UVic’s Psychology Honours Program

UVic’s Psychology Honours Program What is it? Is it for you? How to apply See http://web.uvic.ca/psyc/undergraduate/honours.php for additional information about the program. Winter Session 2013-2014

Honours What is it?

Honours = Research Training + Professional Skills Training • Each honours student completes an original research project • Supervised by a regular faculty member OR co-supervised by an sessional/adjunct faculty member and a regular faculty member • Project reported in a written thesis and poster, due in April of honours year • Honours seminar meets twice a week to develop professional skills • Honours students take two advanced statistics courses

Honours = all Major requirements PLUS PSYC 499 (thesis & seminar) PSYC 400A (stats)* PSYC 401 (psychometrics)* 400A & 401 in fall; 499 is year-long Total of 63 units for Honours (vs. 60 for major) Major requires one 400-level seminar-style PSYC course Psychonours requires two such courses* in addition to 400A, 401, & 499 but one fewer 300-level course than the Major. *not required for joint BIO/PSYC honours Psych Major vs. Honours

Honours Is it for you?

Honours: What will it Get you? • A gold star beside your degree, signaling you met selective criteria and undertook advanced training. • Enhances impression you make on prospective employers. • A major plus if you seek admission to grad school in experimental or clinical psychology. • More on other types of graduate school later!

Letters of reference Life Experience Courses/Grades GRE scores www.gre.org Research Experience Getting into Graduate School Your Grad School Application Personal Statement

Feedback from the 2012 Honours Class

What to expect from the honours program: Feedback from students • It is a lot of hard work, and work you have never done before! • Self-directed work • Long-term deadlines • Uncertainty and changing plans in the project • Less structured feedback about performance • But you will learn things you wished you had known years ago! • Career options and planning • Communicating in writing and in oral presentations • Self-awareness and insight • The “inside scoop” about research • You will form friendships with your honours peers that are deep and meaningful and fun!

Who benefits most from honors? • Students who are interested in conducting research and might want a future research career • Can achieve the same goal without doing honours • Directed studies project • Research assistant work • Students who want to work in psychology disciplines when they graduate • BUT your time may be better spent volunteering and becoming involved in the community

What honours does not guarantee • An honours degree will not guarantee a place in a graduate program • It is neither necessary or sufficient! • An honours degree is not weighed heavily for: • Medical school • Counselling programs • Social work programs • An honours degree certainly doesn’t hurt students interested in these career paths, but it is not required or as beneficial as other uses of your time: volunteering, studying to increase your GPA, working in the community, developing other personal interests…

Honours How to apply?

Honours – At what stage? • Honours year is the last full year of your degree — September to April. • Can’t quite finish all requirements by end of next Winter session? • Then you may join Honours (if qualified) if you can finish all courses by end of following summer. • Planning to finish in December 2013? • To do Honours you must extend your program to April 2014. • You don’t have to take full course load during Honours year • as far as our department is concerned; some providers of loans/scholarships require students to have “full time” status.

Honours Entry Requirements • PSYC GPA of 6.5 or higher & non-PSYC GPA 5.0 or higher • PSYC 300a and 300B completed (or to be completed in summer before honours) with a minimum grade of B+ • Supervisor on board • Honours Advisor’s permission About that GPA ….

Evaluation of you GPA Your average grade earned for the last 50 credits taken in the previous 10 calendar years, plus any other courses taken concurrently (i.e., in the same semester) with the 50th credit. Less than 50 credits? Then all credits count. 9-point system, A+ = 9, A = 8, etc. Add up and divide by number of courses (assuming each course worth 1.5 units; count double for any 3-unit course). Calculate the average across all psych courses and, separately, the average across all other courses.

Finding your supervisor • Visit honours.uvic.ca from March 1 to learn… • Which faculty are accepting students? • What type of research do faculty conduct? • http://web.uvic.ca/psyc/people/faculty • Reflect on courses you took • Which instructors did you like? • Which topics were exciting? • What area grabs your interest? • Ask current honours students • PsiChi honours info session each year.

Apply Online • Register at http://honours.uvic.ca • Opens Mid-February each year • Submit a transcript, brief statement of interests, and qualifications • Select 2-3 potential supervisors from the list provided • If some turn you down, you can reapply to others! • Prospective supervisors will e-mail you • If you don’t hear back in 2 weeks, you should follow up with the supervisor by e-mail

Finding your supervisor Step 1: Apply online and wait to hear from your desired supervisor(s). They will schedule a meeting. Step 2: The meeting … come prepared: • Visit prospect’s website and learn a bit about his/her work. • Be enthusiastic, prepare questions. • Bring transcript (unofficial OK). • Bring sample of your written work. • If you can, come prepared with a research idea to talk about, but don’t insist on pursuing that idea. Typically the supervisor, not student, sets the thesis topic; be open to anything. • Leave with clarity re: what next? Step 3: Thank & reflect • Send a thank-you email; reflect on impressions

Selecting a Supervisor • Your supervisor will guide you and evaluate your work one-on-one for a full year. • Before you commit to the relationship, meet in person! • Ask yourself: • Do you seem compatible? • Do you like this person? • Will s/he inspire and motivate you? • Can you get excited about the research you will be doing?

Some Limits • Limited number of potential supervisors • A few supervisors have extra requirements, such as having worked in their lab already • Honours class is limited in size So, get going!

Decision Time • On the website, it will say “No status” or “pending” as prospective supervisor is deciding • Status changes to “accepted” if the prospective supervisor has agreed to supervise you, “Not available” if prospective supervisor declines. • When accepted, you may then accept the offer • Once you accept it is a binding agreement • You can wait to see if another prospect agrees, but until you commit a prospective supervisor can withdraw an offer. • Of course, you can be talking to the supervisor as well, but the website is the official version, so others know what is happening. • You must accept on the website even if you have heard in person or by email, etc.

You’ve got a supervisor! Now what? • Ask your supervisor and current honours students how to prepare—usually at least some prep reading in the summer. • Attend the Honours Poster Session (5 April 2012 from 3 to 5pm in the Michele Pujol room of the SUB) • Check out a few of the prior years’ posters at http://web.uvic.ca/psyc/undergraduate/honours.php . • Consider take a course or two during the summer (to free up time next year) • Maybe take a PSYC 390 (independent study) course with your supervisor in the spring or summer before your Honours year. • Don’t assume you are in honours until you receive confirmation from Honours Advisor. If not heard by mid-June, contact Honours Advisor.

Outstanding questions? Please email the Honours Advisor:Prof. Danu Stinson dstinson@uvic.ca

UVic’s Psychology Honours Program