Cherry Lin
What is it like to be a Psychology student? Three questions for Cherry Lin (bachelor, second year).
What is the most useful thing that you’ve learned from Psychology?
‘The most useful thing I have learnt is that we have to be more open-minded because Psychology is something that is still very new and in an exploratory stage. There are many theories that have been used in the past but may not be relevant nowadays, or may require some revisions. However, it is still relevant to learn about those theories and build upon them, in order to develop new and better theories. I think that when we take an open-minded approach, it diversifies our knowledge and reveals to us what we know and what we can aim to find out.’
What do you like and dislike about Psychology at UvA?
‘What I like is that we are exposed to all of the different fields within psychology in the first year, but I don’t like that we have to learn about psychology in a theoretical way instead of applying it in the real world, a way of teaching that some other universities do offer. During the first-year tutorials we were tasked to interview some professionals which was good. However, in some other aspects, such as our second year research paper, I think being able to choose our own topic instead of having a set topic would be a bit more helpful – to help us explore our interests and dive deeper into our desired field. This is something I think UvA could improve on.’
How did your study impact your life goals/dreams?
‘Studying at UvA was not what I expected. I came out of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program thinking that – because everyone told me so – it was going to be easy. I think studying at the UvA really challenges me. Even though at times it is difficult, it really stimulates me and drives me to desire being challenged. This is something the IB didn’t really do as I always had the feeling that I would pass. But now, the responsibility of doing well and taking steps to achieve my goals is on me and I have to choose my path well. It made me feel the need to act and take control over my own life. The way the curriculum and exams are structured inspired this change – it gave me a wake-up call. I think my goals are clearer now. I like Psychology and my dream is to help people, and this study gives me insight into how I can do that.’
Cherry Lin
What is it like to be a Psychology student? Three questions for Cherry Lin (bachelor, second year).
What is the most useful thing that you’ve learned from Psychology?
‘The most useful thing I have learnt is that we have to be more open-minded because Psychology is something that is still very new and in an exploratory stage. There are many theories that have been used in the past but may not be relevant nowadays, or may require some revisions. However, it is still relevant to learn about those theories and build upon them, in order to develop new and better theories. I think that when we take an open-minded approach, it diversifies our knowledge and reveals to us what we know and what we can aim to find out.’
What do you like and dislike about Psychology at UvA?
‘What I like is that we are exposed to all of the different fields within psychology in the first year, but I don’t like that we have to learn about psychology in a theoretical way instead of applying it in the real world, a way of teaching that some other universities do offer. During the first-year tutorials we were tasked to interview some professionals which was good. However, in some other aspects, such as our second year research paper, I think being able to choose our own topic instead of having a set topic would be a bit more helpful – to help us explore our interests and dive deeper into our desired field. This is something I think UvA could improve on.’
How did your study impact your life goals/dreams?
‘Studying at UvA was not what I expected. I came out of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program thinking that – because everyone told me so – it was going to be easy. I think studying at the UvA really challenges me. Even though at times it is difficult, it really stimulates me and drives me to desire being challenged. This is something the IB didn’t really do as I always had the feeling that I would pass. But now, the responsibility of doing well and taking steps to achieve my goals is on me and I have to choose my path well. It made me feel the need to act and take control over my own life. The way the curriculum and exams are structured inspired this change – it gave me a wake-up call. I think my goals are clearer now. I like Psychology and my dream is to help people, and this study gives me insight into how I can do that.’
