u/eraserhead04

Hello everyone!

This post is basically what the title says. I have recently completed my 3rd year for a bachelor's in psych and will find out if I am taken onboard for honours or not, sometime in november. I am operating on the assumption that I am tho, as I have fulfilled the requirements for Honours entrance in my degree.

Thing is, although I have accomplished the required WAM, I did not feel much of a sense of accomplishment throughout any of my uni years. I had gone into a deep depression back in 2020 due to family drama, and the lockdowns made it much much worse. Which ofc led to my academics falling off completely during year 12. As a result, I had a really bad ATAR that haunts me to this day, and now matter how well I have done since, I always feel like an imposter and am extremely insecure about the gaps in my academic knowledge.

I managed to get into uni (though not really one that most students desire to go to... WSU) but tbh i mainly started uni right out of high school due to my parents pressuring me, especially after my horrible HSCs.

Since I also started uni in 2023, not long since COVID, all of my lectures had been online and my only involment in campus was for 1 hour tutorials. I also commuted so I'd leave uni asap. I haven't really made any proper friends in uni, and didn't really get the chance to network with lecturers either.

Altogether, I have kind of just been floating through the uni expreience and getting out of that long winded depression little by little. My irrational fear of maths and stats also made me extend my 3rd year into 3 semesters (2025 aut+spr & 2026 aut), and so currently, as all my course requirements are completed, I have taken a leave of absence for the current semester.

My first 3 years, I have navigated the australian uni system by myself, forcing myself to complete the manadatory work and putting in just enough effort to get the required grades for honours.

Only recently, I'm saying May 2026 onwards, have I been able to finally gain a sense of genuine desire to go after my psychologist aspirations. And it has been an uphill battle. I have strongly suspected that I have ADHD and maybe even autism, since I was like 16. I am currently in the process of trying to get a proper assessment (no telehealth and a specialist in adult adhd) and diagnosis. If I do have it, I really want to gain access to the support I need before Honours year starts, because I am quite sick of pushing through a disorder with nothing but sheer willpower.

But holding on to my aspirations has been hard when I look at my peers. I am already a year behind the people I started with, and it seems that everyone I know either do some sort of work that's somehow related to psychology (eg teaching assistant in alternative education or support worker), or have research experience, or have had internships in clinics. And most of them were on this grind since first year, meanwhile I was still in the depths of hell all the way till 2025. If not related to psych, they're already in their first corporate roles or have worked for years now and are in managerial positions. Meanwhile, I managed to land my first job last year, which was a christmas casual role for a local grocery shop.

As if this field wasn't competitive enough, I feel highly unqualified compared to everyone else around me. But with that being said, I am fighting to dig myself out of my 5 year depression and heal from my growth stunt.

I couldn't find jobs, and I couldn't confidently start a TAFE course either, as I wanted something that would ensure a decent and relevant job in the end. I have begun a course to become a digital crisis support volunteer for Lifeline, and I also am in the process of joining Headspace's Youth Reference Group. I really hope these ventures lead to something because as much as I love contributing to the community, especially for people who are struggling with mental illnesses, I need to be able to feed myself in the long term.

I am also volunteering at a local op shop just to give myself a sense of structure and not go back into self destructive habits. I was also supposed to volunteer at a residential centre, but that has been up in the air in terms of communication with the organisers.

I would like to do my Honours part time if it means I have more of a chance to get a better grade in the end, but my parents are putting me under heaps of pressure to complete my degree ASAP. I currently don't have a job and am reliant on my parents, and they have used that to pressure me into a lot of things like this, so I hope to get some sort of job soon just to gain a bit of control.

(i dont wanna hear anything about being a mooch because that's what my classmate had said last time I said i dont work. My parents come from a conservative culture and they had blocked me from making my own decisions and working since I was in high school to ensure control. The main reason they want me to complete my degree asap is also because sure they'd be dissapointed if I dont get into masters, but they just really wanna marry me off before I hit 25. I am currently 21 and have already faced loads of verbal abuse for not wanting to get married. It's a real mystery what caused my mental state to be so horrible all these years)

Anyways. So that is my situation. I currently have a 3 month cashier role on my resume. I managed a 77 WAM by the end of final year and hold a distinction average (my degree required 70 to enter hounours, now 75). I am starting 2 more mental health relevant volunteering roles now. I would've really liked to do an internship of sorts but I am forced to go overseas for family commitments this dec-jan.

I am interested in doing a course from tafe (either in support work or community services) but only if it'll get me a job before honours year.

