensuring that I completed my weekly readings and detailed notes before the next week helped me succeed in my program. Many students would push their readings until exam time. This would result in low exam scores as they had spent the majority of their study time reading a textbook and not practicing the material.
If you were able to take electives, what was your favourite elective? If you were not able to take electives, what was your favourite course and why?
My favourite course was the social psychology seminar in 4th year (PSY 918). It was a course with open discussion about social and political topics.