Psychology is a popular route for students. With more than 3,000 students registered in Introduction to Psychology and 132 graduate students, Psychology is the largest department in the Faculty of Arts .

The department of psychology website offers a good deal of information about the routes students can take within the field of psychology. You can become a research psychologist, an applied psychologist or a clinical/counseling psychologist.

As a research psychologist you can teach, supervise students, and do research. Although many research psychologists work in universities, some concentrate solely on research, working for companies or simply on grant money alone. Applied psychologists usually work as consultants, providing advice to organizations on how to improve performance and motivate employees.

Clinical and counseling psychologists are provided with a bit more freedom. In addition to doing research, teaching, and supervising students, clinical and counseling psychologists can also work with individual clients. Many of these psychologists go into private practice.

Because of the increased flexibility and focus on mental illness, clinical psychology is often a student’s first choice. However, because of the field’s popularity, competition for entrance into a clinical psychology graduate program can be worse than medical school. Even with a 4.0 GPA there are no guarantees.

Although clinical psychology provides a great deal of career flexibility, there are some drawbacks. Working with clients can be emotionally draining. In order to be effective as a psychologist, you must be able to distance yourself from your client and separate your work-life from your home-life. This field also requires constant updating of skills. Therapy practices are often changing and psychologists must keep up to date.

As with most professions, students interested in psychology should take steps to figure out if the challenges of working as a psychologist are worth it. It is also important to decide what area of psychology interests you. According to one psychologist, this can make a big difference in your success. She recommends asking: what do you want to discover? What do you wish you knew more about? What stirs you?

Students considering a career as a psychologist should not only consider if they have a passion for psychology, but for a particular area within this field. For more information, visit the U of M’s department of psychology.