<p>I already know that I definitely staying with my psychology major, and I know that I am going to graduate school for at least a Masters, and I am completely willing to go further if required/heavily recommended. But there's so many different kinds to specialize in! How am I supposed to narrow down what I want? I'm interested in various kind, but I'm not sure what I want to commit to for graduate school. I'd like to know sooner than later. What's the best way to explore what I want?</p>
<p>I'm currently in my first year at a CC and plan to attend for another year before transferring.</p>
<p>What do you mean by “what to study”? Do you mean what sub-topics in psychology you should study? Regardless of the major, most people shape their degrees and their graduate options by either 1. Knowing what they want in a career or 2. Just studying what they enjoy the most and forming the career later. The question is, do you know what you want to do after college? If so, study what will put you on the path to that career. If not, study what interests you the most, and a career (including your graduate options) will form as you go along. If this was not what you had in mind, though, feel free to clarify your question and I’ll answer again. The question wasn’t 100% clear.</p>
<p>Look into universities that you would like to transfer in to. Some of them might have a four-year plan listed online which is a guideline for students to follow. I’d look at this and notice that nearly all majors have major electives in which you can take, and I’d look at those.</p>
<p>Research opportunities might be a necessity for a Master’s. If you can, look at the the appealing universities to see what research they have done not only at the graduate level but the undergrad as well.</p>
<p>Also, just research various psychology topics online and read about them. That is what I would do.</p>
<p>I echo BeachPeachy’s advice about researching topics online. You might even find some of the articles useful in your essays even at this stage.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be that specialised during college. That’s what grad school is for. You don’t need to commit until your final year and you’re sending out applications. Getting fixated on a masters topic too early will just cause extra stress thinking about grad school when you need to focus on getting though college first. Relax and enjoy your studies and learning here and now. </p>
<p>I’d take a broad range of psychology classes in all the major areas with as much stats as you can bear. You need a solid grounding. So think cognitive, developmental, experimental, behavioural and abnormal. Other areas like forensic and education are more suitable as advanced level classes. You’ll get bits and bobs on these as you study the fundamentals anyway. </p>
<p>Many a major has been changed or a class schedule redesigned after a boring sounding class has blown someone away. So don’t avoid these core areas even if it sounds dreary. Strong foundations etc.</p>
<p>Spend a lot of time in the library. Talk to your professors about what they specialize in, and what your interests are even if they’re a little vague. Spend more time in the library.</p>