I also wanna revise older materials to feel confident about my academic abilities by next year, but my genuine panic attack inducing fear of the material and (assumed) ADHD has really made it a struggle.

I aim to somehow get into masters of clinical psych, and if not that then professional psych. But social work and counselling is also something that I am not completely opposed to. That all depends on my finances and situation in the future (hopefully employed and not married).

But right now the focus is to get that 1st class honours, and gain experience to become confident in my field and a more competitive candidate for masters in the future, or just to work in the field. So if anyone please has any insight, I would greatly appreciate it. Pls keep in mind im a 1st gen immigrant in Australia and don't have anyone in my personal circle who is knowledgable on this field, so even info you may consider common sense could be a mystery to me.

I would really value any information or advice. I just really want to finally give myself a chance at life.

Before you guys jump me, I know masters anywhere is very difficult to get into but I just got curious.

I'm based in Sydney, and here even getting into masters of clinical psych in the shittiest unis seem like some impossible outcome, even for perfect candidates. But then when i go through this subreddit some people speak about it so casually or list requirements that would struggle a lot where I am (i'm not bothered remembering exact examples)

But that got me thinking if certain areas or states have more spaces and therefore are easier for a larger group of candidates to get into??

i'm curious to know from people's personal experiences

I'm from a Bengali background and currently live In Australia with my family. Growing up I had the titular controlling overbearing brown parents who decided everygthing that I did, down to how I was sitting while studying. So as a person who never learned to make decisions and practice discernment, I always just went along with what my parents would say believing they know everything. Especially my dad, as he is the typical model student to career man in our society.

I let them pick my subjects for my HSCs and allowed them to gaslight and scare me into picking subjects I felt no interest towards and was weaker in simply because it looked good on paper. Literally the worst decision I had made in my entire life and I am paying for that to this day. Even when it came to starting university I let them guilt me into starting straight out of high school even though I knew it wasn;t a good idea at the time.

But as I pay for these decisions they've made it's become increasingly clear to me that my parents very rarely act based on clarity and their only ocus is coming up with a quick fix out of panic. Like they genuinely only worry about the worst case scenraios and rush into decisions and complain about the consequences for the next 50 years.

I thought maybe it's a 1st gen immigrant thing, but no. Even my relative back home are the same. Not a single good marriage in my family, and I used to think it's just bad luck. And then I saw how they're marrying off my older cousins, or how my parents approach the topic of my marriage and it's just like.... holy sh!t

There's no way this is how you people have been moving and expected a life that's any better than constant struggle and half assed expreiences while falunting yourselves as winning at life the fastest...

Newk my country there's a reason it's a sh!thole.

Hi everyone,

I am looking for relevant work experience before honours year rolls around. I have till end of November as I have to travel overseas Dec-Jan for ill relatives, and I know volunteering is a big thing for psych undergrad students. So I was just wanting to know where to look for more info, and what type or roles to aim for.

I would love any advice. Thank you :)

Basically as the title says. I just completed the bachelor's portion of my psychology degree and am now waiting till next year's autumn semester for my honours year. I managed to pull the WAM required for honours in my course. Thankfully my degree had it embedded because I was not able to manage a 80+ wam (it's 77). basically after a whole bunch of bs in my personal life, my academic career had taken a big hit since the tail end of high school and i t's been an uphill battle since, and I am honestly grateful i have even made it as far as i have. I wanted to become a psychologist because of my own struggles with mental health and access to support, as well as always being inclined towards community related careers.

I am hoping an ADHD diagnosis and access to medication/support as well as lifestyle change might help me use my potential and somehow get the first class honours I am aiming for next year, but I am also aware that entry into masters of clinical psych is extremely difficult.

One thing I was told was that students with experience alongside academics are more likely to be accepted, and I was looking into the roles we're recommended. It's usually mental health support work, peer work, youth work, case manager etc.

That led me to look into TAFE courses, and the main one i was inclined towards is cert 4 in mental health, as it offers placements. As my honours year doesnt start till 2027, I am hoping to study a tafe course that would give me the ability to have hands on experience and swiftly begin to work in those roles. But before I do that, I thought I'd ask around if that seems like a good plan!!

Due to my cultural background I have had a very short time in the workforce here (retail role during last christmas) and I am honestly itching to just work as well. Due to my age, retail jobs are not inclined to hire me and the place where I worked at was shady asf and began to ghost me soon after I turned 21 (especially as I was one of their newer employees and one of the few who were studying uni). They'd stopped giving shifts ages ago and officially let me go earlier this month. Yes they played me like a fiddle. I am also the first in my family to go to university here and in the psychology field, and most of bachelor's experience has been online and isolating, so I am doing this uni and career thing blind and alone. I have also had no internships as half my summers have been spent being made to fly back to my country as my grandparents are ill and this coming summer is likely to be my last one with them. Altogether, shitty resume thanks to both my circumstances as well as my own inability to step outside of my comfort zone. I've done the beating myself up part, I'm honestly now just trying to learn to take initiatives.

