B. Psychology (1 Viewer)

[RubricRuiner]

Hi!

So I recently made what my careers advisor has dubbed "the biggest mistake of my schooling life" by dropping Mathematics. I was in an Advanced course for two years and then a General course before finally dropping, as I found the content to be too complex and did not feel confident I could achieve a good ATAR with it.

Well I thought my CA was over-exaggerating when she said I'd find it incredibly difficult to get into a Psychology course without having taken HSC Mathematics, but after looking on the UoS admissions page (and many other university websites), one of the prerequisites (or Assumed Knowledge) for a B. Psychology is Mathematics.

My question is, will I still be considered if I've completed up to Year 11 in an Advanced/General Mathematics course and have achieved a high enough ATAR, or have my chances been drastically lowered? If they have, are there any recommendations on how I can get around it i.e. alternative pathways?

Thanks.

 

[Amleops]

It is assumed knowledge, not a prerequisite. So if you get the ATAR, you'll get in.

Do you want to do the Science or Arts stream?

 

[chickencoop]

Hiii!!! I want to do psychology at Usyd this year too! As for your question,i dont think there are prerequisites for any courses now, however if u feel like you are struggling, im sure you can take a bridging course for mathematics if u feel it is essential. Otherwise take the humanities stream rather than science stream )

 

[sida1049]

Amleop is right, not doing 2U shouldn't hinder your chances of getting in at all; they only consider your ATAR.

At USYD, psychology can be studied under two different streams: the science stream (which involves maths units) and the arts stream (which does not have compulsory maths units). So if you get in, it's natural for you to major in psychology through the arts stream.

But if you want to make a career of psychology, you will need to do honours (if you get into B. Psychology, this is compulsory), and for that you will need some knowledge of statistics. I'm sure they'll teach you the necessary statistics in some psychology course, but generally the stronger maths foundation you have, the better your chances of doing well. (If you choose to pursue the science stream, you'd need a bridging course.)

If you don't end up with the necessary ATAR for B. Psychology (96), you can still major in psychology through B. Science or B. Arts. The latter is more appropriate if you're not confident with mathematics (though one day, you'll probably have to come to terms with a bit of it).

Don't be put off by this, since I still think you have a clear pathway into a psychology career. But of course, the more maths you do now, the less pain you'll have in the future.

Good luck!