Advice for a lost first-year MA student

[franc109]

Hello! I will be starting my graduate program in psychology this fall and am feeling very anxious about it. When I applied to programs, I was confident in my decision to attend grad school. However, I have recently found interest in an area unrelated to my program and am questioning my decision to attend grad school. Has anyone experienced this uncertainty before? Any advice or personal stories would be helpful. Thank you!

 

[DBear]

I think everyone has gone through this at some point in their careers, whether it's related to school or not. 

I worked for a couple of years before I got my MA in International Policy. I started my first semester and realized I did NOT like what I was studying and changed my major midway through my first semester. 

Is the other field of interest you've just discovered academic or something completely different?

From my own experience of going back and forth between school and corporate life, I would say that it's okay to dabble with different paths but I'm sure you put a lot of effort into applying for grad school, that shouldn't be put aside so easily either. Since you have a handful of months before school starts, is it possible to perhaps take a shot at this new interest? Talk to people who are actually doing what you want to do and visualize if that's something you can see yourself doing in the future, maybe? 

If you're not sure about this new field or if you're not sure you're ready to give up on psychology, starting school and seeing how it goes is also an option. I know it costs a lot of money to do this, but some people actually need to start school to know that that's where they belong. You could always start school and take a semester or two off to do something different. 

Hope this helps..

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

5 hours ago, franc109 said:

Hello! I will be starting my graduate program in psychology this fall and am feeling very anxious about it. When I applied to programs, I was confident in my decision to attend grad school. However, I have recently found interest in an area unrelated to my program and am questioning my decision to attend grad school. Has anyone experienced this uncertainty before? Any advice or personal stories would be helpful. Thank you!

 

Yes, in fact this is me right now. I am attending graduate school in the fall for physics (and actually started about a month ago already) and now I am thinking that maybe physics isn't for me and perhaps I would prefer to go to medical school.  Since I'd need to go back and take several undergrad courses to do med school, I'm hoping the feeling passes.

Seriously though, that's what life is all about. You try something, realize it's not for you, and then switch. It is never too late to switch, especially if you are (as I presume you are) in your 20s or early 30s. Maybe give it a go, and then decide.

[franc109]

6 hours ago, DBear said:

I think everyone has gone through this at some point in their careers, whether it's related to school or not. 

I worked for a couple of years before I got my MA in International Policy. I started my first semester and realized I did NOT like what I was studying and changed my major midway through my first semester. 

Is the other field of interest you've just discovered academic or something completely different?

From my own experience of going back and forth between school and corporate life, I would say that it's okay to dabble with different paths but I'm sure you put a lot of effort into applying for grad school, that shouldn't be put aside so easily either. Since you have a handful of months before school starts, is it possible to perhaps take a shot at this new interest? Talk to people who are actually doing what you want to do and visualize if that's something you can see yourself doing in the future, maybe? 

If you're not sure about this new field or if you're not sure you're ready to give up on psychology, starting school and seeing how it goes is also an option. I know it costs a lot of money to do this, but some people actually need to start school to know that that's where they belong. You could always start school and take a semester or two off to do something different. 

Hope this helps..

Thank you. I'm beginning to feel as though I should've waited before applying to graduate school. I'm not sure of what I want anymore.

The other area I'm interested in is teaching English as a foreign language so yes, different than research in psych but still academic. I have already looked into it and have spoken with some who are currently working in this area. I have some experience communicating with non-native English speakers in an academic setting and can definitely visualize myself doing something like this.

I will keep looking into it before beginning my program this fall and figure out what I really want to do. Thanks again for sharing your story and for your help

Edited June 15, 2016 by franc109

[franc109]

2 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Yes, in fact this is me right now. I am attending graduate school in the fall for physics (and actually started about a month ago already) and now I am thinking that maybe physics isn't for me and perhaps I would prefer to go to medical school.  Since I'd need to go back and take several undergrad courses to do med school, I'm hoping the feeling passes.

Seriously though, that's what life is all about. You try something, realize it's not for you, and then switch. It is never too late to switch, especially if you are (as I presume you are) in your 20s or early 30s. Maybe give it a go, and then decide.

Thank you. It's somewhat comforting to know others are in similar situations. I also hope these feelings pass for the both of us! 

That is very true. Thank you for your advice and story. Wish you the best wherever you decide to study

[travelgirl125]

9 hours ago, franc109 said:

Thank you. I'm beginning to feel as though I should've waited before applying to graduate school. I'm not sure of what I want anymore.

The other area I'm interested in is teaching English as a foreign language so yes, different than research in psych but still academic. I have already looked into it and have spoken with some who are currently working in this area. I have some experience communicating with non-native English speakers in an academic setting and can definitely visualize myself doing something like this.

I will keep looking into it before beginning my program this fall and figure out what I really want to do. Thanks again for sharing your story and for your help

I'm currently a High School foreign language teacher and I'm going to grad school in the fall for Higher Ed Administration.  However, I completely understand your interest in teaching English as a foreign language.  I looked into grad programs for that, too, but ultimately, felt that a masters was not necessary to get into the field at first.  There are so many certification courses you can take over a few weeks or a summer, and then if you get hired by a school, they might help you pay for a masters down the line.

I think you should continue on with your plans of getting your masters in psych, as you may be able to take classes related to teaching, learning, foreign language acquisition, developmental psych, etc.  Then you can always do an initial ESL certification over a summer and then have both credentials when you go out looking for jobs.

That's my two cents, anyway! Best of luck