I am also trying to be realistic that there is a likely possibility of my psychologist dreams to stop at honours, and In that scenario, if I manage to land a role as a mental health support worker or similar with my cert 4, I do want to continue expanading a career in that field. A role I recently got a vague interest towards was ndis support coordinators. I believe a masters in social work or counselling, and maybe even occupational or speech therapy may also be something I would look into in the future (if it is within my means).

I was also interested in doing a cert 4 in allied health assistance due to this but im unsure if that'll be as useful for a clinical psych masters application, idk. someone let me know.

Anyways, my situation is straight up garbage and I wish i had the luxury of postponing uni (as it was an emotionally volatile and horrible time in my life and i don't think i was in the right headspace to commit to a long-winded career like psych or the debt and instability that it comes with) and maybe take the time to get the support i had needed or explored different options but i unfortunately come from a background where the main goal wasn't my wellbeing, but for me to complete higher education asap and get married and start a family and "get off my parents' backs honourably" as they put it.

Not to overshare but I am aware that compared to most people my age here in australia I am severly lacking in work experience (i mean back then i had the academics to back myself up but then that went to shit and i'm barely hanging on atp) but it has caused me a lot of headaches in terms of getting a regular job, especially as my age has made it harder. the economy and job market isn't helping...

I don't have anyone around me that I can turn to for informed unbiased advice (im not going to my uni careers counsellor yet) and I am mainly just worried that I will do the course and take on additional commitments just to be left with a useless certification and no job. SO MAINLY, i guess i need reassurance that I am not screaming into the abyss. I just need to know how i can use this cert 4 to get a job and maybe it could be useful for masters. Honestly, if anyone has any advice for my situation, I would greatly greatly appreciate it.

Basically any elaboration on the question would be a great help, even for masters of counselling, but the specific question that I was currently thinking of was who is more likely to be accepted into masters? -a student who may have no experience but have a H1 in Honours, or a student who may have experience (say a mental health support worker or support hotline operator) but a H2A honours.

I was curious to know how close are people to extended family members in Japan?

I'm from an Asian background and in my culture if you're close or grew up together, your parent's siblings (aunts/uncles) almost function as secondary parental figures, and your cousins function like siblings. If you're close as adults and have somewhat of a bond with their kids, their children basically are treated like your nieces/nephews, not your cousin once removed. Heck, your sibling's and maybe even cousins' grandkids are basically your own secondary grandkids.

I didn't realise that people treat extended families almost like acquaintances until I moved abroad to the West. Even if they grew up in close proximity, most of my European-descent friends don't seem to have that close bond that I have with my cousins, even when we've grown up in separate cities and countries. So I started doing some research and found that most collectivist eastern cultures seem to view extended family in a similar fashion to mine, and even certain South and East European cultures.

Then one thing led to another and I started looking into how it is in Japan, but I found basically nothing that answered this question, so I was hoping to hear from personal experiences.

Would you, presumably a Japanese person either in Japan or overseas, say that extended family members are close, similar to most other Asian countries, or more distant and formal like in the West? Or does it depend on the family? Was it different in older generations? Or does it change depending on location, because it seems to me that people living in the city tend to be not as close as people living in rural regions. I'm really curious about this and I'd love to hear personal perspectives on the relationships you have/had with aunts and uncles, and cousins specifically.

So I'm currently working on a family tree for an anime, but I ran into a problem and if anyone is Japanese, can you explain how extended families work over there?

So the set up is basically, character A and B are first cousins. Character B has a child (C), who would be A's first cousin once removed. C goes on to have their own child (D), who would be A's first cousin twice removed, i believe.

But the thing is, in my culture, your cousins function like siblings, and their children function as you nieces/nephews, not your cousin once removed. And if bonds are close enough, the cousin twice removed would function as your grandniece/nephew.

The story I'm writing concerns character A and character D, and I built up their dynamic as distant cousins who function like great aunt and great niece. In my research, it seems to be a similar case for most other collectivist eastern cultures, and even certain western cultures, but I couldn't find anything specific to Japan.

If anyone more educated on the topic, or someone Japanese could give some clarity, that'd be awesome.